demo · v143

Icon immutability

The half of the spec that's about saving bytes: PWA icon URLs now count as Cache-Control: immutable. If the URL didn't change, the browser doesn't re-fetch even when the manifest changed. Live: type icon URLs and headers, see whether v143 would re-fetch.

old manifest

new manifest

before v143


      

v143 behaviour


      
Set URLs and headers, click Apply v143 rule.

the rule

// v143: a PWA icon URL is treated as effectively immutable.
// If old.icon.src === new.icon.src AND the URL hasn't changed,
// the browser skips re-fetching even when the manifest updates.

// To force a new icon, rev the URL:
//   /icon-192.png        →  /icon-192-v2.png   (cache-busted)
//   /icon-192.png?v=1    →  /icon-192.png?v=2

why this angle

The other concept covers the broader update_eligibility schema. This one isolates the Cache-Control: immutable change, which is the single biggest network optimisation for PWAs that change their manifest often but keep the same icons. Shows what counts as "the same icon".

see also