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Cache Buster adds a unique timestamp parameter to your URLs, forcing HubSpot to serve fresh content instead of cached versions.

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What It Does

Cache Buster adds the hsCacheBuster parameter with a timestamp value to your URLs. This:
  • Bypasses browser cache
  • Bypasses CDN cache
  • Forces HubSpot to regenerate page content
  • Ensures you see the latest version of your content

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How to Use It

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Via Popup

  1. Click the FreshJuice extension icon
  2. Toggle Cache Buster on
  3. The page will reload with a timestamp parameter added

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Via Context Menu

  1. Right-click anywhere on the page
  2. Select FreshJuice HubSpot DevTools → Add Cache Buster
  3. The page will reload with the parameter enabled

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Via Keyboard Shortcut

Use Ctrl+Shift+C (or Cmd+Shift+C on Mac) to toggle Cache Buster on the current page.

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URL Parameter

Cache Buster adds this parameter with a Unix timestamp: 
hsCacheBuster=1709568000000
Example URL: 
https://www.example.com/page?hsCacheBuster=1709568000000
The timestamp value is generated using Date.now() and changes every time:
  • You toggle Cache Buster on
  • You navigate to a new page (with persistence enabled)
  • A link is hovered (with auto-apply enabled)
Unlike Debug Mode and Developer Mode which use static true values, Cache Buster generates a new timestamp on each navigation to ensure maximum cache-busting effectiveness.

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Technical Details

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Dynamic Value Generation

From src/lib/url-params.js:9: 
const URL_PARAMS = {
  cacheBuster: { key: 'hsCacheBuster', value: () => Date.now().toString() }
};
The value is a function that generates a fresh timestamp each time it’s called.

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Application Logic

When applying parameters (src/popup/popup.js:187): 
const { key, value } = URL_PARAMS[mode];
params[key] = typeof value === 'function' ? value() : value;

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Persistence Behavior

On each navigation with persistence enabled (src/background/background.js:305): 
if (mode === 'cacheBuster') {
  // Always update cacheBuster with fresh timestamp on each navigation
  const newTimestamp = Date.now().toString();
  const currentValue = url.searchParams.get(paramKey);
  if (currentValue !== newTimestamp) {
    paramsToSet[paramKey] = newTimestamp;
    needsUpdate = true;
  }
}
This ensures every page load gets a unique cache-busting value.

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Use Cases

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Testing Template Changes

When you’ve updated a HubSpot template and want to see changes immediately: 
1. Make changes to your template in HubSpot
2. Enable Cache Buster
3. Reload the page
4. See your changes without waiting for cache expiration

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Debugging Caching Issues

To determine if an issue is cache-related: 
1. Observe the issue on the page
2. Enable Cache Buster
3. If the issue disappears, it was cache-related
4. If it persists, investigate other causes

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Content Publishing Workflow

When publishing new content or updates: 
1. Publish changes in HubSpot
2. Enable Cache Buster on the page
3. Verify changes appear correctly
4. Share the clean URL (without cache buster) with stakeholders
Cache Buster is especially useful for CSS and JavaScript changes that tend to be heavily cached by browsers and CDNs.

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Fresh Timestamps on Every Navigation

When Persist across sessions is enabled, Cache Buster behaves specially:
  1. Initial page load: hsCacheBuster=1709568000000
  2. Navigate to another page: hsCacheBuster=1709568123456 (new timestamp)
  3. Navigate again: hsCacheBuster=1709568234567 (another new timestamp)
This ensures every page load bypasses the cache, even when navigating between pages on the same site. When Auto-Apply Links is enabled, hovering over same-domain links generates a new timestamp for each link (src/content/content-script.js:86): 
// Use the value from URL or generate new one for dynamic values
params[key] = typeof value === 'function' ? value() : url.searchParams.get(key);
This means each link you click gets a fresh cache-busting value.

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Removing Cache Buster

To remove the cache buster parameter:
  1. Toggle off in popup - Removes parameter and reloads
  2. Context menu - Click “Remove Cache Buster”
  3. Forget website - Removes parameter and domain from allowed list
  4. Manual URL edit - Remove &hsCacheBuster=... from the URL
Cache Buster forces HubSpot to regenerate content on every request. While useful for development, it should not be used in production as it bypasses performance optimizations.

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Edge Cases

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Parameter Already Exists

If the URL already has hsCacheBuster, the extension will:
  • Remove it when toggling off
  • Update it with a new timestamp when toggling on or navigating

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Combined with Other Parameters

Cache Buster works alongside other debug parameters: 
https://example.com?hsDebug=true&hsCacheBuster=1709568000000&developerMode=true

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Relative vs Absolute URLs

The extension handles both: 
// Relative URL
/page → /page?hsCacheBuster=1709568000000

// Absolute URL  
https://example.com/page → https://example.com/page?hsCacheBuster=1709568000000

// Existing params
/page?foo=bar → /page?foo=bar&hsCacheBuster=1709568000000

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Non-HubSpot Sites

The hsCacheBuster parameter is HubSpot-specific. On non-HubSpot sites, it will be added to URLs but ignored by the server.

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Performance Considerations

Cache Buster impacts performance by:
  • Forcing server-side content regeneration
  • Preventing browser cache usage
  • Bypassing CDN edge caches
  • Increasing server load
Best practices:
  • Enable only when actively developing or debugging
  • Disable when finished testing
  • Don’t use on production sites for regular browsing

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