squid : Optimising Web Delivery Overview & Contact Data

Squid-cache.org is the official website for Squid, a widely used open-source caching proxy focused on optimising web delivery performance and reducing network bandwidth use. The project describes Squid as a tool for lowering response times by storing frequently requested web pages and serving repeated requests from cache. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and additional protocols, and can be deployed as a transparent or intercepting cache, a server accelerator, or a component of larger content distribution systems. Its extensive access controls make it suitable for corporate networks, educational institutions, and public access points that require policy-based traffic management. The site targets network engineers, system administrators, web hosting operators, ISPs, and developers who need to manage traffic, protect origin servers, or balance load for clients across multiple machines. Squid is presented as a flexible option for building cache hierarchies, routing content to appropriate servers, and limiting bandwidth consumption in high-traffic environments. The homepage also highlights real-world use cases, including Wikimedia’s deployment, where cached content helped increase effective capacity for backend servers. What makes the site useful is the breadth of practical resources it provides. Visitors can find documentation, configuration references, examples, FAQs, wiki guides, beginner-oriented books, security advisories, bug tracking, mailing lists, and support channels. The project also links to commercial services, sponsors, related software, and developer resources, giving readers multiple paths for learning, troubleshooting, or obtaining professional assistance. Squid runs on most common operating systems, including Windows, and is released under the GNU GPL, making it a practical foundation for both small deployments and large-scale network infrastructure.