Dynamic Ux On Aggressively Cached Pages Via Client-Side State

Issue 37 Edition 2026-02-06 7 min read

General

Sources: 1 • Confidence: High • Updated: 2026-02-06 16:49

Key takeaways

Admin-only edit links are conditionally displayed client-side by checking a localStorage key and injecting an edit link from a per-page data-admin-url attribute.
Clicking the Random button stores the tag name and a timestamp in localStorage before redirecting to a /random/{tag}/ endpoint that selects a random post and redirects to it.
The content system uses four separate Django models: entries, link posts (blogmarks), quotations, and notes.
The random tag feature was implemented using Claude Code for web via prompts from an iPhone, including endpoint creation, tests, UI changes, and the localStorage persistence behavior.
The persistent Random button is only re-injected on page load if the stored timestamp is within the last 5 seconds.

Admin-only edit links are conditionally displayed client-side by checking a localStorage key and injecting an edit link from a per-page data-admin-url attribute.
Clicking the Random button stores the tag name and a timestamp in localStorage before redirecting to a /random/{tag}/ endpoint that selects a random post and redirects to it.
The persistent Random button is only re-injected on page load if the stored timestamp is within the last 5 seconds.
The website is full-page cached behind Cloudflare with a 15-minute cache header to withstand large traffic spikes.
Setting localStorage.ADMIN to '1' enables admin edit links in the browser without requiring server-rendered personalization.
Tag pages include a 'Random' button that redirects users to a random post with that tag and can persist to continue random navigation within the same tag.

Clicking the Random button stores the tag name and a timestamp in localStorage before redirecting to a /random/{tag}/ endpoint that selects a random post and redirects to it.
The website is full-page cached behind Cloudflare with a 15-minute cache header to withstand large traffic spikes.
The /random/{tag}/ endpoint is marked no-cache so Cloudflare will not cache the redirect response.

The content system uses four separate Django models: entries, link posts (blogmarks), quotations, and notes.
Random selection initially used a union across four content tables to assemble candidates for a tag, order them randomly, and redirect based on the selected object.
The random-selection query was improved using a CTE-based approach to handle large tags more efficiently.

The random tag feature was implemented using Claude Code for web via prompts from an iPhone, including endpoint creation, tests, UI changes, and the localStorage persistence behavior.

What are the actual performance characteristics of /random/{tag}/ (latency, DB load, error rates) before and after the CTE-based change, especially for tags with thousands of items?
What specific cache-control directives are used for the no-cache behavior on /random/{tag}/, and is Cloudflare configuration verified to respect them in the deployed environment?
How is tag membership represented across the four models, and what indexes or database schema choices support efficient random selection across them?
What are the security and operational implications of using localStorage as the toggle for admin edit links (e.g., whether links expose sensitive admin URLs, and what safeguards exist)?
What measurable development outcomes resulted from using Claude Code (e.g., lead time, review time, defect rate) compared to non-AI-assisted changes?

CDN full page caching plus client-side state can preserve cacheability while adding per-user UI, suggesting value for edge caching platforms when sites want personalization without origin load.
Dynamic redirect endpoints that must bypass caching can become concentrated performance hotspots, implying demand for efficient database query patterns and observability tools on uncached paths.
End-to-end feature delivery using Claude Code for web from a mobile workflow suggests potential productivity gains from AI coding tools that cover backend, frontend, and tests.

Measured before and after metrics for /random/{tag}/ show stable low latency and error rates at high tag cardinality, and database load does not spike under repeated requests.
Deployed headers and Cloudflare configuration are verified to honor no-cache on /random/{tag}/ while maintaining high cache hit rates on content pages.
Development analytics show faster lead time or fewer defects for the Claude Code implemented slice versus comparable non-AI changes.

/random/{tag}/ remains slow or unstable for large tags after the CTE change, or database load grows nonlinearly, forcing further redesign or throttling.
Cloudflare caches redirect responses despite intended no-cache behavior, causing repeated random requests to return identical targets and undermining the feature.
Admin edit link exposure via localStorage is judged insecure or operationally risky, requiring removal or significant server-side personalization that reduces cacheability.