Hostinger WordPress Caching: LiteSpeed Cache Complete Setup Guide

LiteSpeed Cache is unique among WordPress caching plugins because it operates at the web server level, not just the plugin level. On Hostinger's LiteSpeed web server, cached pages are served directly from the server's memory without executing PHP at all. This is fundamentally different from WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache, which still require PHP to serve cached files.

The result: cached pages on Hostinger deliver TTFB of 30-60ms — comparable to static HTML pages hosted on a CDN. Uncached WordPress pages typically show 150-400ms TTFB. The cache is invalidated automatically when you publish or update content.

This is the most impactful setting. Enable in LiteSpeed Cache → Cache:

• Enable Cache: ON
• Cache TTL: 604800 (1 week) — pages stay cached for 7 days unless updated
• Cache Logged-in Users: OFF for most sites. ON only for membership sites where logged-in content is identical.
• Cache Mobile: ON (creates separate cache for mobile visitors)
• Cache REST API: ON
• Private Cache: Enable for WooCommerce sites — caches personalized content (cart widget, user greeting) separately per user

Exclusion rules: WooCommerce cart, checkout, and my-account pages are excluded automatically by LiteSpeed Cache's WooCommerce detection. Verify in LiteSpeed Cache → Cache → Excludes.

Object Cache (LiteSpeed Cache → Cache → Object):

• On shared hosting: Enable with file-based backend (default). Stores database query results to reduce MySQL load.
• On VPS: Connect Redis for faster object caching. Install Redis on your VPS, then set Host to 127.0.0.1 and Port to 6379.

Browser Cache (LiteSpeed Cache → Cache → Browser):

• Enable Browser Cache: ON
• Browser Cache TTL: 2592000 (30 days)
• This sets proper Cache-Control and Expires headers so returning visitors load static assets from their local browser cache instead of re-downloading.

LiteSpeed Cache → Image Optimization:

• Auto Request Cron: ON — automatically sends new images for optimization
• Auto Pull Cron: ON — automatically pulls optimized images back
• WebP Replacement: ON — serves WebP to supported browsers (all modern browsers)
• Optimization Level: 2 (lossy) for maximum file size reduction with minimal visible quality loss

Run an initial bulk optimization: Image Optimization → Send Optimization Request → optimize all existing images. For sites with 1,000+ images, this may take several hours to process through LiteSpeed's optimization servers.

LiteSpeed Cache → Page Optimization:

• CSS Minify: ON — removes whitespace from CSS files
• CSS Combine: ON (test first — can cause issues with some themes)
• CSS HTTP/2 Push: ON — pushes critical CSS with the initial HTML response
• JS Minify: ON
• JS Combine: OFF (usually breaks things on modern WordPress)
• JS Defer: ON — defers non-critical JS to after page render
• JS Delay: Add known non-critical scripts: analytics, chat widgets, social sharing buttons
• Load CSS Asynchronously: ON
• Generate Critical CSS: ON — creates inline CSS for above-the-fold content

LiteSpeed Cache → Database:

• Clean All: Post Revisions, Auto Drafts, Trashed Posts, Spam Comments, Trashed Comments, Expired Transients
• Optimize Tables: ON (defrags MySQL tables for faster queries)

Run monthly or set up a cron job. A cluttered database with thousands of revisions and expired transients adds measurable latency to uncached page generation.

Cache Purge: LiteSpeed Cache purges automatically when content is updated. For manual purge: admin bar → LiteSpeed Cache → Purge All. Use after theme changes, plugin installations, or any change that should be reflected immediately.