Overview
This article provides a general overview of recommended caching plugins you can use on your WordPress site.
Background
There are several caching plugins you can use for your WordPress site, which can help to improve your website load time and overall performance. They can also help your site to handle large spikes in traffic like the Slashdot effect.
Available caching plugins
DreamHost recommends the following caching plugins.
WP Super Cache
WP Super Cache creates a static file cache of your site and loads that instead of using PHP to generate the page. It includes advanced features as well as a plugin and hooks system. WP Super Cache is already included and activated with all new Dreamhost WordPress installs. If you're on Shared Hosting, this is the recommended option. See the following articles to learn more about setting up WP Super Cache:
Enabling WP Super Cache in the panel
This option is not available (or necessary) for DreamPress installations since DreamPress uses its own built-in server cache.
WordPress sites are able to activate Page Caching in the panel, which activates the WP Super Cache plugin:
- Navigate to the Manage Websites page.
- Click the Manage button to open the Domain Settings page, which allows you to adjust various settings for your site.
- Click the WordPress tab.
- To the right of Page Caching, enable the toggle. A checkmark displays when active.
The Docket Cache plugin
The Docket Cache — Object Cache Accelerator plugin is a filesystem-level Object Cache used as an alternative to services like Redis or Memcache. It stores data by converting PHP objects into plain PHP code, which helps to improve performance.
See this article for more information on the Docket Cache plugin.
DreamPress only
DreamPress uses a built-in server cache and pre-installed plugins that are specifically configured to help WordPress take full advantage of these features. There is no need for DreamPress users to install any caching plugins.
For more information about DreamPress caching options, please see this article.