Managed WordPress hosting takes a lot of work off your hands. This also means that you no longer necessarily need a whole series of Plugins . Michelle from HootProof explains which Plugins you no longer necessarily need with special hosts.
If you use professional WordPress hosting - like that of Raidboxes - it is worth taking a look at the list of active plugins. Not all extensions that make WordPress faster, more secure and more comfortable with normal hosts are useful with managed WordPress hosting.
Premium host cache yourself
With Raidboxes your website is cached in a resource-saving way via the web server. Additional caching in WordPress places an additional load on your system and is therefore largely superfluous. In this case, you can even increase the performance of your siteby removing the common caching plugins:
- W3 Total Cache
- WP Super Cache
- Cachify
- WP Rocket
- WP File Cache
- WordFence
Exception: If you use, for example, W3 Total Cache to connect to a CDN, you can of course still use it. But make sure that Page Cache, Browser Cache, Database Cache, Object Cache and Minify are disabled.
Code optimization and above-the-fold measures are still important
However, some performance-optimizing measures must still be taken directly in WordPress . This includes the delayed integration of Javascript. The slim Plugin WP Deferred Javascripts is particularly suitable for this.
I also recommend the Plugin BJ Lazy Load, which loads images and other media with a delay. Here, however, it is important to test - regardless of the hosting - whether this is compatible with your Theme and the other Plugins . Try different configurations and test them in incognito browser windows.
Some safety-Plugins are superfluous - but general safety standards must be observed
Already at the server level, a specialized WordPress hosting Brute Force can fend off attacks even better than generally configured web servers. The file and execution rights are also optimally adapted to the operation of WordPress right from the start and are therefore fundamentally more secure.
Nevertheless, you should take care of the basic security of your WordPress admin area yourself. You should have at least Limit Login Attempts installed (at Raidboxes this is done for you with every new WordPress installation) to prevent brute force attacks on your backend.
In addition, of course, the general security measures apply:
- use strong, unique passwords
- share your login data only with trusted partners (e.g. technical support)
- allow registration in WordPress only if necessary and limit it to a "harmless" user role such as subscriber or customer
- do not use Themes, Plugins or scripts from dubious sources
- do not make dubious files available for download whose source you cannot assess yourself
In my opinion, you can safely do without WordFence (which was already mentioned in the cachingPlugins ) and similar "all-in-one" security plugins. They usually don't get along very well with the server caching, burden the performance and don't increase the actual security significantly.
BackupPlugins? You no longer need
Raidboxes automatically creates daily backups of your entire WordPress installation and keeps them for up to 30 days, depending on plan. You can then restore your sitefrom these backups at any time free of charge. In addition, you can manually create a backup before making major changes - directly from your account management in Raidboxes-Dashboard.
An additional backupPlugin in WordPress is therefore not necessary. Creating a backup from WordPress always takes up space on your web server. Depending on the size of the installation, this can be several hundred megabytes. This also applies if the backup is subsequently moved to another server or an external resource - e.g. Dropbox. In addition, the creation also needs temporary computing power, which is not available for the actual purpose of the website during this period.
So you can remove the following Plugins with a clear conscience:
- BackWpUp
- Backup Buddy
- VaultPress
- WP DB Backup
- BackupWordPress
- WP DB Manager
- VersionPress
Not all Plugins are supported by managed hosters
Other Plugins, which place a heavy load on the web server or use server functions that many premium host disallow for security and resource reasons:
- EWWW Image Optimizer: a good alternative is the paid WP Smush, because here the images are optimized in the cloud and not directly on your web server.
- Broken Link Checker: To check all links, this Plugin generates countless requests to your website. Instead, use Google Webmaster Tools and web-based services like Broken Link Check or local software (e.g. LinkChecker) to find broken links without burdening your WordPress .
Conclusion: Managed WordPress Hosting takes a lot of work off your hands
Managed WordPress Hosting frees you from many management tasks and can finish these more efficiently and effectively than you could on your own. Especially the security and performance of your website won't be any of your worries anymore. We always recommend to get rid of unnecessary plugins after the migration to be able to benefit even more from our hosting infrastructure and to give your website an additional performance boost.
