Knowledgebase

Service Direction / Introduction / Scope

Introduction
Speed is a critical factor for website success. For clients using iCoreHosting, leveraging the LiteSpeed Web Server technology included in our hosting plans is the best way to accelerate your WordPress site. The LiteSpeed Cache (LSCache) plugin communicates directly with our servers to store static copies of your web pages, significantly reducing load times and server resource usage.

Scope
This guide applies to all iCoreHosting clients utilizing our Shared Hosting, Reseller Hosting, or NVMe Linux VPS services running WordPress. It covers the installation, basic configuration, and advanced optimization of the LiteSpeed Cache plugin.

Service Transparency

iCoreHosting provides the server-level infrastructure (LiteSpeed Enterprise Web Server) required for LSCache to function. However, the plugin itself is a third-party software developed by LiteSpeed Technologies. While we highly recommend it, specific configurations—especially regarding "Minification" and "Image Optimization"—depend on your specific website theme and plugins. Incorrect settings can cause visual layout issues. We recommend taking a backup of your site before applying aggressive optimization settings.

Definitions

• LiteSpeed Cache (LSCache): An all-in-one site acceleration plugin that features an exclusive server-level cache and a collection of optimization features.
• Minification: The process of removing unnecessary characters (like whitespace and comments) from code (CSS, JavaScript) to reduce file size.
• Crawler: A feature in the plugin that travels through your website's sitemap to refresh the cache automatically, ensuring visitors always see a fast-loading page.
• TTL (Time to Live): The duration for which a cached version of a page is stored before it is considered "stale" and refreshed.

1. Install LiteSpeed Cache Plugin

To begin using the server-side cache provided by iCoreHosting:

1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
3. In the search bar, type LiteSpeed Cache.
4. Locate the plugin by LiteSpeed Technologies and click Install Now.
5. Once installed, click Activate.

2. Configure LiteSpeed Cache Plugin

Basic configuration to ensure caching is active:

1. Click on LiteSpeed Cache in the left sidebar menu.
2. Go to Cache > Cache tab.
3. Ensure Enable Cache is switched to ON.
4. Click Save Changes.
5. (Optional) Go to Page Optimization > CSS Settings to enable CSS Minify. Note: Check your site after enabling this to ensure the design is not broken.

3. Verify Cache is Working

You must confirm that the plugin is actually communicating with the iCoreHosting server:

1. Open your website in a new browser window (use Incognito/Private mode to ensure you are not logged in as admin).
2. Right-click anywhere on the page and select View Page Source.
3. Scroll to the very bottom of the source code.
4. Look for the code: <!-- LiteSpeed Cache hit -->.
5. If you see <!-- LiteSpeed Cache miss -->, refresh the page once and check again. The first visit creates the cache; the second visit reads it.

4. Optimize Further

Once basic caching is working, you can explore advanced features to maximize performance:

• Sitemap Integration (Crawler):
  Go to Crawler > Sitemap Settings. Enter your XML sitemap URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml). This allows the LiteSpeed Crawler to traverse your site and generate cache files for pages before visitors even arrive, ensuring instant loading speeds.
• Image Optimization:
  Under Image Optimization, you can request the server to compress your images and create WebP versions automatically.
• Database Cleaning:
  Under Database, you can clean up old post revisions and spam comments to reduce database bloat.

5. Monitor and Adjust

Performance tuning is continuous. If you update your website content or change themes:

• Use the Purge All button in the admin bar to clear old cache files.
• Check your site speed using external tools like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights.
• If a specific page breaks, you can exclude it from caching in the Excludes tab.

FAQ

Q: Why do I see "LiteSpeed Cache miss"?
A: This happens on the first visit to a page. Refresh the page. If it persists, ensure "Enable Cache" is ON in the settings.

Q: How do I find my Sitemap URL for the Crawler?
A: If you use an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, your sitemap is usually located at /sitemap_index.xml. Check your SEO plugin settings to confirm.

Q: My menu looks strange after enabling Minify. What do I do?
A: CSS/JS minification can conflict with some themes. Go to Page Optimization and turn OFF CSS Minify or JS Minify, then Purge All Cache.

Q: Is this plugin free?
A: Yes, the LSCache plugin is free. iCoreHosting provides the Enterprise server license required for it to run efficiently on our servers.

Use Case

• eCommerce (WooCommerce): Critical for keeping checkout pages fast and securing higher conversion rates.
• High Traffic Blogs: Reduces CPU usage on your hosting account, allowing more simultaneous visitors.
• SEO Improvement: Faster load times and properly cached sitemaps are ranking factors for search engines like Google.

Summary

By installing and configuring LiteSpeed Cache with Sitemap integration, you are maximizing the value of your iCoreHosting service. This setup ensures your WordPress site runs at peak performance, providing a better experience for your visitors and improving your search engine rankings.

If you encounter issues during installation, please check our Knowledgebase or open a ticket via our Support Channel.