If you are looking for a way to improve website caching, speed up its loading, and also protect it against attacks, try our new service WEDOS Protection.
In this article, you will learn:
- How Webhosting content caching works
- How to optimize page loading speed
- Common problems
- Frequently asked questions
Caching content on a proxy server
Webhosting includes a caching reverse HTTP/S proxy. This powerful server processes all traffic and stores (caches) static website content such as static pages, images, CSS, JavaScript, and similar. It then handles repeated requests for the same document directly instead of the web server itself. In this way, the proxy server saves web server performance while also delivering content much faster. You will especially notice the difference with high website traffic. The proxy performance is not limited in any way for the Webhosting service, which significantly increases the possible website traffic compared to a solution without a proxy.
For WMS, the number of requests is limited to 5 million. You can purchase additional requests as part of the add-on service Increase the number of requests handled by the proxy.
Optimizing website loading speed
To speed up website loading, make sure that:
- caching of static content on the website is enabled (enabled by default);
- caching in the website application itself (for example, our WordPress plugin ⧉);
- you use WEDOS Protection micro CDN ⧉.
Dynamic website content may be slightly slowed down by the proxy server, but the delay is usually unnoticeable. The proxy server is fully transparent, and for the visitor the page looks and behaves exactly the same as without a proxy. Likewise, from the website application’s point of view nothing changes, and you do not need to make any adjustments to the website other than the already mentioned page content caching.
Common problems
Common cache-related problems include:
Changes on the website are not showing
Problem: When we are tweaking the look of the website, an old version is displayed.
Cause: The old version may be cached in the browser or elsewhere.
Solution: First verify whether the content is not being cached in the browser. Reload the page using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + R.
If that does not help, the proxy server has probably cached the changes. You can disable this cache by editing the .htaccess file according to the guide Webhosting – .htaccess file.
After completing the changes, we recommend turning the proxy cache back on so that repeated requests do not unnecessarily burden the web server and slow down your website.
WordPress is slow
Problem: After deploying caching plugins on WordPress, the website loads slowly or with errors.
Solution: Use only one caching plugin. If you cannot disable the plugins in the administration because of errors, disable them via FTP according to the community guide WordPress – Broken website ⧉.
Frequently asked questions
How do I activate Redis or Memcached for Webhosting?
Neither Webhosting nor WMS use the Redis or Memcached caching solutions. They cannot be activated.