How to know when a page is cached and how to diagnose it if it isn’t

Caching plays a crucial role in enhancing your website’s speed and overall performance. It’s vital to ascertain whether your pages are being cached correctly. If they aren’t, you need to know how to diagnose and rectify the issue. This guide walks you through identifying, diagnosing, and resolving caching issues effectively.

Identifying if a Page is Cached

Using Source Code:

• Ensure you’re logged out of WordPress or browse in incognito mode.
• Navigate to the desired page.
• Right-click on the page and select ‘View Page Source’.
• In the source code, search for the following line:
  <!-- Cached & Optimized by Staq (https://www.wpstaq.com): <DATE> GMT -->

Verifying with Redis Object Cache:

• Check the Redis Object Cache status by navigating to the Redis Object Cache page inside Staq Panel for the site. It appears under Database. Flush the cache to see if that resolves the issue.
• If Redis Object Cache is disabled, no caching is applied to logged-in users. This confirms caching issues are unrelated to logged-in user behavior.

Using Staq Next-Gen CDN:

• Verify if your website is being preloaded from AWS Cloudfront. Refer to the guide:
  Is My Site Loading from AWS Cloudfront?

Diagnosing Why a Page Isn’t Cached

Query Strings

If your page URL contains a query string, you’ll need to configure it for caching. Refer to our guide:
How to Cache a URL with a Query String.

Page-Specific Cache Settings in WordPress

Navigate to the page edit screen inside WordPress and check if caching is enabled or disabled specifically for that page:

Staq Hosting Settings

Go to Staq Hosting > Options and review the “Disable caching for specific pages” section to verify if the page is listed:

Testing with Optimizer and Caching Features

If caching issues persist, follow these steps:

1. Disable Redis Object Cache and check if the issue is resolved.
2. If the issue remains, go to Staq Hosting > Optimizer and disable specific features:
   • Test the page in Incognito Mode after disabling each feature (e.g., delay or defer JS, CSS minification).
   • If disabling Optimizer features resolves the issue, isolate which feature caused the conflict and adjust settings accordingly.
3. If disabling the Optimizer does not resolve the issue, try disabling caching entirely. If this works, re-enable caching and adjust Optimizer settings to identify the root cause.

Other Considerations

If the page requires a password, ensure the correct password is used when testing.

Final Thoughts

Caching is pivotal for your site’s optimal performance. Regularly verify if your pages are cached and, if not, diagnose the cause promptly. By following the above steps, you can identify and resolve caching issues efficiently, ensuring your site delivers the best experience possible for your visitors.