WP Super Cache is a powerful caching plugin designed to make your WordPress website significantly faster. It does this by generating static HTML files from your dynamic pages. Once generated, these HTML files are served to most of your visitors, bypassing PHP execution and reducing server load. This approach results in faster page load times and better performance, especially during traffic spikes.
The plugin serves cached files in three different ways:
Expert mode uses Apache's mod_rewrite (or a similar module) to deliver static HTML files, bypassing PHP entirely. This method is the fastest but requires modifying the .htaccess file, which can be risky if done incorrectly.
Simple mode serves cached HTML files via PHP. It's slightly slower than Expert mode but much easier and safer to configure, making it the recommended option for most users.
WP-Cache mode is ideal for caching pages for logged-in users, commenters, and dynamic pages with custom data. Although it's the slowest, it offers maximum flexibility and supports partial caching for dynamic content.
To get the best performance with minimal configuration, it is recommended to use the following:
Also, enable preload mode to generate cache for all posts and pages. This reduces server load and improves response times even when visitors aren’t actively browsing your content.
Over time, your cache directory will fill with outdated files. Garbage collection ensures that these files are deleted regularly. You can control how long cache files are stored (timeout), how often cleanup occurs (schedule), and whether to receive notifications. For most sites, a 30-minute timeout and 10-minute interval is a good starting point. For static sites, increase the timeout or disable garbage collection completely.
WP Super Cache can preload all posts, categories, and tags on your site. This process generates cached versions of your content ahead of time and is helpful for handling traffic surges. To enable it, turn on Preload Mode. This disables garbage collection for fresher content but ensures fast load times sitewide. Keep in mind that cache is still cleared if content is updated or comments are submitted.
You can integrate a Content Delivery Network to serve static assets like images, JS, and CSS. WP Super Cache includes built-in support for CDN through the OSSDL CDN off-linker. It rewrites file URLs to a specified hostname, allowing static files to be served from a CDN or a custom subdomain. This feature improves load speed and reduces the strain on your main server.
WP Super Cache supports REST API endpoints for accessing plugin settings programmatically. Developers can also extend or customize caching behavior using functions like add_cacheaction() and hooks like wp_cache_get_cookies_values. You can also create custom plugins and integrate them into the plugin system to modify caching behavior at a deeper level.
Here are some tips if things aren’t working as expected:
wp-content/ is writable by the serverwp-content/wp-cache-config.php exists and is correctly configuredadvanced-cache.php exists in wp-content/ and has the right pathWP_CACHE constant is set to true and appears before wp-settings.php in wp-config.phpmod_headers, mod_mime, and mod_expireswp-cron.php is being accessed properlyWP Super Cache is one of the most trusted caching plugins for WordPress. It’s actively maintained, compatible with most themes and plugins, and offers extensive customization. Whether you're running a small blog or a high-traffic site, this plugin can help you handle load spikes and speed up your site with minimal effort.
