Caching is a known term among everyone who uses or owns a website on the internet. It not only improves loading speed but also makes the user experience better.
Meanwhile, WordPress is a popular content management system that many people use to create websites. This means that cache and WordPress go hand in hand when it comes to website performance. If you want you can very easily use cache to improve your WordPress website’s performance.
What is caching?
Caching is a process in which a web browser stores frequently accessed data in a cache so that when a user requests the same data again, it fetches the data from the cache. This process lessens the burden on a web server which in turn makes the website load faster.
While cache and cookies both are used to improve the website’s performance, there are some differences between cache vs cookies.
A cache is a temporary location that is used to store copied files or data. Web browsers cache various files like HTML, JavaScript, and images so the website can load faster. Moreover, it can be said that caching enhances a user’s experience and makes the website navigation smoother.
There are six types of commonly used caches.
- Page Caching: is the process by which a fully prepared web page is saved in a web browser. It helps a web page to load quickly when a user revisits the page. Page caching also quickly displays the webpage without creating it from scratch.
- Browser caching: is the process by which a web server stores some files so that the next time when a user again visits the page, these contents load faster. In this technique, the browser uses stored files instead of fetching them from the server.
- Server caching: implies that a server stores commonly accessed website data. When a user again requests this data, the server can fetch it from the cache instead of generating it again.
- CDN caching or Content Delivery Network cache: is another form of caching. CDN stores copies of website files on servers that are located in different parts of the world. It means that when a user opens a webpage again. The files are loaded from the nearby server, reducing the content reaching time.
- Object cache: is a method in which a server stores database quarry results in a fast accessed memory. So when the data is needed again, it can fetch the data without querying the database. It improves the website performance time and reduces the server workload.
- Database caching: is very similar to object caching; the only difference is it stores raw data obtained from database queries.
The importance of caching for any website
Caching not only improves the speed of a website but it also minimizes the web server load. Along with this, cache reduces bandwidth consumption because web browsers load pages without downloading any static content which means less data usage.
Caching plays a big role when it comes to Google’s website ranking metrics because it speeds up a website, helping the website’s ranking. It also improves the user experience as no one likes to visit a slow website.
How does WordPress use caching?
Now you have a brief idea about caching, its importance, and categories, so let’s discuss how WordPress uses caching and how it can help you to better your website’s performance.
WordPress uses two types of caching, one is web caching and another is server-side caching. Both of these two caching works by saving the static page generated from the original search request.
How does a cache plugin work?
If you want, you can also use cache plugins for your WordPress website. There are many types of cache plugins available for different needs.
A cache plugin is a very simple option for your WordPress website as it executes caching on the WordPress website without manually doing it. These types of plugins are most of the time capable of deploying site-wide caching in just a few steps.
You can install cache plugins from WordPress itself or any third-party source. After being installed, you can manage the plugin through the site’s admin dashboard. You can click on your plugin option to check which types of plugins you are using. If you want, you can deactivate any plugin option by clicking on the deactivation option.
Best cache plugins for WordPress
There are many good cache plugins available for WordPress use, such as WP Rocket, WP Super Cache, and many more but these are expensive.
You can also use RabbitLoader as it boosts your website’s overall performance along with caching.
Is cleaning the cache necessary for WordPress?
Many times browsers may load content from cached pages even if you make any changes to specific pages on your website. To avoid this situation, it is very necessary to clean the cache of your WordPress website.
You can very easily clean your browser cache by using any plugin. To do this, click on the plugin that you have installed and check the menu. Once you find the cache option, you can just simply click on the clear cache option and clean the cache.
Caching boosts website performance
Overall, it can be said that cache is very important for any WordPress website to boost that website’s performance.
