If you’re reading this, you’re probably using Amazon Lightsail Distribution with a Bitnami WordPress tech stack—or seriously considering it. Setting up your server and website based on the official documentation is fairly straightforward, especially for end-to-end WordPress hosting.
However, when it comes to optimizing your website’s performance using tools like Pagespeed Insights or Chrome Lighthouse, the documentation leaves much to be desired. You may encounter one of the most common optimization issues:
“Serve static assets with an efficient cache policy.”
The good news is: we’ve got your back. In this guide, we’ll walk you through why browser caching matters for web design and how to properly configure it when you’re using Amazon Lightsail and Bitnami or another stack with Apache server. Let’s dive in!
Why Browser Caching Is Your Friend
When you think about performance optimization in web design, browser caching is one of three caching methods and plays a critical role. Here’s why:
- Reduced Server Load: When a browser caches resources like CSS, JavaScript, and images, it reduces the number of requests sent to your server. This directly lightens server load, allowing your website to handle more visitors simultaneously.
- Faster Page Load Times: Returning visitors don’t need to reload every asset. Their browsers already have a copy stored locally.
- Improved SEO and UX: Google considers page speed a ranking factor. A faster site improves both your search engine rankings and your customer experience. Note, page speed isn’t a direct factor for SEO, but can be an indirect one.
If you haven’t already implemented browser caching, now’s the time! Keep reading to set up your browser caching, using Amazon Lightsail, Bitnami Apache, and WordPress:
Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Browser Caching
1. Verify Your httpd.conf Settings
First things first: if you’re using Bitnami WordPress, you need to make sure that your Apache server is properly configured to support caching headers.
Locate your Apache config file at:
/opt/bitnami/apache/conf/httpd.conf
You’ll need the following four modules to be loaded (i.e., without the # in front):
LoadModule deflate_module modules/mod_deflate.so LoadModule mime_module modules/mod_mime.so LoadModule expires_module modules/mod_expires.so LoadModule headers_module modules/mod_headers.so
Important:
- If these modules aren’t enabled, Apache won’t send the correct cache headers.
- If any line is missing, add it manually and confirm it doesn’t break your site.
- After editing, always save the file and restart your server.
2. Assign Expires Headers
Now that your modules are loading, it’s time to specify caching behavior based on the file types that you’re using. There are two primary headers you’ll need to declare:
- Cache-Control
- Expires
To achieve this, apply appropriate file type values. You can do it manually or through caching plugins, such as W3 Total Cache or Super Cache. An example Apache config for caching is provided below:
# Enable expirations ExpiresActive On # Set images to expire after one month ExpiresByType image/gif A2592000 ExpiresByType image/jpeg A2592000 ExpiresByType image/png A2592000 # HTML documents expire after a week ExpiresByType text/html M604800 # CSS and JS files expire after one month ExpiresByType text/css A2592000 ExpiresByType application/javascript A2592000
A few quick notes:
- A = Access time-based expiration (e.g., A2592000 = 30 days).
- M = Modification time-based expiration.
Pro Tip:
While longer cache lifetimes (like a year) are great for browser performance, they can cause stale content issues. To handle this correctly, always append query strings like ?v=2.0 to updated assets. Most caching plugins offer this functionality as a default configuration.
3. Copy .htaccess Settings to the Apache-Approved Files
By default, Bitnami disables .htaccess overrides for security reasons. This means even if you set caching rules in .htaccess, they won’t take effect unless you move them manually.
Here’s what you need to do:
- First, copy your caching rules generated from:
/opt/bitnami/wordpress/.htaccess
- Second, paste them into:
/opt/bitnami/apache/conf/vhosts/htaccess/wordpress-htaccess.conf
This ensures your caching configurations are recognized at the Apache server level.
Reminder:
Always back up your files before making edits, and ensure the directory path is correct within the tag (“/opt/bitnami/wordpress”).
4. Configure Amazon Lightsail Distribution to Forward Headers
Even if you configure Apache correctly, Amazon Lightsail’s CDN will strip headers unless you tell it otherwise.
Go to your Lightsail Distribution settings and ensure you forward the following headers:
- Cache-Control
- Expires
This allows the client browser to correctly cache static assets based on your server instructions.
5. Restart Apache
After making changes to Apache configurations, you must restart the server for the new settings to apply.
Run the following command in your SSH terminal:
sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart apache
Skipping this step means your edits won’t take effect, so don’t forget!
6. Confirm Browser Caching Is Active
Once all configurations are done, verify that browser caching is working properly.
Here’s how:
- Open your website in Google Chrome.
- Right-click → Inspect → Network tab.
- Reload the page if needed
- Check the headers of static files (CSS, JS, Images).
- You should see Cache-Control and Expires headers set with the appropriate values.
If you see them, congratulations—your browser caching is live!
Troubleshooting Common Issues
1. Clear Browser and Distribution Cache:
Amazon Lightsail caches aggressively. After making changes, clear your distribution’s cache and your browser cache to see the latest results.
2. File Permissions:
If you cannot edit configuration files, check that you have root access or modify file permissions temporarily using the below and change back to the default permission (which usually is 664):
sudo chmod 777 filename
3. Wrong Directory Path:
Ensure caching rules are applied specifically under the WordPress root (/opt/bitnami/wordpress) and not another directory.
4. Versioning Static Assets:
Whenever you update assets like JavaScript or CSS files, append a version query parameter to force browsers to fetch the new file. Most WordPress caching plugins like W3 Total Cache or WP Rocket offer automatic versioning settings.
Expert Help With Web Design and Browser Caching
Configuring browser caching correctly can be technical, but it’s absolutely essential for an optimized web design that delivers high performance.
At Uplancer, we specialize in combining efficient web design with advanced server-side performance optimizations like browser caching, CDN integration, and more.
Better caching not only improves load speeds but also boosts SEO, lowers bounce rates, and increases ad campaign quality scores.
Need help optimizing your WordPress website on Lightsail?
Contact Uplancer today for a free consultation or a detailed website performance audit!
