Using cloudflare to cache dynamic pages

Question

We have a number of pages where the only dynamic content is the user info (Name, profile link, # of items in shopping bag) which is at the top corner. These pages can take upto a second or more to load sometimes.

We are thinking of changing the pages so that the entire HTML page is cached using Cloudflare, then when it's displayed, JavaScript will check for the presence of a cookie name "Username" and "CartCount" and update the profile accordingly, or if the cookie is not available, show the customary login icon.

Is this method feasible and are there any security precautions that need to be taken?

Answer 1

Not only it's feasible, it's actively used by some of the big websites - eg. Airbnb, TripAdvisor.

You may notice that if you open these websites (and many others) at first it looks like you are not logged in, and then later DOM updates with your user name.

The only issue I see is CSRF tokens - if you cache the pages, your tokens will be outdated and not longer useful. You will have to turn off CSRF checks for your AJAX requests and sign in page.