{"id":39933,"date":"2022-08-18T15:00:24","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T13:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=39933"},"modified":"2022-08-16T12:22:51","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T10:22:51","slug":"wordpress-php-accellerators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wordpress-php-accellerators\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Guide to WordPress PHP Accellerators"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Among all the different performance indicators you can use to describe your website, speed is one of the most important ones. So important, in fact, that you can take a perfectly good website, with great content, great visuals, great audience targeting, and watch as the visitor numbers start declining as you throttle back its loading speed. This is the reason web admins and optimizers have developed so many different methods to improve websites\u2019 performance. Using PHP accelerators is one of them, even though it\u2019s all too easy to build and run a website without ever having to deal with them.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Still, something made you search for PHP accelerators and come here for an explanation. We\u2019ll provide a couple of those, both regarding what PHP accelerators are and why they\u2019re important, but also why these useful PHP extensions shouldn\u2019t take up too much of your time. Get ready to read:<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#what-php-accelerators-are\">What PHP Accelerators Are<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#where-to-get-php-accelerators\">Where to Get PHP Accelerators<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#other-ways-to-speed-up-your-website\">Other Ways to Speed Up Your Website<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;new-top-picks-banner&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"what-php-accelerators-are\"><\/a>What Are PHP Accelerators?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"553\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ensure-Optimal-Loading-Speed.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Ensure Optimal Loading Speed\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ensure-Optimal-Loading-Speed.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ensure-Optimal-Loading-Speed-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ensure-Optimal-Loading-Speed-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ensure-Optimal-Loading-Speed-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>PHP accelerators are little pieces of code \u2013 extensions, kind of like plugins but for PHP \u2013 that help your website perform better by providing caching functionalities for PHP.<\/strong> To better understand what this means and why it\u2019s important, you need to know a thing or two about PHP and caching.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]PHP is an open-source programming and scripting language that\u2019s commonly used for all sorts of things, including building the world\u2019s most prominent content management system \u2013 WordPress. <strong>PHP underpins a whole lot of what\u2019s going on with your website, especially the parts of the website your users don\u2019t get to see \u2013 the backend, or the server side.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Still, the fact that the users don\u2019t see it doesn\u2019t mean nothing is going on there. A WordPress website\u2019s server side is a busy place, as it\u2019s in constant communication with the client side, and code and scripts are getting executed all over the place.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]To make sure all of that PHP is getting executed in the most efficient way possible, some really smart people decided to implement the concept of caching to PHP. <strong>Caching is the practice of storing certain information in a way or a place that makes it easily retrievable on future requests.<\/strong> WordPress has its own cache <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-clear-wordpress-cache\/\">you can clean periodically<\/a>, and you also have the option to use <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/best-wordpress-caching-plugins\/\">caching plugins<\/a> to speed up your website.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>For PHP, the caching performed by PHP accelerators means storing compiled chunks of PHP in memory so that they don\u2019t have to be loaded and compiled again upon further requests.<\/strong> In essence, PHP accelerators allow your servers to improve the loading speeds by substituting processing for loading space \u2013 an arrangement that works beautifully.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"where-to-get-php-accelerators\"><\/a>Where Can You Get PHP Accelerators?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"970\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Where-Can-You-Get-PHP-Accelerators.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Where Can You Get PHP Accelerators\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Where-Can-You-Get-PHP-Accelerators.jpg 970w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Where-Can-You-Get-PHP-Accelerators-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Where-Can-You-Get-PHP-Accelerators-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Where-Can-You-Get-PHP-Accelerators-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>The whole concept of PHP accelerators is brilliant, especially seeing how they aim to speed up the part of your website that\u2019s so often the culprit for slowdowns.<\/strong> And if you were wondering how someone didn\u2019t come along and integrate PHP accelerators with proper PHP \u2013 something like adding a feature previously available only as a plugin to core WordPress \u2013 you\u2019d be happy to know that someone did that.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>Starting with PHP 5.5, PHP had its very own caching engine built into<\/strong> it. It\u2019s called OPcache, and its becoming a part of PHP spelled doom for many other accelerators. The Alternative PHP Cache extension \u2013 known as APC \u2013 shed its caching functionality when it became obvious it was incompatible with the built-in competitor. Now, it serves as an in-memory store for key values.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>You can still get XCache, but you should make sure that it\u2019s compatible with the version of PHP you\u2019re using.<\/strong> It wouldn\u2019t hurt to be sure that you really need it, since the accelerator that comes with PHP serves its purpose well. Windows has its own version of a PHP accelerator for Windows servers, the Windows Cache Extension.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>Mostly, however, you can rest assured that, as long as you\u2019re running PHP 5.5 or newer \u2013 and you should really be running a newer version \u2013 you already have a PHP accelerator built into the very version of PHP your server is using.<\/strong> Whether or not it\u2019s enabled is a whole different issue, but you can easily solve it by contacting your hosting provider and asking them to point you towards the place where you can enable it.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"other-ways-to-speed-up-your-website\"><\/a>Your Website Is Still Slow? Try This!<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"553\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/What-Are-UTM-Codes.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"What Are UTM Codes\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/What-Are-UTM-Codes.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/What-Are-UTM-Codes-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/What-Are-UTM-Codes-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/What-Are-UTM-Codes-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]If the solution to your query left you feeling a bit underwhelmed and, even worse, still in need of a solution for your website\u2019s slow loading speeds, don\u2019t worry. There\u2019s always something you could be doing to make sure that your website runs smoothly, and the bigger the website, the more options problems will be there for you to solve.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>Our website contains tons of resources that can point you in the right direction for ensuring your website is as quick as it should be.<\/strong> Some of the things you could consider doing, and articles you might read, include:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-optimize-wordpress-database\/\">Optimize your WordPress website\u2019s database<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/what-is-a-cdn\/\">Use a content delivery network<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-optimize-wordpress-database\/\">Consider building a static website<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-optimize-css-delivery-in-wordpress\/\">Optimize CSS delivery<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-optimize-images-for-web\/\">Optimize the images<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wordpress-update\/\">Keep your WordPress up to date<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wordpress-maintenance\/\">Maintain the website properly<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-deal-with-wordpress-plugin-conflicts\/\">Deal with plugin conflicts<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]There are many other things you could be doing to speed up your WordPress website, too. <strong>Any sudden slowdown is a cause for alarm and should be investigated.<\/strong> If you\u2019re not sure you can do it on your own, you can ask your web host for help, or, if they are not willing, contract a third-party WordPress maintenance service to troubleshoot any issues and fix them.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\">Let\u2019s Wrap It Up!<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Even though information travels almost at the speed of light online, traffic jams can still happen along the information highway, resulting in poor website performance and loss of website visitors. If your search for possible remedies led you here, rest assured that your server probably already has all the PHP acceleration it can possibly get. To make sure that your server is running a version of PHP that has a built-in PHP accelerator, and that said accelerator is enabled, get in touch with your web host. And if everything is working as intended and your website is still slow, you\u2019ll need to look for other remedies.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking to speed up your website and thinking PHP accelerators are what you need? They might be &#8211; we&#8217;ll explain what they are and how you use them!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9295,"featured_media":39978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[163,39,13],"class_list":["post-39933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resources","tag-performance","tag-tools","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9295"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}