For a Smart Remote Repository, Artifactory lets you navigate the contents of the repository on the remote Artifactory instance even if the artifacts have not been cached locally.
To enable remote browsing, you need to set the List Remote Folder Items checkbox in the remote repository configuration. Once this is set you can navigate that repository using the Simple or List Browser.
In the Simple Browser, an item that is not cached is indicated by an icon on its right when you hover over the item. In the List Browser, an item that is not cached is indicated by an arrow.
Simple Browser
List Browser
Initial responsiveness of remote repositories
Initial remote browsing might be slow, especially when browsing a virtual repository containing multiple remote repositories. However, browsing speeds up since remote content is cached for browsing according to the Retrieval Cache Period defined in the remote repository configuration panel.