LSCache + WordPress Configuration

Note: This page describes an easy way to set up simple caching for WordPress installations. With the release of LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress, though, this solution is now deprecated. Click here for the LiteSpeed Cache for WordPress installation and configuration manual.

LSCache, similar to Varnish cache, is a simpler and more efficient page caching solution built-in to LiteSpeed Web Server. When used in conjunction with WordPress, the Internets leading content management system, you can expect significant performance gains with a quick and easy setup. Cache management is also made significantly easier and more flexible with the ability to use rewrite rules to customize LSCache's behavior.

Below are some recommended configurations to enable LSCache and get it working with your WordPress site(s).

From the LSWS WebAdmin Console navigate to Server » Cache.

Under Cache Storage Settings, set Storage path to the directory you want to use to store cached objects.

For example:

  Storage Path: /tmp/diskcache

It is recommended that this directory be on a dedicated disk or disk array in RAID 0 configuration.

For example:

   mkdir /tmp/diskcache
   chown nobody:nobody /tmp/diskcache
   chmod 700 /tmp/diskcache

Under Cache Policy, we recommend using the following settings:

  Enable Cache:No
  Cache Request with Query String:Yes        
  Cache Request with Cookie:Yes
  Cache Response with Cookie:Yes        
  Ignore Request Cache-Control:Yes
  Ignore Response Cache-Control:Yes
  Enable Private Cache: No

Note: Enable Cache has been set to “No” globally as caching will instead be enabled through the use of rewrite rules to control what pages will be cached and for how long.

In your .htaccess file, located in the document root of your website, add the following:

<IfModule LiteSpeed>
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} ^(HEAD|GET)$
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/(wp-admin|wp-login.php|wp-cron.php)
RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE}  !wordpress_logged_in_
RewriteRule .* - [E=Cache-Control:max-age=120]
</IfModule>

Setting the homepage to be cached for less time than other pages

Example rewrite rule:

  
  <IfModule LiteSpeed>
  RewriteEngine on
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} ^(HEAD|GET)$
  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/(wp-admin|wp-login.php|wp-cron.php)
  RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE}  !wordpress_logged_in_
  RewriteRule ^$ - [E=Cache-Control:max-age=60,S=1]    
  # The homepage will be cached for 60 seconds.
  RewriteRule .* - [E=Cache-Control:max-age=600]        
  # All other pages will be cached for 600 seconds.
  </IfModule>
  

Caching two versions of each page (mobile and non-mobile)

Example rewrite rule:

  
<IfModule LiteSpeed>
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} android|avantgo|blackberry|blazer|compal|elaine|fennec|hiptop|iemobile|ip(hone|od)|iris|kindle|lge\ |maemo|midp|mmp|opera\ m(ob|in)i|palm(\ os)?|phone|p(ixi|re)\/|plucker|pocket|psp|symbian|treo|up\.(browser|link)|vodafone|wap|windows\ (ce|phone)|xda|xiino [NC,OR]
RewriteRule .* - [E=Cache-Control:vary=ismobile]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} ^(HEAD|GET)$
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/(wp-admin|wp-login.php|wp-cron.php)
RewriteCond %{HTTP_COOKIE}  !wordpress_logged_in_
RewriteRule .* - [E=Cache-Control:max-age=120]
</IfModule>

Important: Your rewrite rules must exactly match your backend's mobile detection. If these do not match, you may run into the issue where your rewrite rules think that a device is mobile while the backend does not and visa-versa. This can cause, for example, the desktop version of a page to be cached and flagged as the mobile version which will then be wrongly served to all mobile viewers.

Note: “E=Cache-Control:vary=ismobile” is available as of LSWS version 5.0.7.