{"id":5440416,"date":"2023-04-11T12:29:01","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T10:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/?post_type=caching_hub&p=5440416"},"modified":"2023-05-10T15:41:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T13:41:43","slug":"redis-object-caching","status":"publish","type":"caching_hub","link":"https:\/\/wp-rocket.me\/wordpress-cache\/redis-object-caching\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Redis Object Caching and How to Use It for Your WordPress Site"},"content":{"rendered":"

Redis and object caching can vastly speed up your WordPress page load times with each subsequent visit. It\u2019s also used by many popular websites<\/a> like GitHub, Pinterest, StackOverflow and many others.
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Remote Dictionary Server (Redis) \u201cis an open source, in-memory data structure store<\/a> used as a database, cache, and message broker.\u201d It\u2019s a key-value store which is often called a NoSQL database.
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It\u2019s best used on dynamic websites such as WordPress sites when it comes to object caching, which caches repeating query results.
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Today, I\u2019ll share more detail on object caching, its benefits, and how to install and use Redis for object caching on WordPress websites.<\/p>

A Quick Refresher: What is Caching?<\/h2>

If a web page is cached, it means that elements of that page such as images, stylesheets, and other content is loaded once, then stored in what\u2019s called a \u201ccache.\u201d
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It memorizes what was loaded, creates a static version of it, then can serve that version much faster the next time that page is loaded.
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The result is faster page load times and less of your server\u2019s resources being used.
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Check out Caching for WordPress, Explained in Plain English<\/a> for further details.<\/p>

What is Object Caching?<\/h2>

Object caching is a type of server-side caching. This means the caching is administered at the server level, and isn\u2019t controlled by the end user or a system they use for caching.
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Object caching stores database query results that have been loaded. Then, it serves them up faster the next time they\u2019re requested so the database doesn\u2019t have to be queried again.
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WordPress also has object caching built-in<\/a> with the WP_Object_Cache class.
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The trouble is, the inherent object caching WordPress has isn\u2019t persistent by default. This means that cached data is only stored for as long as the request to the database lasts, which is ultimately no more than for one page load, and inefficient.
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If you were to install and use a persistent object caching solution such as \u2013 ehem \u2013 Redis, for example, data could be cached for all subsequent page loads, giving your database more of a break..
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For details, check out What is Object Caching and How to Use It With WordPress<\/a>.<\/p>

Who Needs Object Caching?<\/h3>

If your WordPress site is static and all it needs to load are a stylesheet and some images, for example, you\u2019re not going to see any difference in you use object caching.
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Conversely, a dynamic site loads tons of data across pages that are stored in your database such as user details, taxonomies, links, and other similar data.
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As previously mentioned, every time a page loads that content, it sends one (or often several!) database queries. If you use object caching, that data is stored in the cache and it\u2019s ready to be displayed on the page in the flashes of flashes.
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Your database can be queried much less often and retrieving content from the cache is a lot faster than sending queries to the database.
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This results is page loading times that are a lot faster. Your server\u2019s resources are also used more efficiently. This is an especially crucial factor if you\u2019re looking to scale your WordPress website.
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So, if your site gets a lot of traffic or you\u2019re expecting it will soon, and it\u2019s dynamic, you should consider using object caching.<\/p>

Memcached vs Redis: What’s the Difference?<\/h2>

Memcached is another persistent object caching WordPress option that you could use instead of Redis. It\u2019s a popular option and works well, though, it has a smaller set of features when compared to Redis.
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This is why Redis is a far more popular option. But, that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you should completely write-off Memcached, especially when it\u2019s used by top sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more.
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Weigh your options by considering the features you need to help you decide which one is right for your WordPress site since each case is different.
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For details, check out Memcached: What Is It And How To Use It On Your WordPress Site?<\/a><\/p>

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