How to Enable Leverage Browser Caching on Website?

Leverage Browser Caching is a crucial aspect of optimizing your website’s performance. It involves instructing web browsers to store certain files locally, reducing load times for returning visitors. In this article, we’ll delve into the basics of Leverage Browser Caching, its benefits, and how to enable it for your website.

What is Leverage Browser Caching?

Leverage Browser Caching is a technique that allows webmasters to specify how long web browsers should cache static resources, such as images, CSS files, and JavaScript, on a user’s device. When a user visits a website, their browser can store these resources locally, enabling faster page loading times for subsequent visits.

Benefits of LBC

1. Improved Page Load Speed: By caching static resources, returning visitors experience faster load times, enhancing overall user experience.
2. Reduced Server Load: Caching resources locally reduces the number of requests made to the server, lightening the server load and improving overall website performance.
3. Bandwidth Savings: Users benefit from reduced bandwidth consumption as cached resources eliminate the need to download the same files repeatedly.

How to Enable Leverage Browser Caching

Enabling LBC involves modifying your website’s server configuration or adding code to your .htaccess file. Follow these steps:

1. Access Your Server: Log in to your web server using FTP or a file manager.
2. Locate the .htaccess File: The .htaccess file is a configuration file for Apache servers. Find it in your website’s root directory.
3. Backup Your .htaccess File: Before making any changes, create a backup of your .htaccess file to avoid potential issues.
4. Edit the .htaccess File: Add the following code:

4. ## EXPIRES CACHING ##
   
   ExpiresActive on
   
   # Set Expires Default
   ExpiresDefault                          "access plus 1 year"
   
   # Set Expires Header for cache.
   ExpiresByType text/cache-manifest       "access plus 0 seconds"
   
   # Your document html
   ExpiresByType text/html                 "access plus 0 seconds"
   
   # Data
   ExpiresByType text/xml                  "access plus 0 seconds"
   ExpiresByType application/xml           "access plus 0 seconds"
   ExpiresByType application/json          "access plus 0 seconds"
   
   # RSS Feed
   ExpiresByType application/rss+xml       "access plus 1 hour"
   ExpiresByType application/atom+xml      "access plus 1 hour"
   
   # Favicon
   ExpiresByType image/x-icon              "access plus 1 week"
   
   # Media files - images, audio, video
   ExpiresByType image/gif                 "access plus 1 year"
   ExpiresByType image/png                 "access plus 1 year"
   ExpiresByType image/jpeg                "access plus 1 year"
   ExpiresByType video/ogg                 "access plus 1 year"
   ExpiresByType audio/ogg                 "access plus 1 year"
   ExpiresByType audio/mp3                 "access plus 1 year"
   ExpiresByType video/mp4                 "access plus 1 year"
   ExpiresByType video/webm                "access plus 1 yar"
   
   # HTC files
   ExpiresByType text/x-component          "access plus 1 year"
   
   # Various Webfonts
   ExpiresByType application/x-font-ttf    "access plus 1 month"
   ExpiresByType font/opentype             "access plus 1 month"
   ExpiresByType application/x-font-woff   "access plus 1 month"
   ExpiresByType application/x-font-woff2  "access plus 1 month"
   ExpiresByType image/svg+xml             "access plus 1 month"
   ExpiresByType application/vnd.ms-fontobject "access plus 1 month"
   
   # CSS and JavaScript
   ExpiresByType text/css                  "access plus 1 year"
   ExpiresByType application/javascript    "access plus 1 year"
   ## EXPIRES CACHING ##
   

5. Save and Upload: Save the changes to your .htaccess file and upload it back to your server.
6. Check Your Website: Verify that LBC is working by testing your website’s performance using online tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.

Conclusion

By following these simple steps to activate LBC, you can enhance user experience, reduce server load, and improve overall website efficiency. Keep in mind that regular monitoring and adjustments may be necessary to ensure continued optimal performance.