caches are effectively a set of caches that affect all users of an application, whereas user-level caches use specific data. ASP.NET Caching For ASP.NET-based projects, you have a wide variety of methods for handling caching. The nature of the data to cache determines which cache you use. The different caching m echanisms are enumerated in Table 5-1. Table 5-1 ASP.NET Caching Mechanisms Cache Type Use Case Cookies Used to cache data that is user-specific and small. Commonly used to store tokens or keys to larger data stores, but some basic preferences can be stored there. ViewState Page-level cache implemented as a hidden form element on the page sent to the client. Often used as a temporary cache to prevent retrieval from other data stores. Sent back to Page during Postbacks. Bloats the size of the HTML markup. Useful for stateless storage of data on a per-page/ per-control basis. Session Browser-session-based