WP Rocket and StackPath CDN: Super Easy Setup Guide 2021

Last Updated on December 28, 2022 by Steve

A simple walk through guide of how to set up StackPath CDN and WP Rocket so they work together on your WordPress website.

What Is WP Rocket and StackPath?

WP Rocket is a caching and performance optimization plugin for WordPress that improves page load time. Installation and configuration can be completed in less than 3 minutes. WP Rocket is the most powerful caching plugin in the world. Use it to improve the speed of your WordPress site, SEO rankings and conversions. No coding required. WP Rocket is provided to all web hosting customers of Best WP as part of our Plugin Pack free of charge.

StackPath is a platform of computing infrastructure and services built at the edge of the cloud. So, if you’re a developer, or webmaster, now you can build and deploy right on the Internet’s front steps. That way users of your app, website, API, content, or whatever else you’re building in the cloud don’t bounce around the world before reaching you, and will have a fast, secure, and seamless experience.

End-users have you stuck between the cloud and a hard place. The assets that you need to deliver get larger, more dynamic and more diverse every day. Yet end-users expect them faster, more flawless, and more frequently than ever before.

CDN has comprehensive built-in capabilities to solve your most pressing delivery challenges, including content protection and asset optimization. Meanwhile, robust customization tools and features let you fine-tune your delivery’s smallest details and even create unique functionality and flows.

Configuring WP Rocket and StackPath

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 from our tutorial and the WP Rocket plugin is purchased directly from the developer.

Installation

Log in to the WordPress admin panel:

WordPress Login
WordPress Login

On the left-hand menu, hover over Plugins and select Add New:

WordPress Upload New Plugin
WordPress Upload New Plugin

At the top of the page, click Upload Plugin.

Click Choose File. Then grab the WP Rocket plugin file from the folder you saved it to. After selecting it click Install Now.

Click Activate Plugin.

Configuration

In the top menu click the WP Rocket link.

Click the CDN tab.

Enter your Edge Address in the text field called CDN CNAME(s).

WP Rocket CDN CNAME Field
CDN CNAME Field

Save the changes.

Verify the source code of any page to confirm that the CDN domain is being used for static assets instead of your origin domain. Your Edge Address should precede directories designated for static content is located.

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.

Conclusion

Hope you found this article helpful. Please feel free to leave a comment.

Author

  • Steve

    I have been in the information technology field since I left the United States Army over twenty years ago. Skills and experience include a Bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems with a Specialization in Databases and a Master's in Computer Information Systems Management.

    I fell in love with WordPress over 10 years ago and spend most of my time designing, building and administering WordPress based sites. I am fluent in multiple programming languages including Python, PHP, SQL, Java and C#.

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