Google cache
Google cache stored a viewable copy of indexed pages. Removed in early 2024, it survives as a concept: engines and AI systems still work from snapshots, they are simply no longer exposed to the public.
In practice
Its removal took away a valued diagnostic tool — checking what Google had seen and when. Alternatives now are the URL Inspection tool in Search Console for the indexed version, and public web archives for history. The enduring lesson: what the engine has recorded always overrides what the site currently displays.