This guide covers website optimization, and more specifically, the use of a caching engine on your website.

Introduction

• When Infomaniak detects that your website is consuming more resources than other websites on the same server, an analysis is performed.
  • Often, it is found that a simple modification of a query or parameter would optimize your site and reduce the server load.
  • You will then be contacted by email with the instructions to follow, which frequently include the installation or activation of a caching engine.
• Resource consumption is not necessarily related to the number of visitors.
  • A well-optimized, up-to-date site with a properly configured caching engine can handle several tens of thousands of daily visitors, while a poorly optimized site can consume far too many resources with only a few visits per day.
• A cache engine temporarily stores frequently used data to provide it more quickly during new requests.
  • This significantly improves website speed and reduces the load on databases or web services.
  • To install an advanced caching system (Redis, Memcached) on Cloud Server Infomaniak, please refer to this guide.

Enable a cache engine…

… on WordPress

WordPress has many caching plugins. Here are the most popular and effective ones:

• WP Rocket (paid, the most efficient and user-friendly "all-in-one" solution).
• WP Super Cache (free, developed by Automattic, very reliable).
• LiteSpeed Cache (free, extremely comprehensive).

Standard activation procedure:

1. Log in to your WordPress administration panel.
2. Go to Extensions > Add.
3. Search for one of the plugins mentioned, install it, and then activate it.
4. Configure the cache options: page caching, CSS/JS minification, and especially Lazy Load for images.

You should also consult this other guide on the subject.

… on Joomla (v4 & v5)

1. Go to System > General Settings.
2. Select the System tab.
3. In the Cache Settings section, enable the cache (the Conservative mode is the safest to start with).
4. Select the cache manager (Default file).
5. Next, go to System > Plugins and make sure the System - Cache plugin is enabled to cache entire pages.

… on PrestaShop (v1.7 & v8+)

1. Go to Advanced Settings > Performance.
2. Smarty: check "Never recompile template files" (in production) and enable "Cache".
3. CCC (Combine, Compress and Cache): enable all options (Smart CSS cache, Smart JS cache, Apache optimization).
4. Cache: at the bottom of the page, enable "Use cache". On shared hosting, prioritize the file system; on Cloud Server, use Memcached.

… on Drupal (v9, v10 & v11)

Caching is natively integrated and very powerful in Drupal:

1. Go to Settings > Development > Performance.
2. Check "Cache pages for anonymous users".
3. Define a duration for "Maximum cache expiration in the browser and proxy" (e.g., 10 minutes).
4. Enable CSS and JavaScript file aggregation.

… on Contao (v4 & v5)

1. The cache is now managed primarily via the config/config.yaml configuration file or via the administration interface under Layout > Themes > Edit the page layout.
2. Define a "Cache expiration delay" for the page in question.
3. Use the Contao Manager to clear the production cache (Symfony Cache) after structural changes.

Check the effectiveness

After activation, test your website with these free tools:

• Google PageSpeed Insights
• GTmetrix