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Refresh the browser

If when working in the cloud, you find that the application fails or enters into an inconsistent state, clear the cache!

A traditional static webpage has no moving parts. The web server delivers HTML, CSS, and perhaps some JavaScript to the browser, and then its job is done. Such pages are very useful for delivering static content, such as documentation, where the only purpose is to consume information.

On the modern web, however, things are more complicated. A web application such as GMail, Facebook, or Altair AI Cloud is highly interactive and relies on large JavaScript libraries. Users expect the web application to be continuously updated as news and mail pour in from across the internet, or as they assign tasks and await results from Altair AI Cloud.

A web application demands more from the web browser than static HTML, both because of the large JavaScript libraries that must be downloaded and because of the frequent changes on each page -- each click by the user may trigger a whole new page layout.

The browser manages this task by dividing it into chunks: instead of downloading the whole application in connection with each change, it only downloads the part that is relevant. The parts that do not change can be retrieved from a local cache. This approach has at least two benefits: it speeds up the application by reducing network latency, and it reduces the burden on the web server.

However, it also introduces the possibility of inconsistency, when for example a JavaScript library on the server has been updated, but your browser is still using the version that is in cache.

To remove the inconsistency, there are two possible strategies:

  1. Open a new private tab or window

    In the new private tab or window, the application is downloaded from scratch, ignoring any existing cache. A private tab or window has the property that when it is closed, all browser session data connected to that tab or window is deleted; in particular, the possibly inconsistent data that might otherwise be saved in cache is deleted.

  2. Apply a hard refresh

    A hard refresh forces the browser to ignore the cache and download the whole web application in the current tab. Every browser has a special shortcut or menu item to apply a hard refresh, but the only guaranteed method to eliminate problems is to clear the cache -- see below.

Clear the cache​

To clear the cache, not merely refresh the page, follow the instructions below.

Google Chrome​

Open Chrome Dev Tools by pressing F12 (Windows, Linux) or Cmd ⌘ + Opt ⌥ + I (Mac).

Once the Chrome Dev Tools are open, right-click the Reload this page button ⟳ and choose Empty Cache and Hard Reload.

Firefox​

Go to History > Clear Recent History.

Select Cache and Everything from the drop-down menu.

Click Clear Now.

Microsoft Edge​

Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data (Windows, Linux) or Settings > Privacy > Clear browsing data (Mac)

Select Cached images and files, and Everything else.

Click Clear now.

Safari​

Go to Safari > Settings... > Advanced.

Enable Show features for web developers.

Press Cmd ⌘ + Opt ⌥ + R.