Forem: Christian Ahrweiler

Improve WordPress Performance With Object Cache

Christian Ahrweiler — Wed, 27 May 2026 10:11:01 +0000

WordPress does a lot of repeated work.

Every time someone opens a page, WordPress has to load settings, posts, menus, plugin data, user data, temporary data, and many other small pieces of information.

A lot of this information is used again and again.

Without an object cache, WordPress may have to ask the database for the same data repeatedly. That costs time and makes the server work harder than necessary.

This is where object caching helps.

An object cache keeps frequently used WordPress data in memory, so WordPress can reuse it faster the next time. Instead of going back to the database again, it can load the data from memory.

The result: less database work, less server load, faster response.

Increase WordPress Performance with Object CacheObject cache needs storage

An object cache needs a place where it can keep the cached data.
There are different options for this. Some setups use Redis, Memcached, or even files. But for a typical single-server WordPress setup, the fastest option is often APCu.

APCu stores cached data directly in the server's local PHP memory. That makes it very fast, because WordPress can access the cached data without a network connection, without a file lookup, and without another database request.

My takeaway

Improving WordPress performance is about making WordPress do less repeated work.

For this, I use atec-Cache-APCu.

It adds APCu-based object caching to WordPress and keeps frequently used data in fast local memory.

With more than 3,000 active installations, it is already used by many WordPress sites that want a simple local-memory object cache.

Note: atec-Cache-APCu also checks whether your server supports APCu. If APCu is available, you can enable APCu object caching directly. If not, APCu needs to be enabled on the server first.

Which WordPress Page Cache Plugin Is Really Fast?

Christian Ahrweiler — Tue, 26 May 2026 14:10:33 +0000

WordPress page caching sounds simple: generate a page once, store the finished HTML, and serve it again without rebuilding the full WordPress stack.

In theory, most page cache plugins should do something similar.
But I wanted to know how much difference there really is.

So I built a small benchmark script and tested several WordPress page cache plugins with 500, 2500, and 5000 total requests. The chart shows the average response time, or ART, across those runs.

The result was clear: there are real differences between page cache plugins. Some plugins do a very good job and really speed up a site. Others appear to add more overhead before returning the cached page.

A fast page cache should return the cached response as early as possible, before WordPress loads more PHP, plugins, theme code, or database logic than needed.

In my test, Mega Cache performed best.

That makes sense because Mega Cache is designed to run very early in the WordPress process. It uses the WP_CACHE drop-in mechanism, so cached HTML can be served before the full WordPress stack is loaded.

Mega Cache also supports several storage backends, including APCu, Redis, Memcached, MariaDB, MySQL, and file storage. It includes stats and debug views, so cache hits, skips, and storage behavior can be checked during testing.

That is why I use Mega Cache.

Why Web-Only VPN Mode Makes Sense

Christian Ahrweiler — Sun, 24 May 2026 15:24:37 +0000

A normal VPN is usually an all-or-nothing switch.

Once enabled, everything goes through the tunnel: browser traffic, Mail, cloud sync, app updates, developer tools, background services - all of it.

For web browsing, that may be exactly what you want.
But for other apps, it can cause problems.

Mail is the classic example. Some mail providers reject SMTP connections from VPN or datacenter IPs. Others trigger security checks because the login suddenly appears from a different network.

The result is annoying: the VPN works, but sending or receiving mail does not.

The same can happen with cloud sync, admin panels, developer tools, or apps that expect your normal connection.

So you enable a VPN for browsing - and unrelated apps start breaking.

Web-only VPN mode

myVPN is a new VPN app for macOS that solves this with two modes:

All Traffic
The classic VPN mode. Everything goes through the WireGuard tunnel.

Web Only
Only web traffic uses the VPN path through the built-in proxy. Mail, sync, updates, and other apps stay on the normal connection.

This is useful when you want VPN protection for browsing, but do not want the whole Mac to behave as if it is on another network.

Bring your own WireGuard server
myVPN is not a VPN provider. It works with your own WireGuard configuration - for example from a VPS, home server, or private endpoint.

Transfer Android Files to Mac Without the Cloud

Christian Ahrweiler — Wed, 20 May 2026 18:22:11 +0000

Moving files between an Android phone and a Mac should be simple.

But in practice, many users end up using cloud storage, messenger apps, or temporary upload links just to move a few files.

For large videos, folders, screenshots, downloads, or private documents, that is often unnecessary.

A USB cable is still the cleanest solution: local, direct, and without uploading anything.

The only important detail is that the cable must support data transfer, and the Android phone must be set to File Transfer / MTP mode.

For this workflow I use USB Phone Transfer for Mac.

It shows the Android device and the Mac side by side, so files can be copied in both directions: from phone to Mac, or from Mac to phone.

No cloud account.
No sync setup.
No full phone-management suite.

Just connect the phone, choose file transfer mode, and move the files.

WordPress 7 Is Coming - Are Your Plugins Ready?

Christian Ahrweiler — Wed, 20 May 2026 16:17:42 +0000

WordPress 6.9 marked the end of the 6.x generation.
WordPress 7.0 starts the next chapter.

For website owners, this does not mean you need to understand every technical detail. But it does mean one thing is worth checking:

Are your plugins still actively maintained?

Plugins are often responsible for important parts of a website: security, performance, forms, redirects, email delivery, media handling, and more. If a plugin is outdated or only barely maintained, a major WordPress update can expose problems.

Modern WordPress needs modern plugins.

A good plugin should not only "still work". It should be clean, lightweight, easy to use, and tested with upcoming WordPress versions before users run into issues.

That is why we test early.

At atecplugins, our plugins are already tested with WordPress 7.1 alpha.

WordPress is moving forward.
Your plugins should move with it.

ZST Is Fast. But What About Encryption?

Christian Ahrweiler — Tue, 19 May 2026 16:39:54 +0000

Agreed. Cut after the main product point and end sharper:

ZST Is Fast. ZSTsecure Makes It Private.

Zstandard, or ZST, is a modern compression format: fast, efficient, and usually smaller than ZIP.

That makes it great for backups, project folders, exports, logs, datasets, and other files that are compressed and unpacked often.

But ZST has one missing piece:

It was built for compression, not for password-protected archives.

With ZIP or RAR, encrypted archives are familiar. You choose files, set a password, and create an archive that is compressed and protected.

With ZST, that simple workflow was missing — especially on macOS.

That is the gap ZSTsecure fills.

ZSTsecure is a native Mac app built specifically around encrypted ZST archives. It lets you encrypt .zst and .tar.zst files with a password, decrypt .zst.enc files, and compress files directly into encrypted ZST archives.

Everything happens locally on your Mac. No command line, no separate encryption step, no cloud upload.

ZST made compression fast.
ZSTsecure adds the missing native encryption workflow.

Your Cloud Storage Is Not Really Yours

Christian Ahrweiler — Sun, 17 May 2026 11:36:04 +0000

Cloud storage is convenient. That is why we use it.

iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive - they make files available everywhere and easy to share.

But there is a trade-off:

Your files are stored on someone else's infrastructure.
That means you are trusting the provider, its servers, its rules, its country, and its legal obligations.

Large cloud providers receive government requests for user data. This is not theoretical; companies like Apple and Google publish transparency reports about these requests.

For U.S.-based providers, laws such as the CLOUD Act can also matter. Under legal process, U.S. providers may be required to provide data they control, even if that data is stored outside the United States.

That does not mean your files are unsafe.
But it does mean they are not fully under your control.

For private documents, business files, archives, source code, or client material, I prefer another model:

Use storage you control.

Many people already have that storage: a VPS, shared hosting, a NAS, or their own server.

The missing part is making it easy to use.
For this, I use myCloudDrive.

myCloudDrive turns an FTP server into a virtual macOS drive. So instead of uploading files to another cloud storage provider, I can use storage I already control.

The idea is simple:

Your server. Your files. Your drive.

Cloud storage is convenient. But for files where privacy and control matter, I prefer owning the storage layer.

What Is a Download Hash and How Do You Verify It?

Christian Ahrweiler — Sat, 16 May 2026 12:45:20 +0000

When you download software, disk images, archives, or large files, you sometimes see a strange-looking string next to the download link.

Something like: SHA256: 9f2c4a8e0b7d…
That string is a hash.

A hash is like a fingerprint for a file. If the file changes, the hash changes too. That makes hashes useful for checking whether a downloaded file is really the file you expected.

Why this matters

A download can be damaged, incomplete, replaced, or modified.
Most of the time nothing bad happens. But when you download software, installers, archives, or system images, it is worth checking.

The website may provide a hash value next to the download. After downloading the file, you calculate the hash of your local copy and compare it with the published one.

If both hashes match, the file is very likely unchanged.
If they do not match, something is wrong.

The annoying part

Checking a hash is easy in theory, but often annoying in practice.
You can do it in Terminal, but then you need to know the right command, the right algorithm, and you still have to compare a long string manually.

That is where a small tool helps.

How I verify downloads

For this, I use Hash Inspector Pro by BeaverTools.

It is simple to use: drop in the downloaded file, paste the expected hash - or let the app read an accompanying .sha256, .sha512, or similar checksum file - and see whether it matches.

– No Terminal.
– No guessing the algorithm.
– No manual comparison of long strings.

Hash Inspector Pro checks everything locally on your Mac. The file is not uploaded anywhere.

For software, installers, archives, and system images, checking the hash is a small step that can prevent big problems.

Convert Images Before Uploading: Why I Use WebP and AVIF

Christian Ahrweiler — Fri, 15 May 2026 22:07:53 +0000

Large images are one of the easiest ways to make a website heavier than it needs to be.

PNG is useful, especially for graphics, screenshots, UI images, and transparency. But PNG files can also become large very quickly. For websites, that often means slower uploads, more storage use, more bandwidth, and slower pages.

That is why I increasingly use WebP and AVIF.

Both formats can create much smaller image files than PNG while still being supported by modern browsers and many CMS platforms, including WordPress.

But the important part is not only the format.

It is when you convert.

Convert before uploading

Many websites solve image optimization with plugins. That can work, but it often has two problems.

First, the original image usually stays on the server. The plugin creates additional WebP or AVIF versions next to it. So instead of saving storage, you may actually use more space.

Second, many conversion plugins require server processing or a paid processing license, especially when converting many images.

That is why I prefer a simpler workflow:

Convert images before uploading them.
Then the website only receives the optimized file. No extra copy, no background conversion, no plugin processing, no license dependency.
The CMS can just use the image natively.

WebP or AVIF?

My simple rule:

WebP is the safe modern default.
It is widely supported, usually much smaller than PNG, and works well for websites.

AVIF can be even smaller.
It is a great choice when file size matters most, but conversion can be slower and compatibility should be checked for your audience and CMS setup.

For most websites, WebP is already a big improvement. For image-heavy pages, AVIF can be worth testing.

My workflow

Before I upload images to a website, I convert them locally.

For WebP, I use 2webp.
For AVIF, I use 2avif.

Both are created by beavertools.app and simple to use: drag in images, convert them, upload the optimized files.

No server plugin. No cloud upload. No processing license. No duplicate originals taking up space.

The files are already ready before they ever reach the website.

What Hidden Metadata Are You Sharing?

Christian Ahrweiler — Fri, 15 May 2026 21:25:19 +0000

Sharing a file is not always just sharing the visible content.

A photo is not always only the image.
A PDF is not always only the document.

Many files also contain metadata: extra information stored inside the file.

For images, this can include camera model, date and time, GPS location, device name, or the software used to edit the file.

For PDFs, it can include author name, creator app, producer software, creation date, modification date, and other document information.

Usually this metadata is harmless. But sometimes it reveals more than you intended to share.

When you upload a photo, it may also include where it was taken.
When you send a PDF, it may also include who created it, which software was used, or when it was edited.

This information is easy to miss because it is not shown in the normal view of the file.

So before I publish or send files, I prefer to clean them.

For images, I use Meta Cleaner.
For PDFs, I use PDF Meta Cleaner.

Both are created by beavertools.app and simple to use: drop in the file, remove the metadata, keep the cleaned version.

No upload. No account. No cloud processing.

The files stay on the Mac, which is important because metadata cleaning is a privacy task. Sending private files to an online cleaner would defeat the purpose.

My rule is simple:

Before sharing files, remove what you did not mean to share.

Why I Switched to ZST Compression

Christian Ahrweiler — Fri, 15 May 2026 20:27:37 +0000

I recently started using ZST compression more often, and the reason is simple: it is fast.

The comparison in the graphic shows it clearly. ZST is not the smallest archive format - 7Z usually wins there - but ZST is much faster when compressing and extracting files. In everyday use, that matters.

ZIP is still useful because everyone can open it. But ZIP is mainly the compatibility format now. If I send files to someone and I do not know what system they use, ZIP is still the safe choice.

For my own workflow, ZST makes more sense.

It usually creates smaller files than ZIP, compresses much faster, and extracts very quickly. That makes it a good fit for backups, project folders, data exports, logs, source code, and other files that are compressed and unpacked often.

This is also why ZST is becoming more common in technical environments. It is used in data storage, server workflows, package systems, and other places where speed matters. Zstandard is designed as a fast lossless compression algorithm with high compression ratios and a very fast decoder. GNU tar also supports Zstandard compression when the zstd tool is available.

The only real downside is tooling.

On Linux, ZST is already common and easy to use from the command line. On Windows, archive support is improving, but depending on the version and workflow, you may still want a dedicated tool. On macOS, Finder does not make ZST feel like a native archive format, so you usually need the command line or an app.

That is why I use packZST and unpackZST from unpackzst.com.

They are simple tools for creating and extracting ZST archives. No cloud upload, no account, no complicated interface.

My conclusion is simple:

ZIP is for compatibility.
7Z is for maximum compression.
ZST is for speed.

And for everyday work, speed is often the better trade-off.

How to Use an iMac as a Monitor for Headless Devices

Christian Ahrweiler — Thu, 14 May 2026 10:27:34 +0000

Headless devices are everywhere now. Mac minis, Raspberry Pis, Linux systems, mini PCs, cameras, and embedded devices often run perfectly fine without a dedicated monitor attached - until you suddenly need direct access to the screen.

That is especially true during setup, debugging, recovery, or when remote access is not available yet.

Using an iMac as a monitor is surprisingly straightforward. While modern iMacs no longer support direct HDMI input, inexpensive USB HDMI capture adapters provide a simple workaround.
Most capture adapters appear on macOS as standard USB video devices. Combined with viewing software, the iMac can display the incoming HDMI signal in real time, including audio.

For this, I use:
AV Monitor Pro

The app supports USB video devices, HDMI capture adapters, fullscreen preview, audio monitoring, recording while staying lightweight and easy to use.

For headless systems especially, it turns an existing iMac into a flexible external display and AV monitoring station.