Caching RSS and Atom Feeds
xSpeed Cache Pro can serve your RSS, Atom, and comment feeds from cache. Feed readers and aggregators poll these URLs often, and each poll normally makes WordPress build the feed from scratch. Caching lets those requests skip the full render.
What this does
Feeds live at URLs like /feed/ and are usually left out of the normal page cache. This module opts feed requests back in and gives them their own cache lifetime.
When a feed is cached, the correct feed content type is kept, so readers still receive application/rss+xml and not an HTML page. Cached feeds also clear automatically when you publish a new post or when a comment is added, so subscribers do not get stale content.
You control the module from the Feed Caching panel inside the Advanced Cache group.
Why use it
Feed readers poll on a schedule, sometimes every few minutes. Without caching, every poll runs a full WordPress query and render just to return the same XML.
Caching the feed means most of those polls are answered from a stored copy. That lowers the work your server does for traffic that rarely changes between requests.
Requirements
- xSpeed Cache Pro active.
How to enable it
- Go to the xSpeed Cache settings and open the Advanced Cache group.
- Find the Feed Caching panel.
- Turn on Cache feeds.
- Set Feed cache lifetime (hours) if you want a value other than the default.
- Save your settings.
Settings explained
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Cache feeds | Serves RSS, Atom, and comment feeds from cache instead of rendering them on every poll | Off |
| Feed cache lifetime (hours) | How long a cached feed lives before it regenerates, from 1 to 168 hours (7 days) | 12 |
Cache feeds
This is the main switch. When it is off, feeds are rendered fresh on every request, which is the default behavior. When it is on, feeds are served from cache.
Feed cache lifetime (hours)
This sets how long a stored feed stays valid before xSpeed Cache rebuilds it. You can enter any value from 1 to 168 hours, and 168 hours is 7 days.
A longer lifetime is safe here because feeds also clear right away when a post or comment changes. Between those events, the feed content does not change, so it can be held longer.
Note: The default lifetime is 12 hours. Feeds tolerate more staleness than regular pages, which is why this default is higher than a typical page cache.
Best practices
- Leave the lifetime at the default unless you have a reason to change it. It is already tuned for how feeds behave.
- Raise the lifetime if your feed traffic is heavy and your content does not change often.
- Keep in mind that new posts and comments purge the feed immediately, so a long lifetime does not risk showing outdated items after you publish.
Troubleshooting
A new post is not showing in my feed. Publishing a post clears the cached feed, so the next request rebuilds it. If a reader still shows old items, that is usually the reader’s own polling schedule, not the cache.
My feed looks like an HTML page. That should not happen with this module, because the correct feed content type is preserved on cached responses. If you see it, confirm the module is enabled and check for another plugin altering feed output.
FAQ
Does this cache comment feeds too? Yes. RSS, Atom, and comment feeds are all covered.
Will visitors see old posts after I publish? No. A new post purges the cached feed, so the next poll gets fresh content.
What is the longest lifetime I can set? 168 hours, which is 7 days.
Related
- How to Enable Page Cache
- Setting Cache Lifetime (TTL)
- Purging the Cache