diff --git a/node/minify.js b/node/minify.js
index b6f6130f9..423741ca4 100644
--- a/node/minify.js
+++ b/node/minify.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ var pro = require("uglify-js").uglify;
 var path = require('path');
 var Buffer = require('buffer').Buffer;
 var gzip = require('gzip');
+var server = require('./server');
 
 /**
  * Answers a http request for the pad javascript
@@ -201,7 +202,7 @@ exports.padJS = function(req, res)
         pathStr = path.normalize(__dirname + "/../var/minified_pad.js");
       }
       
-      res.sendfile(pathStr);
+      res.sendfile(pathStr, { maxAge: server.maxAge });
     })
   }
   //minifying is disabled, so load the files with jquery
diff --git a/node/server.js b/node/server.js
index d9d109008..4cfb310b0 100644
--- a/node/server.js
+++ b/node/server.js
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ var path = require('path');
 var minify = require('./minify');
 
 var serverName = "Etherpad-Lite ( http://j.mp/ep-lite )";
+//cache a week
+exports.maxAge = 1000*60*60*24*7;
 
 async.waterfall([
   //initalize the database
@@ -47,7 +49,7 @@ async.waterfall([
     { 
       res.header("Server", serverName);
       var filePath = path.normalize(__dirname + "/.." + req.url.split("?")[0]);
-      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: 1000*60*60 });
+      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: exports.maxAge });
     });
     
     //serve minified files
@@ -72,7 +74,7 @@ async.waterfall([
     {
       res.header("Server", serverName);
       var filePath = path.normalize(__dirname + "/../static/pad.html");
-      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: 1000*60*60 });
+      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: exports.maxAge });
     });
     
     //serve index.html under /
@@ -80,7 +82,7 @@ async.waterfall([
     {
       res.header("Server", serverName);
       var filePath = path.normalize(__dirname + "/../static/index.html");
-      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: 1000*60*60 });
+      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: exports.maxAge });
     });
     
     //serve robots.txt
@@ -88,7 +90,7 @@ async.waterfall([
     {
       res.header("Server", serverName);
       var filePath = path.normalize(__dirname + "/../static/robots.txt");
-      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: 1000*60*60 });
+      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: exports.maxAge });
     });
     
     //serve favicon.ico
@@ -96,7 +98,7 @@ async.waterfall([
     {
       res.header("Server", serverName);
       var filePath = path.normalize(__dirname + "/../static/favicon.ico");
-      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: 1000*60*60 });
+      res.sendfile(filePath, { maxAge: exports.maxAge });
     });
     
     //let the server listen