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Automatically Clear RAM and Disk Cache Usage by Firefox
Tags: One of the most anticipated feature of Firefox 3 was the lower memory footprint, especially over longer multi-tabbed browsing sessions. Long time Firefox users have probably experienced or at least read about situations where Firefox would be left running for days on end – a for certain situation in my usage – only to continue to leak memory. It would not take long before 400MB+ of your system RAM would be used by Firefox. The severity would differ by user which likely points to a particular quirk in the website left open in a tab or a truly misbehaving plugin – perhaps even outside of the Firefox realm. Nevertheless, Firefox was to blame as the general majority vocalized.
Firefox 3 has been out for awhile now and the feedback regarding the plugging of memory leaks and holes, as well as general performance over 2.0, are positive. Still, things can still get a bit dicey from time to time, just like every browser. The beauty of Firefox is that there is an extension that can monitor Firefox’s RAM and Disk Cache usage and automatically flush the contents if it hits a defined threshold. The add-on is titled Cache Status and while it is marked as experimental – meaning it requires a free account at mozilla.org – it is stable and effective at what it’s intended for.
After download and installation, the current RAM and Disk Cache is displayed in Firefox’s bottom Status Bar. Right-clicking in the area will provide you options to clear either or both caches.
To configure the automatic flushing you must go into Cache Status’s Option page. In Firefox, Tools->Add Ons, find Cache Status in the list of installed add-ons, and click the Options button.
Here I’ve defined the threshold at 90%, that is, when the Disk Cache of 50MB reaches 45MB the cache will be cleared. I’ve chosen not to set a RAM Cache limit but that parameter would reel in any outrageous leakage of Firefox – or just keep it lean and mean, like Firefox’s initial goal.
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