HTML Browser Cache

 what you want is not to deactivate the cache, but to deactivate the history buffer. Different browsers have their own subtle ways to disable the history buffer.

In Chrome (v28.0.1500.95 m) we can do this only by Cache-Control: no-store.

In FireFox (v23.0.1) any one of these will work:

1. Cache-Control: no-store
2. Cache-Control: no-cache (https only)
3. Pragma: no-cache (https only)
4. Vary: * (https only)

In Opera (v12.15) we only can do this by Cache-Control: must-revalidate (https only).

In Safari (v5.1.7, 7534.57.2) any one of these will work:

1. Cache-Control: no-store
    in html
2. Cache-Control: no-store (https only)

In IE8 (v8.0.6001.18702IC) any one of these will work:

1. Cache-Control: must-revalidate, max-age=0
2. Cache-Control: no-cache
3. Cache-Control: no-store
4. Cache-Control: must-revalidate
Expires: 0
5. Cache-Control: must-revalidate
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
6. Pragma: no-cache (https only)
7. Vary: * (https only)

Combining the above gives us this solution which works for Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7, and Opera 12.15: Cache-Control: no-store, must-revalidate (https only)

Note that https is needed because Opera wouldn't deactivate history buffer for plain http pages. If you really can't get https and you are prepared to ignore Opera, the best you can do is this:

Cache-Control: no-store

Below shows the raw logs of my tests:

HTTP:

1. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   
   _{Fail: Opera 12.15}
   Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7
2. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   
   _{Fail: Opera 12.15}
   Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7
3. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   _{Fail: Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8
4. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, no-store, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   _{Fail: Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8
5. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: IE8
6. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: IE8
7. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: IE8
8. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: IE8
9. Cache-Control: no-store
   _{Fail: Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8
10. Cache-Control: no-store
    
    _{Fail: Opera 12.15}
    Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7
11. Cache-Control: no-cache
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: IE8
12. Vary: *
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: none
13. Pragma: no-cache
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: none
14. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
    
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: IE8
15. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
    
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: IE8
16. Cache-Control: must-revalidate, max-age=0
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: IE8
17. Cache-Control: must-revalidate
Expires: 0
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: IE8
18. Cache-Control: must-revalidate
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: IE8
19. Cache-Control: private, must-revalidate, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
    
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: none

HTTPS:

1. Cache-Control: private, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
   
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: none
2. Cache-Control: private, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
   
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: none
3. Vary: *
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: FireFox 23, IE8
4. Pragma: no-cache
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: FireFox 23, IE8
5. Cache-Control: no-cache
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: FireFox 23, IE8
6. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: FireFox 23, IE8
7. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: FireFox 23, IE8
8. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
   Success: FireFox 23, IE8
9. Cache-Control: must-revalidate
   _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7}
   Success: Opera 12.15
10. Cache-Control: private, must-revalidate, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
    
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7}
    Success: Opera 12.15
11. Cache-Control: must-revalidate, max-age=0
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7}
    Success: IE8, Opera 12.15
12. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
    
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7}
    Success: FireFox 23, IE8, Opera 12.15
13. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
    
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7}
    Success: FireFox 23, IE8, Opera 12.15
14. Cache-Control: no-store
    _{Fail: Opera 12.15}
    Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7
15. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, no-store, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
    
    _{Fail: Opera 12.15}
    Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7
16. Cache-Control: private, no-cache, no-store, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
    
    _{Fail: Opera 12.15}
    Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7
17. Cache-Control: private, no-cache
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15}
    Success: FireFox 23, IE8
18. Cache-Control: must-revalidate
Expires: 0
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7,} 
    Success: IE8, Opera 12.15
19. Cache-Control: must-revalidate
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7,} 
    Success: IE8, Opera 12.15
20. Cache-Control: private, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: 0
    
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7,} 
    Success: IE8, Opera 12.15
21. Cache-Control: private, must-revalidate, max-age=0, proxy-revalidate, s-maxage=0
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
    
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, Safari 5.1.7,} 
    Success: IE8, Opera 12.15
22. Cache-Control: private, must-revalidate
Expires: Sat, 12 Oct 1991 05:00:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
Vary: *
    _{Fail: Chrome 28, Safari 5.1.7}
    Success: FireFox 23, IE8, Opera 12.15
23. Cache-Control: no-store, must-revalidate
    _{Fail: none}
    Success: Chrome 28, FireFox 23, IE8, Safari 5.1.7, Opera 12.15