The article explains about ESI, how it works, and how we enable it with LiteSpeed Plugin. As part of our Server Management Services, Bobcares provides answers to all of your questions.

Overview

1. LiteSpeed ESI
2. How ESI Works?
3. Key Advantage
4. Enabling ESI with the LiteSpeed Plugin
5. Testing ESI in Action
6. Benefits of ESI
7. Conclusion

LiteSpeed ESI

Edge Side Includes (ESI) is a powerful markup language revolutionizing how web pages are processed and delivered. With ESI, developers can designate parts of a web page as fragments, enabling these sections to be processed separately before the final page is sent to the browser. This approach enhances efficiency and ensures faster page delivery. Let’s delve into what makes ESI a vital tool for modern web development and how it can be effectively enabled using the LiteSpeed plugin.

ESI operates through an ESI Engine, a component that processes web page fragments during delivery. This engine can function at various levels, such as Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs), Content Delivery Networks (CDNs), proxies, web servers, or web applications.

How ESI Works?

• Tag Identification: The engine scans the page for ESI tags.

• Backend Requests: When we find an ESI tag, the engine removes it and sends a request to the backend for the corresponding data.

• Data Injection: The backend response replaces the ESI tag, filling the gap left behind.

• Page Completion: This process repeats until all tags are resolved, and the complete page is sent to the browser.

Key Advantage

By breaking a page into fragments, ESI minimizes data transfer distance, volume, and traffic. It’s a cornerstone of edge computing, allowing faster, more accurate page delivery through caching and optimization.

Enabling ESI with the LiteSpeed Plugin

For WordPress users, the LiteSpeed Cache plugin makes enabling ESI a breeze. Here’s how we can set it up:

Step 1: Install and Configure LiteSpeed Plugin

Download and set up the LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress.

Step 2: Enable ESI

Navigate to the “CDN” section in the plugin settings.

Open the “ESI” tab.

Enable the ESI option and disable caching for admin bars and comment sections.

Result:

This simple configuration regenerates admin bars and comment sections dynamically while serving cached pages—even when we’re logged in.

Testing ESI in Action

Here’s how ESI ensures dynamic content on cached pages:

Logged-in Users:

With ESI enabled, a logged-in user sees their personalized admin bar while enjoying the speed of cached pages.

The network request will display:

x-litespeed-cache: hit

Indicating the page is cached while serving dynamic content.

Dynamic Widgets and Shortcodes:

Want specific elements like date and time to update dynamically? ESI handles it effortlessly.

Example: Making Shortcodes Dynamic

Using the WP Date and Time Shortcode, insert:

[esi wp-dt ttl=”3″] [esi wp-dt-seconds ttl=”3″] seconds

The ttl=”3″ ensures the cache for this shortcode refreshes every 3 seconds, dynamically updating the content.

Result:

The dynamically generated content matches the exact time, while the rest of the page remains cached for blazing-fast delivery.

Benefits of ESI

• Enhanced Performance: Combines dynamic and static content seamlessly, reducing load times.

• Efficient Resource Usage: Minimizes backend requests for unchanged content.

• Personalized Experiences: Delivers dynamic elements like user-specific data without compromising speed.

[Want to learn more? Reach out to us if you have any further questions.]

Conclusion

Edge Side Includes (ESI) is a must-have for developers seeking to optimize web performance. By breaking pages into fragments, ESI ensures quick, personalized, and accurate delivery. The LiteSpeed Cache plugin makes it simple to enable and configure ESI, allowing us to combine the power of caching with dynamic content seamlessly. Whether for logged-in admin views or dynamic shortcodes, ESI guarantees a superior user experience.