NGINX is exceptionally well-suited for high-traffic sites due to its event-driven architecture and efficient resource utilization. Its ability to handle thousands of concurrent connections with minimal resource overhead makes it an ideal choice for busy WordPress sites.
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What is NGINX?
Installing and enabling Nginx Caching on WordPress websites is quick and simple. Follow the steps below to get started:Implementing caching has benefits regardless of your website’s size. This is where RunCloud comes in.“Nginx cache on WordPress“ is one of the hottest search terms on the internet, but what does it mean? If you are wondering the same thing, you are in the right place!
What is NGINX Caching?
The generated response is then stored in the cache (typically in memory or on disk) with a unique key based on factors such as the URL and query parameters. NGINX then checks all subsequent requests for the same content to see if a valid cached version exists. If found and not expired, NGINX serves the cached content directly, bypassing WordPress completely.After making changes, click the ‘Update RunCache Settings’ button to ensure your new configuration is properly saved and implemented. Additionally, you can use the ‘Purge all cache’ option to clear both NGINX Page Cache and Redis Object Cache, particularly after making significant content updates or configuration changes.Whether you run a high-traffic blog, an e-commerce store, or a business website, you’ll learn how NGINX caching can transform your site’s performance and user experience with minimal technical overhead.With RunCloud’s built-in caching functionality for WordPress, you may not need an additional cache plugin for basic caching needs. However, advanced caching plugins can provide extra features such as minification, lazy loading, and CDN integration that complement server-level caching for enhanced performance.Suggested read: How To Use Nginx FastCGI Cache (RunCache) To Speed Up Your WordPress Performance
- FastCGI cache stores the results of PHP processing, making it ideal for WordPress sites as it caches the dynamic content generated by PHP scripts.
- Proxy cache stores responses from upstream servers, which is beneficial when NGINX acts as a reverse proxy.
- Microcache implements short-term caching (typically seconds or minutes) for frequently accessed content, while static file cache helps serve unchanging assets like images and CSS files more efficiently.
Suggested read: Which is Better: Redis Full-Page Cache or NGINX FastCGI Caching?
How Does NGINX Caching for WordPress Work?
FastCGI cache is generally considered one of the best caching solutions for NGINX with WordPress, as it directly caches the output of PHP processing. RunCloud implements this efficient caching mechanism by default, providing optimal performance for WordPress sites without requiring complex configuration.NGINX caching is particularly valuable for WordPress websites with moderate to high traffic. It’s an excellent choice for business websites, e-commerce stores, membership sites, and content-heavy blogs that need consistent performance under varying load conditions.RunCloud Hub is particularly well-suited for NGINX servers as it can integrate with NGINX’s FastCGI caching and provide additional optimization features. Suggested read: How to Install & Set Up Ghost (NGINX and OpenLiteSpeed)
How to Use NGINX Cache for WordPress Websites
Additionally, caching helps maintain site stability during traffic spikes by serving cached content instead of generating new responses for each visitor. This improved performance also positively impacts SEO rankings, as search engines favor faster-loading websites.
- Log in to your RunCloud dashboard and select your WordPress application from the main dashboard interface. Once inside your application dashboard, navigate to the left-side menu panel, where you’ll find the ‘RunCloud Hub’ option.
- When you open the RunCloud Hub for the first time, you’ll be greeted with an “Introducing RunCloud Hub” screen. Click on the ‘Let’s Get Started’ button to initiate the caching setup process for your WordPress site.
- On the next screen, you’ll see different options for configuring your Nginx cache. Select the ‘FastCGI Proxy’ caching option and mark the checkbox to acknowledge your agreement with RunCloud’s terms and conditions. After this, you can click on the ‘Install RunCloud Hub’ button to activate the caching service on your website.
- On the next screen, you can edit and modify several configuration options:
- For the NGINX Page Caching Method, you can choose between FastCGI/Proxy Page Caching or Redis Full-Page Caching – FastCGI is generally recommended for most WordPress installations due to its efficient performance characteristics.
- When selecting the Cache Folder Type, you can choose between Disk (/var/cache/nginx-rc) for standard storage or RAMDisk (/var/run) for enhanced performance. You should consider your server’s resources when making this decision.
- After this, you can set an appropriate Cache Lifespan in minutes based on how frequently your content updates and establish a Cache Folder Size Limit in MB according to your available server resources and traffic patterns.
NGINX uses an event-driven, asynchronous architecture that handles multiple connections within a single thread, while Apache uses a process-per-connection model.
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Wrapping Up: Who Should Use NGINX Cache on Their WordPress Websites?
There are multiple ways to implement Nginx caching on a WordPress website:NGINX is a powerful, open-source web server software that also functions as a reverse proxy, load balancer, and HTTP cache.Suggested read: How To Create Custom Nginx Configuration Easily Using RunCloudWhen NGINX cache is implemented for WordPress, it creates a sophisticated caching layer that intercepts and processes requests before they reach WordPress. When a user first requests a page, NGINX forwards the request to PHP-FPM to process the WordPress application.Ready to supercharge your WordPress site? Sign up for RunCloud and enjoy:
- One-click NGINX FastCGI caching setup
- Built-in Redis object caching
- Visual cache configuration interface
- Automatic cache optimization
- Professional support team
Small personal blogs or low-traffic sites might not see dramatic benefits from NGINX caching, but implementing it early provides scalability for future growth and protection against unanticipated traffic spikes. FastCGI cache is an NGINX caching mechanism that stores the processed results of PHP scripts and effectively saves the complete output of WordPress pages. This eliminates the need to process PHP and query the database for repeated requests, significantly improving response times.
