WP Fastest Cache is a web performance plugin that helps web administrators manage caching inside the WordPress CMS. It comes with a built-in feature for integrating the StackPath CDN, as well as other web performance features.
This article will walk you through how to perform a static assets integration, which does not support the use of the StackPath Web Application Firewall (WAF). If you’re looking to maximize security by using our CDN with the WAF, please refer to the CDN & WAF integration guide.
Before you begin, we highly recommend you test the performance of your site using Google Page Speed or Pingdom Tools. You can test your site now and after setting up the plugin for a before and after performance comparison.
This tutorial assumes you've already gone through the steps to create a StackPath Site.
To implement StackPath CDN on your website using WP Fastest Cache plugin, follow the steps below.
- Log into your WordPress admin panel.
- Select Plugins from the left menu and click Add New.
- In the Search box, type “WP Fastest Cache” and click Search Plugins.
- Click Install Now. A prompt dialog will open and ask if you are sure you want to install the plugin. Click OK and after the plugin is installed, click Activate Plugin.
Configuration
- Configure WP Fastest Cache with the following default settings.
(please note that the configuration for this part is not tested on all themes and websites so certain websites might need a different configuration) - Go to CDN tab and select CDN by StackPath.
(MaxCDN is another platform under StackPath, but both are using MaxCDN option in this setup) - On the following window, click Next to proceed with the integration.
- On this window, you will be entering your Edge Address in the "Enter CDN URL" box. Your Edge Address is provided when you create your site in StackPath. Followed by Origin URL which should match your domain name (Origin URL) that you used to create the site.
Note that this plugin requires http/https prefix. Match the one you are using, otherwise, implementation won’t work. - Now choose which files you want CDN to serve from your website.
- Skip specifying of the sources by clicking Next.
- Next windows will acknowledge your CDN configuration and confirm that CDN is integrated. Click Finish and then Close.
- After these steps are completed, you should purge the cache in order for the settings to be applied. This option can be found on Delete Cache tab.
Test Speed and SEO after StackPath CDN is Enabled
At this time, you should perform another speed test by using Google Page Speed and Pingdom Tools.
Compare the before and after tests and note that it can take one to seven days for your site to reflect the performance improvements of a CDN. Both of these test sites also will give you SEO recommendations that you can follow.
What's Next?
Feel free to take a look at these articles for some possible next steps with your CDN Integration:
We are always happy to help answer questions and to help make sure you experience the fastest and most secure experience with Stackpath CDN. Reach us at hi@stackpath.com