WP OPcache

WP OPcache icon
WP OPcache is a WordPress plugin that optimizes OPcache and allows for Admin configuration of the PHP OPcache to reduce loading times and increase WordPress performance.
What We Think:
96%
Very highly recommended!

WP OPcache: A Comprehensive Review

WordPress is the most popular content management system out there, powering nearly one-third of websites on the internet, and the WP OPcache is a plugin designed to help improve the site speed as well as performance. This plugin specializes in being a fast caching engine for WordPress that helps to improve the loading speed of the website. Not only does it store the PHP bytecode, but it also optimizes the website by providing advanced features such as code compression, improved optimization, and an easier to use configuration system. With its extensive features, the WP OPcache plugin allows users to increase the performance of their website, speeding up websites by up to 350%.

WP OPcache: Breakdown

Flush button in admin bar

WP OPcache works by storing compiled PHP scripts in memory. This cache can be used to quickly load the scripts when a user requests a page from the website. It then stores the renditions created by the PHP scripts into memory, thus decreasing the overall loading times of the websites by more than 50%. This plugin also supports a host of different configuration options that makes tweaking the cache settings on the website easier for the user. You can also fine-tune the caching for each database query, allowing you to get the highest performance possible out of the website. Not just that, the WP OPcache plugin also features an advanced code compression and optimization feature that can optimize the code further while keeping it readable for machines. The optimization helps to decrease the overall loading times by an additional 25–30%.

The WP OPcache plugin also comes with an enhanced security system. This helps to protect your website from malicious attacks as it stores the appropriate versions of the PHP scripts, instead of the original ones. This way, even if the malicious user manages to get hold of the scripts, they may be rendered ineffective as they will not be able to use them. In addition to that, the plugin also integrates with WP-CLI, allowing you to manage the plugin from the command line. This makes managing the caching engine a breeze, allowing you to manage the caching engine from your favorite terminal emulator.

Pros of Using WP OPcache

Increased Speed and Performance: WP OPcache is a must-have plugin for any WordPress website. Its main purpose is to increase the speed and performance of a website by caching static content, such as HTML and CSS files, and by ensuring that expensive dynamic content, such as databases queries, are only run once and used multiple times. This can lead to big improvements in responsiveness and improved user experience for both visitors and developers. As a result, sites can load faster and become more SEO friendly, increasing web traffic and ROI in the process.

Works on Shared Hosting: WP OPcache is designed to work on shared hosting services. This makes it especially useful for those that do not have access to dedicated servers or other specialized hosting solutions that can often be expensive. The plugin is easily installed and configured, so anyone on a shared hosting plan can benefit from increased website speed and performance in a short amount of time.

Higher Level of Security: WP OPcache improves website security by trying to eliminate vulnerabilities that can arise from using plugins and themes that are outdated or otherwise unsafe. By reducing the number of plugins and themes running on the website and by limiting the amount of code that can be run on the site at any one time, WP OPcache improves the overall security of the website against malicious attacks.

Compatible with Popular Frameworks: WP OPcache is also compatible with WordPress-favorite frameworks, such as Genesis and Thesis. This is beneficial as it ensures that any content cached by the plugin is served appropriately and can be used with minimal issues within the frameworks. Furthermore, it ensures that plugins created with the frameworks can benefit from the increased speed and performance offered by WP OPcache.

User Friendly Interface: WP OPcache provides users with an intuitive and user-friendly interface. This can help to make it easier for developers and users to understand how to properly configure and utilize the plugin on their website. The plugin also provides helpful tips and instructions to ensure users have a good experience when setting up the plugin and get the most out of it.

Cons of Using WP OPcache

Underutilization of Resources: Opcache is not an effective method of resource utilization if the cached data is not accessed frequently. Since Opcache stores only static data, it is not the ideal solution for caching dynamic data that changes frequently with user requests. This means it is not designed to manage the large data sets associated with dynamic website content.

High Risk of Fragmentation: WP Opcache also suffers from fragmentation, which can cause serious performance issues. Fragmentation occurs when data is stored in the opcache in smaller-sized blocks, causing the cached data to become fragmented and to contain gaps. This can lead to increased overhead when retrieving this data and can eventually lead to a slower website.

High Memory Consumption: WP Opcache requires extensive memory usage. To keep the cache full and up-to-date, the plugin uses a lot of memory in order to process the content and store it. This can cause issues if other applications or plugins require a significant amount of memory, as WP Opcache can potentially compete with them for resources.

Difficult to Monitor: It can be difficult to monitor WP Opcache performance, since there is currently no built-in way to check the amount of memory being used or the overall performance of the caching system. This can make it difficult to pinpoint any issues that may be occurring and address them in a timely manner.

Incompatible with Cloud Platforms: WP Opcache cannot be used on cloud-based platforms, such as Amazon Web Services, as it requires a dedicated server in order to work properly. This means that WP Opcache is not a viable solution for sites hosted in the cloud, as the caching system will not function correctly on these types of platforms.

96% Very highly recommended!

In conclusion

In short, the WP OPcache plugin is an advanced plugin that helps to improve the performance and speed of WordPress websites. It stores the compiled version of the PHP scripts, allowing them to load faster. It also features a host of other features such as advanced code compression, enhanced security system, integration with WP-CLI, and an easier to use configuration system. With its extensive features and user friendly interface, the WP OPcache plugin is a must-have plugin for anyone who wants to improve the performance of their WordPress website.

Plugin Specifications
  • Version: 4.2.0
  • Last Updated: 2 years ago
  • Installs: 10,000+
  • WP Version: 5.5+
  • Tested Until: 6.0.6
  • PHP Version: 7.4 or higher
Use Case Examples
  • Full Page Cache
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    The WP OPcache plugin provides a full page cache solution for WordPress-based websites. This solution caches a version of each page on your site, reducing server load by reducing the need to run more processor intensive operations for each page request. This can result in significant speed increases and improvements in user experience.
  • Memcache and Redis Caching
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  • User Experience Optimisation
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  • Automatic Invalidation
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  • Security
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Tags
  • cache
  • flush
  • multisite
  • OPcache
  • php