WP Speed Guide 2026
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Infrastructure 20 min Updated 2026

Setting Up a High-Performance CDN

Distribute your content globally using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to ensure low latency for users everywhere.

Setting Up a High-Performance CDN

A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a network of servers distributed globally. When a user visits your site, the CDN serves static assets (images, CSS, JS) from the server closest to them, reducing latency and server load.

Why You Need a CDN

  • Reduced Latency: Speed of light matters. Serving a file from London to a user in London is faster than serving it from New York.
  • Scalability: CDNs handle traffic spikes better than your origin server.
  • Security: Many CDNs offer DDoS protection and WAFs.

Top CDN Providers in 2026

  1. Cloudflare: The most popular. Free tier is excellent.
  2. Bunny.net: Incredible performance/price ratio. Very easy to set up.
  3. KeyCDN: Reliable and simple.
  4. RocketCDN: Easiest integration if you use WP Rocket.

Setup Guide: Cloudflare (Free Tier)

Cloudflare is technically a reverse proxy, meaning it sits in front of your entire site, not just static assets.

Step 1: Create Account & Add Site

  1. Sign up at cloudflare.com.
  2. Click Add a Site and enter your domain.
  3. Select the Free plan.

Step 2: Update DNS

  1. Cloudflare will scan your DNS records. Review them.
  2. Cloudflare will provide two nameservers (e.g., bob.ns.cloudflare.com).
  3. Go to your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.).
  4. Replace your current nameservers with the Cloudflare ones.
  5. Wait for propagation (usually minutes, up to 24h).

Step 3: Essential Configuration

Once active, go to the Cloudflare dashboard:

  • SSL/TLS: Set to Full (Strict).
  • Speed > Optimization: Enable Auto Minify (HTML, CSS, JS).
  • Caching > Configuration: Set Browser Cache TTL to 1 year.
  • Network: Enable HTTP/3 (QUIC).

Setup Guide: Bunny.net (Pull Zone)

If you prefer a traditional Pull CDN (serving assets from a subdomain like cdn.yoursite.com), Bunny.net is fantastic.

Step 1: Create Pull Zone

  1. Sign up at bunny.net.
  2. Create a Pull Zone.
  3. Name: e.g., my-site-cdn.
  4. Origin URL: https://yoursite.com.

Step 2: Configure WordPress

You need a plugin to rewrite your asset URLs to the CDN URL.

Using WP Rocket

  1. Go to Settings > WP Rocket > CDN.
  2. Enable Enable Content Delivery Network.
  3. CDN CNAME(s): Enter your Bunny.net hostname (e.g., my-site-cdn.b-cdn.net or your custom CNAME).
  4. Save Changes.

Using Bunny.net Plugin

  1. Install Bunny.net plugin.
  2. Enter your Pull Zone name.
  3. Enable.

Testing Your CDN

  1. Clear your cache.
  2. Open your site in Incognito.
  3. Inspect an image.
  4. Check the URL.
    • Cloudflare: URL remains yoursite.com, but check headers for cf-cache-status: HIT.
    • Bunny.net: URL should be cdn.yoursite.com/wp-content/....

Conclusion

A CDN is a non-negotiable for any serious website. It offloads bandwidth and speeds up delivery globally.

In the next guide, we'll dive into the database to clean up the mess left behind by old plugins and revisions.