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Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains benchmarked tools that may compensate us. We only recommend hardware and software tested in our lab environments for maximum LCP and INP efficiency.

The Minimalist Cache Stack: OpenLiteSpeed, BunnyCDN, and WP-Rocket

Low-cost, high-performance cache setup for personal sites and lightweight agencies.

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Why Less Is More in Cache Architecture

Enterprise cache stacks with Redis, Nginx, Varnish, and Cloudflare APO deliver maximum performance — but they also deliver maximum complexity and cost. For most WordPress sites serving under 100k monthly visitors, a simpler three-component stack can achieve 90% of the enterprise performance at 20% of the cost. The stack: OpenLiteSpeed, WP-Rocket, and BunnyCDN.

Component 1: OpenLiteSpeed

OpenLiteSpeed is a free web server with native full-page caching built in, configurable via the LiteSpeed Cache plugin. It delivers 15–40ms TTFB on cached pages without any complex Varnish or FastCGI setup.

Component 2: WP-Rocket

Use WP-Rocket for JavaScript deferral, critical CSS, and image lazy loading. Disable WP-Rocket’s own page caching to avoid conflicts with OpenLiteSpeed.

Component 3: BunnyCDN

BunnyCDN offers global edge delivery for static assets at a fraction of Cloudflare Pro’s cost (starting at $0.01/GB). It is the perfect complement to OpenLiteSpeed for budget-conscious but performance-focused sites.