Configure W3 Total Cache for WordPress with Rackspace CDN

This tutorial shows the basic steps for setting up the W3 Total Cache plug-in to work with Rackspace Content Delivery Network (CDN). Rackspace CDN is an origin pull CDN, which automatically pulls the content from your web servers and stores a cached copy of the assets on the remote edge nodes. When you use an origin pull CDN, it is common to set up a subdomain and host only static assets such as CSS, JavaScript, and images.

Note: Origin pull CDNs work better for sites that experience consistently moderate to high levels of traffic. If your site frequently experiences surges in traffic that might require servers to scale up or down, see Configure W3 Total Cache for WordPress with Rackspace Cloud Files.

Prerequisite

A WordPress website and database

Install and configure W3 Total Cache

1. Log in as admin to your WordPress blog.

2. In the navigation sidebar, click Plugins > Add New.

3. In the Search box, enter W3 Total Cache.

4. In the search results, click Install Now in the W3 Total Cache box.

   

   After the plug-in is installed, the Install Now button changes to Activate.

5. Click Activate to enable the plug-in.

   

6. In the navigation sidebar, click Performance > General Settings.

7. In the CDN section, select the Enable check box, and choose Rackspace CDN as the CDN type.

   

8. Click Save all settings.

Set up a Rackspace CDN service

1. Log in to the Cloud Control Panel.

2. In the top navigation bar, click Select a Product > Rackspace Cloud.

3. Click Networking > CDN.

4. On the Content Delivery Network (CDN) page, click Create Service and complete the following information:

   • Service Name: Specify a name that helps you identify this site.
   • Choose Traffic Type: Select HTTP.
   • Domain Name: Enter the subdomain where W3 Total Cache will send your static assets.
   • Origin: Specify a subdomain from which Rackspace CDN will fetch a copy of the original data before caching it. This can also be the IP address of your server or load balancer.

5. Click Create Service.

   

You must set up the new CDN service in your domain's DNS before it is active. For information about enabling Rackspace CDN, see Change DNS to enable Rackspace CDN.