Cache : when search engine bot or crawler come to your page or found any update on site, this process is "Cache". Indexing : After reading the updated element it stores those new elements in Search Engine's database. This restoration process is "Indexing".
Cached is where google has saved a copy of the page (images and all) that can be viewed even if your site no longer exists. Indexed, is where your site is in their database.
Not that straightforward. In Google, by using operator site:"your page" (indexed analogy) there can be found many pages, which cannot be found by operator cache:"your page". Which leads to a conclusion/speculation that indexing goes first, and caching goes afterwards.
So if a page is not cached its content cannot be displayed in the results search page? What is the difference in terms of search results?
From cache data you can know that when google spider came on your webpage last time and visit your site. Google's cache is helpful because from that you should know that how often visit your site by spider. You can see the Google cache of your website/web pages like In the Google search result showing the URL that you need to view, click the "Cache" link. Indexing means whatever you can see in search result. If you search web design keyword related to your website and search engine show that particular page related to that keyword in search engine then you can say that google has been index your web page in it.
I think both are same, many times your pages cached and it shows in index even in few seconds forum sites are cached and you can see it in SERP.
A new site is first cached. Then it is added to the index of search Engines. Cache is just the snapshot of the site in the last crawled date by Search Engine Spiders.
what about the case where a page is indexed but not cached? I have examples of that. then it cannot be that first it is cached and then indexed..... Why do you think are the same? i think cached pages are better positioned in search results than the ones that are only indexed.... please your opinions!
Cached is where google has saved a copy of the page. Indexed, is where your site is in their database.