How to Configure Browser Cache and GZIP in Super Speed
Browser cache stores reusable static files such as images, CSS, JavaScript and fonts in the visitor's browser. On later page views, the browser can reuse these files instead of downloading them again.
GZIP works differently: it compresses text-based resources before they are transferred to the browser, reducing the amount of data that needs to be sent. In Super Speed, both can be configured from the same section.
Configure browser cache and GZIP
- Open the Super Speed module configuration page.
- Go to Cache and minification > Browser cache & GZIP.
- Turn on Enable browser cache and Gzip.
- Choose between applying default PrestaShop settings for browser cache or customizing cache lifetime for each file type individually.
Use the default settings
Keep Use default PrestaShop settings enabled if you want to use the predefined cache lifetimes:
- Images: 1 month
- Icons: 1 year
- CSS: 1 week
- JavaScript files: 1 week
- Fonts: 1 year
These settings are a practical starting point for most stores.
Set custom cache lifetimes
If you need more control, turn off Use default PrestaShop settings and configure the lifetime separately for images, icons, CSS, JavaScript and fonts.
Longer lifetimes work well for static files that rarely change. If you frequently update an asset without changing its URL or filename, a shorter lifetime can reduce the chance that visitors continue using an older cached version.
- Click Save to apply the configuration.
Super Speed applies the browser cache and GZIP configuration through .htaccess rules.
Check that Browser cache and GZIP are working
After saving the settings, open your storefront and check a few pages to make sure everything works normally.
You can also verify the configuration with your browser's developer tools:
- Open the Network panel and load a page normally.
- Reload the page and check whether static resources such as images, CSS, JavaScript and fonts are being reused from browser cache where applicable.
- Inspect response headers for text-based resources. When GZIP compression is being applied, the response may include Content-Encoding: gzip.
A CDN, reverse proxy or server configuration can also affect the final caching and compression headers seen by the browser.
If the settings do not take effect
Because Super Speed manages these features through .htaccess, your web server must support and apply those rules. On environments that do not use .htaccess, equivalent browser-cache and compression rules may need to be configured at the server level.
Browser cache and GZIP are also separate from HTML, CSS and JavaScript minification. If you want to configure those optimizations as well, see How to Configure Server Cache and Minification Feature in Super Speed.
For most stores, the simplest workflow is to enable browser cache and GZIP, start with the default lifetimes, and check the storefront. If you need finer control over specific file types, Super Speed lets you adjust the cache lifetime for each asset type individually.