Caching is described as which of the following?

• A. A high-speed storage layer that stores a subset of data for quick future requests.
• B. A technology that caches DNS lookups.
• C. A technique used to keep copies of frequently accessed data closer to users for faster access.
• D. A method for distributing workloads across servers.

Answer: (C)

Caching centers on storing copies of data that are accessed frequently so they can be retrieved quickly on subsequent requests. The key benefit is bringing those copies closer to the requester, which reduces latency and saves bandwidth. That makes the statement about keeping copies of frequently accessed data near users for faster access the most accurate description. DNS caching is an example of caching applied to domain lookups, but caching also applies to web content, databases, and many parts of the network. A high-speed storage layer that stores a subset of data describes caching in general, yet it doesn’t explicitly emphasize the proximity to users, which is the main performance gain. Distributing workloads across servers is about load balancing, not caching.