Due to its arrival in November 2022, WordPress 6.1 is packed with numerous performance upgrades, making it a much-anticipated update for a large number of users.
If we look at the WordPress performance scores from the beginning of the year till the end of last month, they are pretty decent. The scores have been relatively stable throughout the year, with a slight rise in spring followed by a drop in summer. Compared to the start of the year, the performance score is around 3 points higher at the end of September.
But, compared to other platforms, these scores could be more impressive. The monthly performance improvements have been much more substantial for other platforms. For example, Wix was up by 13 points, Duda by 8 points and Joomla by 7 points.
WordPress publishers who were expecting performance improvements throughout the year were thus left disappointed till now. But that’s going to change once the November update rolls out. Here’s a sneak peek into the massive performance improvements that WordPress 6.1 will bring in.
New Enhancements To WP_Query Performance
The new update will include the addition of caching to WP_Query within the database. Simply speaking, it means that each time a user requests a specific webpage, that request will automatically get stored in the cache memory.
So, when another user makes a request for that particular webpage, WordPress won’t need to make another query request to the database. Instead, the webpage data will be retrieved from the cache memory. This will ensure a faster loading experience, which is useful for users such as Denton Criminal Defense Attorneys.
New Improvements To REST API Database Queries
Usually, when a user requests a web page, the web page puts forward multiple requests to the database for the different components of the page. This enhancement helps streamline this process by cutting down on the number of queries made to the database for the various parts of the webpage.
Cache-Related Improvements
To lower the time taken to deliver a webpage, the new update also brings in some cache-related enhancements. The “Check cache key types” improvement addresses a common problem plugin developers face. It solves a plugin issue that may result in odd behavior or even total failure. The enhancement will make it easier for developers to identify such problems. A second improvement allows developers to access certain functions that can speed up the overall performance by reducing the number of database queries.
Enhanced Website Health Checks
WordPress 6.1 includes a couple of new website health checks. These include the following.
Persistent Object Cache
The persistent object cache stores repeatedly requested parts of webpages in its memory, ensuring faster delivery on request.
Full Page Cache
As can be ascertained from the name, the full page cache stores the entire webpage within its memory, making it seem like a static HTML page. This improvement isn’t helpful for personalized or dynamic websites, though.
Other Notable Improvements
● Post, Post Types Improvements: Enhances the performance of websites that include substantial amounts of custom taxonomies such as categories and tags.
● Multisite Enhancements: Helps in reducing database queries in multisite contexts.
● Improvements In Media Handling: Improves page loading time for websites with many images.
● Enhanced PHP Performance For Core Blocks Registration: Improves the way blocks are identified and handled to improve performance.
● CRON API Enhancement: A bug fix to enhance the performance of the WordPress task scheduler, WP-CRON (wp-cron.php).
Summing Up
While WordPress 6.1 is packed with many more quality improvements, the ones mentioned above are among the most awaited ones. So, if you are a WordPress user, it’s time to rejoice, as the update will get released on 1st November 2022.