How to stop using cache manifest on a live site

Question

I changed my cache.manifest file to the following:

CACHE MANIFEST
NETWORK:
*
CACHE:
FALLBACK:

This triggered an update to my site. I tried adding a "#" to the manifest file and then removed the manifest="cache.manifest" from my page.

This triggered the cache to be updated again, even though the reference to the manifest was gone. The console indicated it was still being loaded from cache.

I even tried renaming my cache.manifest file and it still was being loaded from cache.

How in the world can I safely stop using cache manifest? I have a completely new version of my site I want to roll out, but if cache manifest is still trying to cache the new site, that will be a disaster for all my visitors who do not know they need to clear their browser cache.

Answer 1

I believe I found the trick. It seems I need to keep the old cache.manifest but change (not remove) the reference to a non-existent manifest file.

Presumably, I'll need to keep the broken reference there for several years in case I have visitors who only visit periodically.