Many web applications require frequent network communication. In Chapter 6, we investigated ways for our web pages to exchange information with the server without requiring new pages to be loaded in the browser. These Ajax techniques are very useful, and include some of the most sophisticated things we can do with jQuery.
In this chapter, we will dive deeper into the capabilities of the jQuery Ajax framework. We'll consider proper error-handling techniques for dealing with network interruptions, explore the interactions between Ajax and the jQuery deferred object system, and develop ways to keep our network traffic to a minimum through caching and throttling. Finally, we'll look at some of the inner workings of the Ajax system so that we can extend its functionality when needed.