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Cachebuster – A Pro Tip for Bypassing Cache.

Written by Tomas Koprusak 181 words | 1 min read Updated Nov 13, 2025
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Caching is a great way to improve website performance and minimize the load.

An ideal cache displays the cached version until the content changes and flushes the cache when there is a change. Yet, there may be cases where the cached version is not the most up-to-date one (if there is a DB error on the site or the caching is only time-based..).

And, we may want Uptime Robot to load the non-cached version on each request to make sure that the uptime/downtime is decided accordingly.

Here is a tiny feature (a pro tip) that can help bypassing cache.

Cachebuster

Uptime Robot will auto-replace the string:

  • *cachebuster*

in the querystring with a unique timestamp every time so that each request is unique.

As an example, if the website to be monitored is:

  • https://mywebsitetomonitor.com

We can use the URL as:

  • https://mywebsitetomonitor.com/?*cachebuster*

and the request will have a different querystring each time.

Hope this helps for a better uptime.

Update (2019-11-19): The feature can now be used for custom HTTP headers and POST values as well.

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Written by

Tomas Koprusak

Product Owner |

He has worked for Sygic as a marketer and co-led the implementation and development of a product acquired from a competitor. He has also worked as a freelance developer, helping clients from various areas. Tomas brings a wealth of industry experience to our team. He spent a few years in the blockchain industry, leading projects and marketing teams at multiple blockchain-based companies. He has presented products and managed deals in more than 10 countries around the world, managed the ICO, and built a successful marketing team at Fuergy that continues to thrive. Tomas managed a product team for the biggest job site in Slovakia, covering development and transformation to a new B2B app. Not only is Tomas skilled at web development, but he also has a deep understanding of SaaS businesses, which makes him an invaluable asset in shaping and leading various projects at UptimeRobot. His focus is always on the continual improvement of our service and user experience. In addition to his professional achievements, Tomas is a devoted father. His personal interests include cycling (he traveled around the whole country of Slovakia), playing guitar (he even played in a band), servicing bikes, music, and enjoying good beer.

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17 Comments

Piergiorgio Zotti - SEO Specialist Apr 8, 2019 at 1:33 pm

Very useful. Thank you!

Kristian - Community Manager Jun 9, 2020 at 1:33 pm

Happy to hear that, thank you for your feedback!

Jay Apr 9, 2019 at 4:59 pm

Sweet! Needed this feature. Added the string to all my tests.

Kristian - Community Manager Jun 9, 2020 at 4:59 pm

Awesome! Thank you for your feedback :)

Jachu Apr 25, 2019 at 7:58 pm

Hi, nice tip. This is very helpful. Thanks!

Kristian - Community Manager Jun 9, 2020 at 7:58 pm

Happy to help, Jachu! Thank you for your feedback :)

Jens Jul 31, 2019 at 2:13 pm

Excellent. Love the name too.

Kristian - Community Manager Jun 9, 2020 at 2:13 pm

Glad you like it! :) Thank you for your feedback.

Badar Jamal Oct 3, 2019 at 9:08 am

Great! Let me add this to all my websites...

Kristian - Community Manager Jun 9, 2020 at 9:08 am

Happy to hear you like it :) Thank you for your feedback!

Andreas Nov 1, 2019 at 6:58 am

Can this feature only use pro (paid) users?

Kristian - Community Manager Jun 9, 2020 at 6:58 am

Hi Andreas, it should be working for everyone :)

Jens Kirk Nov 6, 2019 at 3:52 pm

Great :-)

But will it also be working as ?
https://mywebsitetomonitor.com/index.php?somesetting=true&*cachebuster*

And can it be bulk-added to all monitors please? :-)

David May 6, 2020 at 7:14 pm

Sounds great. I am new to the service so, very basic question - it is called a Pro tip, is the feature available in the Free version? We are testing the features/ service in Free version now and would be good to know if Free supports the *cachebuster* feature or not.
Thank you.

Kristian - Community Manager Jun 9, 2020 at 7:14 pm

Hi David! It should work for you too :) please let us know if there is anything we can help you with.

what is seo Jul 18, 2020 at 10:58 pm

Thanks For Sharing Its Very Informative For Me

CARLOS HENRIQUE FRUCTUOSO DE MORAES RODRIGUES Nov 15, 2021 at 11:26 pm

Helped to fix an issue here, thanks a lot.

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