xSpeed Pro combines WordPress page caching, asset optimization, database tools and assisted site management. Its AI-powered audit scans the website and identifies performance functions that may help, with severity ratings and reasons for each recommendation.

How page caching works

The add-on saves pages as static HTML documents. On a cache hit, a static-file rewrite path serves the file before WordPress loads, bypassing PHP. This path is described for Apache, nginx and LiteSpeed. The cache can purge after publishing or updating content, comments, plugin updates and theme changes.

• Purge the cache from the WordPress admin bar.
• Exclude URLs such as cart, checkout and account pages.
• Set cache expiry from 1 to 720 hours and keep a separate cache for mobile users.
• Set custom cache rules and expiry for individual posts, or disable caching for a post.

A sitemap-driven preloader warms the cache after a purge and can warm it when content is published or updated. Logged-in WooCommerce customers and checkout pages are not cached.

Optimize assets and site data

xSpeed Pro can minify HTML, CSS and JavaScript, combine CSS and JavaScript files, defer or delay JavaScript, and load CSS asynchronously. Other tools include GZIP compression, lazy loading for pictures, videos and iframes, font optimization, browser caching, object caching with Redis or Memcached, CDN support and database cleanup.

Database tools can optimize tables and remove revisions, spam, trashed items, transients and orphaned metadata. Options can also disable frontend Dashicons, oEmbed, RSS feeds, XML-RPC, jQuery Migrate and REST API authentication headers.

Review changes on the site

The optimization tool measures the site, applies recommended options one at a time, checks the page after each change and reverts a change if it breaks the site. This lets you review the effect of each adjustment before proceeding.

Manage the site through MCP

The WordPress MCP server lets an AI assistant or other MCP client use the performance tools available in the dashboard. Operations include purging the cache, checking preloader status, running a score, optimizing the site, and reading or updating settings. Read-only connections remain read-only. Writing credentials requires explicit permission when connecting.

Installation and compatibility

Install xSpeed Pro on the WordPress site you want to optimize, then review its setup wizard, audit findings and performance settings. Configure exclusions for pages that should not be cached, and use the scoring and optimization tools to review changes. The plugin works with Apache, nginx, LiteSpeed, IIS and standard PHP hosts. When LiteSpeed Cache is active, xSpeed Cache avoids enabling overlapping page-cache functions.