> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.wpstratos.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Configure Page Caching in Aero for Faster Load Times

> Learn how Aero's page cache and browser cache work on WP Stratos sites, and how to configure cache settings, set exclusion rules, and purge cached pages.

Page caching is the single highest-impact performance improvement available to a WordPress site. Instead of running PHP and querying the database on every request, Aero stores a fully rendered HTML copy of each page and serves that copy directly to anonymous visitors — reducing server response times from hundreds of milliseconds to single-digit milliseconds in most cases.

## How Aero Caching Works

When an anonymous visitor lands on your site, Aero checks whether a cached version of that page exists. If it does, Aero serves the cached HTML immediately, bypassing WordPress, PHP, and the database entirely. If no cached version exists — for example, after a fresh publish or a cache purge — Aero renders the page normally and stores the result for future requests.

Cache invalidation is handled automatically. Whenever you publish, update, or delete a post or page, Aero purges the cached version of that content so the next visitor always receives the most current HTML. Browser caching complements this by sending `Cache-Control` headers with static assets (images, CSS, JS), instructing visitors' browsers to store those files locally and skip re-downloading them on repeat visits.

## Caching Settings

Navigate to **WordPress Admin → Aero → Cache** to review and adjust the following settings.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Enable Page Cache">
    Toggles full-page HTML caching for anonymous (logged-out) visitors. This setting is **on by default** and should remain enabled for virtually all sites. Disabling it forces WordPress to rebuild every page from scratch on each request.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Enable Browser Cache">
    Sends `Cache-Control` and `Expires` headers with static assets so visitors' browsers cache those files locally. Reduces repeat-visit load times significantly and decreases bandwidth usage.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Cache Lifespan">
    Controls how long Aero keeps a cached page before considering it stale and re-generating it on the next request. The default is **24 hours**. Lower this value if your site content changes frequently; raise it for sites that update infrequently to maximize cache hit rates.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Enable Cache Preloading">
    After a full cache purge, Aero automatically crawls your site's sitemap to rebuild cached pages before a real visitor requests them. Enable this to keep cache hit rates high immediately after purges, especially on sites that receive steady traffic.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Excluding Pages from Cache

Some pages — like checkout, account, or cart pages — should never be served from cache because they contain user-specific content. Use cache exclusions to prevent Aero from caching those URLs.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Cache Exclusions">
    In your WordPress Admin, go to **Aero → Cache → Exclusions**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add URLs or URL patterns">
    Enter the paths you want to exclude, one per line. You can use exact paths (e.g., `/checkout`) or wildcard patterns (e.g., `/account/*`) to match multiple URLs at once.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add query strings or cookie names">
    If certain query parameters or cookies indicate a personalized or dynamic response, add them to the respective exclusion fields. Any request carrying a matching query string or cookie will bypass the page cache.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save your changes">
    Click **Save Changes**. The exclusions take effect immediately for new requests — no cache purge is required.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Purging the Cache

There are two ways to clear Aero's page cache, depending on how quickly you need to act.

**Quick purge — admin bar:** Click **Purge Cache** in the WordPress admin bar at the top of any admin page. This clears all cached pages site-wide in one click and is the fastest option when you need to push changes live immediately.

**Full purge — Aero settings:** Navigate to **Aero → Cache** and click the **Purge All** button. This also clears all cached pages and gives you the option to trigger a cache preload immediately after clearing, which is useful after large content updates or theme changes.

<Note>
  Logged-in users always bypass the page cache — this is by design. WordPress sets authentication cookies for logged-in users, and Aero recognises those cookies as a signal to serve a live, uncached response. This ensures that administrators and editors always see the latest version of their content.
</Note>

<Tip>
  If you've made changes to your site — updated a page, changed a menu, or switched themes — and visitors still see the old version, purge the cache from the admin bar. The change will be visible to all visitors immediately after the purge completes.
</Tip>


## Related topics

- [Aero: Caching and Performance for WP Stratos Sites](/plugins/aero/overview.md)
- [Resolve Aero Caching Problems on WP Stratos Hosting](/troubleshooting/cache-issues.md)
- [Optimize Your WordPress Site with Aero's Speed Tools](/plugins/aero/optimization.md)
- [Introduction to WP Stratos Managed WordPress Hosting](/introduction.md)
- [WP Stratos: Get Your WordPress Site Live in Minutes](/quickstart.md)