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In <link rel="stylesheet" href="css/styles.css?v=1.0">, ?v=1.0 is a query string added to the stylesheet’s URL. Developers often change that value after editing the CSS to encourage browsers and caches to request the updated file. This technique is called cache busting, but changing the query value does not guarantee a fresh file in every setup.
What the URL part means
The question mark starts the URL’s query component, and v=1.0 is a name-and-value pair sent as part of the request for css/styles.css. The v is a conventional parameter name, often read as “version”; 1.0 is its value.
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It is not an HTML attribute, a CSS instruction, or a command that tells the browser which CSS version to use. It is part of the resource URL. A 2013 SitePoint Forums discussion explains the example as a way to make the stylesheet URL different after the file changes.
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If a page links to styles.css?v=1.0, a developer might change the link to styles.css?v=1.1 after updating the CSS. Because the URL has changed, browsers and intermediate caches are less likely to reuse a copy associated with the old URL; they may request the stylesheet again. The value does not have to follow a particular numbering scheme. A timestamp or a value generated during a build can play the same role, provided it changes when the file changes.
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Why it is not a guarantee
A changed query value is a cache-busting technique, not a universal instruction to fetch new file contents. The server, browser, proxy, content filter, or CDN may handle query strings differently. The SitePoint discussion itself cautions that query-based cache busting can fail with some proxies or content filters. Its 2013 explanation is useful for understanding the example, but it does not establish behavior for a particular modern deployment.
If an update still does not appear, check that the link in the delivered page actually has the new value and that the server or caching layer is not treating both URLs as the same resource. How to configure that behavior depends on the site’s hosting and cache setup.
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