Edge Caching Is Powerful, Not Magic
Edge caching can drop TTFB to single digits by serving HTML from locations near your visitors. But WordPress is dynamic, and not every page should be cached the same way. The difference between a fast site and a broken one is usually cache rules.
When Edge Caching Helps Most
Edge caching shines for:
- Marketing pages and public blog posts.
- Documentation and landing pages with stable content.
- High-traffic sites with predictable anonymous traffic.
When these pages are cached at the edge, the origin server handles fewer requests, which keeps PHP and the database free for dynamic work.
When It Hurts
Edge caching becomes risky when it is applied blindly to dynamic flows:
- Logged-in sessions and personalized content.
- WooCommerce carts and checkout flows.
- Pricing pages with geo-based or A/B content.
Caching these pages can cause stale data, broken sessions, and revenue loss.
The Rules That Matter
Good edge caching requires disciplined rules:
- Cache only for anonymous traffic.
- Bypass cache on cookies that indicate logged-in users.
- Purge cache on deploy or content updates.
- Set reasonable TTLs and stale-while-revalidate windows.
Edge Caching Works Best With a Strong Origin
Caching hides latency, but it does not fix it. A slow origin will still hurt during cache misses and purges. Pair edge caching with:
- Tuned PHP workers.
- Fast database I/O.
- Object caching for repeat queries.
The Takeaway
Edge caching is one of the fastest ways to speed up WordPress, but only when the rules match the reality of your site. Treat caching as a strategy, not a toggle.
XeroWP ships edge caching with smart defaults so WordPress stays fast without breaking dynamic pages.