Category: Wordpress

LiteSpeed settings for SureCart

I have been using SureCart for just over a year now. I have always had issues with LiteSpeed caching and the cart.

Finally, a user in the SureCart Facebook group gave a clear list of settings to configure for SureCart with the LiteSpeed plugin for WordPress.

Updated 01/2026

The brief steps are:

How to setup Litespeed cache for Surecart
1. Under Cache -> Cache - set Cache REST API to OFF
2. Under Cache -> Excludes - add the below under Do Not Cache URIs
/wp-json
/checkout
/customer-dashboard
/shop

Optional:
/login
/wp-login
/register
/my-account
/cart

3. Under Cache -> Browser - set Browser Cache to OFF
4. Under Page Optimization -> JS Settings - set JS Combine to OFF
5. Under Page Optimization -> Tuning - add the below under JS Deferred / Delayed Excludes
api-fetch.min.js
a11y.min.js
i18n.min.js
url.min.js
dom-ready.min.js
hooks.min.js

This is very important as you will get weird errors where cart items disappear, shop buttons don’t work etc.

Complete LiteSpeed Cache Configuration for SureCart

Step-by-Step Configuration Guide

Follow these steps carefully to ensure SureCart works perfectly with LiteSpeed Cache.

1. Cache Settings – Disable REST API Caching

Navigation: LiteSpeed Cache → Cache → Cache

Setting: Cache REST API Value: OFF

Why: SureCart uses WordPress REST API for dynamic content (customer data, cart, checkout). Caching these requests causes outdated information and broken functionality.

2. Cache Excludes – Exclude Dynamic Pages and API Routes

Navigation: LiteSpeed Cache → Cache → Excludes

Setting: Do Not Cache URIs Add these lines (one per line):

/wp-json
/checkout
/customer-dashboard
/shop

Optional – Add if you have these pages:

/login
/register
/my-account
/cart

Why: These pages contain user-specific, real-time data that should never be cached. Login and account pages need to display current user information.

3. Browser Cache – Disable Browser Caching

Navigation: LiteSpeed Cache → Cache → Browser

Setting: Browser Cache Value: OFF

Why: Aggressive browser caching can cause customers to see stale cart data, old prices, or outdated order information. This data cannot be cleared remotely, creating serious transaction issues.

4. JavaScript Optimisation – Disable JS Combining

Navigation: LiteSpeed Cache → Page Optimisation → JS Settings

Setting: JS Combine Value: OFF

Why: In HTTP/2 environments, combining JavaScript files is unnecessary and can break functionality. HTTP/2 allows parallel loading, making the combination redundant.

5. Core WordPress Scripts – Prevent Deferring Critical Scripts

Navigation: LiteSpeed Cache → Page Optimization → Tuning

Setting: JS Deferred Excludes (or JS Delayed Excludes – add to both if both options exist)

Add these scripts (one per line):

api-fetch.min.js
a11y.min.js
i18n.min.js
url.min.js
dom-ready.min.js
hooks.min.js

Why: These core WordPress scripts are essential for dynamic functionality and accessibility. They must load synchronously. Deferring them breaks SureCart’s checkout, cart updates, and customer interactions.

6. Save and Clear Cache

After making all changes:

Click Save Changes on each settings page
Navigate to LiteSpeed Cache → Toolbox → Purge
Click Purge All to clear all cached content
Test your site thoroughly

Testing Checklist

After configuration, test these critical functions:

Add products to cart
Update cart quantities
Proceed to checkout
Complete a test order
Log into customer dashboard
View order history
Log out and log back in
Test on different browsers
Test in incognito/private mode

Quick Reference Summary

Setting Location	Setting Name	Value
Cache → Cache	Cache REST API	OFF
Cache → Excludes	Do Not Cache URIs	/wp-json, /checkout, /customer-dashboard, /shop
Cache → Browser	Browser Cache	OFF
Page Optimisation → Tuning	JS Combine	OFF
Page Optimization → Tuning	JS Deferred/Delayed Excludes	api-fetch.min.js, a11y.min.js, i18n.min.js, url.min.js, dom-ready.min.js, hooks.min.js

Troubleshooting

If checkout still doesn’t work:

Clear LiteSpeed cache completely
Clear your browser cache
Test in incognito/private mode
Check browser console for JavaScript errors

If cart doesn’t update:

Verify REST API caching is OFF
Confirm /wp-json is in Do Not Cache URIs
Clear all caches and test again

If customer dashboard shows wrong data:

Confirm /customer-dashboard is excluded from caching
Verify Browser Cache is OFF
Test after clearing all caches

Additional Notes

HTTP/2: Modern hosting uses HTTP/2, which makes file combining obsolete
Cache Warmup: If using LiteSpeed’s cache warmup feature, ensure excluded pages aren’t included
Mobile Cache: If you have separate mobile cache enabled, these settings apply to both desktop and mobile
Testing: Always test thoroughly after changes, especially checkout and payment processing

November 21, 2024

All in One WP Migration Increase Upload Limit
All In One WP Migration is one of the easiest plugins to use for migrating sites.
I use it to test sites on different hosts.
Unfortunately, in the free version, the upload is limited to 512MB.
You can try to change the PHP settings in your host control panel, change the PHP max upload size and max post size.
If you have version 6.77 (older version) you can quickly and safely modify the code in the Plugin Editor under Tools in the WordPress dashboard:
Open the constants.php file and look for the following, at around line 250-300
```
// =================
// = Max File Size =
// =================
define( ‘AI1WM_MAX_FILE_SIZE’, 2 << 28 );
```
Change it to
```
define( 'AI1WM_MAX_FILE_SIZE', 536870912 * 20 ); 
```
Update then go back to AIOWP plugin and you should get 10GB upload.
Read this post for more details.
Of course, support the plugin developer.
January 3, 2024
How to Fix WordPress upload directory not writable
I migrated a WordPress site between VPS machines.
I had an issue after the migration where this error was on my admin dashboard
```
Unable to create directory uploads/2023/10. Is its parent directory writable by the server?
```
I checked Site Health and confirmed that all other folder permissions were ok but the uploads directory was not writeable.
I double-checked on my VPS and the folder was writeable.
I finally found the solution and it was my error.
I am using Server Avatar to manage my VPS and in the migration process, I unknowingly changed the migration directory case of the domain from xxxx to Xxxx.
I logged into PHPMyAdmin, selected my WordPress website database table and selected the wp_options table. Located “upload_path” row and changed the casing of the path there, saved and it worked.
October 13, 2023
WordPress Admin Dashboard Corrupted – Simple Fix
I recently had a site that I did not use or update regularly have the admin dashboard corrupted.
There was no styling, only text jumbled up on the screen.
It was impossible to navigate.
I tried to clear the cache, disable the plugins folder via file manager/ftp but it did not work.
I found this code to add to the wp-config.php file after WP_DEBUG line near the bottom
```
define{'CONCATENATE_SCRIPTS', false);
```
Add this and save and it should do the trick.
The other option is to revert to PHP 8 or 7.4 if you are on 8.1 or 8.2.
August 29, 2023
The REST api encountered an unexpected result 404 WordPress Error
I spend several hours over two days trying to figure out what this error was.
I tried refreshing permalinks, deleting the .htaccess file and all sorts.
In the end, I found this helpful post on the WordPress support forums.
I narrowed the issue to a URL issue as it could not find the URL.
From the post, the suggestion was to change the permalinks to custom and add:
```
/index.php/%postname%/
```
I did that, saved and it worked.
The only issue now was every page had .index.php in front. I went back and changed to my standard permalinks setting “Post Name”, saved and now it works fine.
The REST API encountered an error in WordPress when trying to retrieve data. The unexpected result returned by the REST API was a 404 error. This issue with the REST API in WordPress can be fixed by following some steps. Here’s how to resolve the REST API error in WordPress and prevent the REST API from encountering unexpected results.
First, check if the REST API is enabled in your WordPress installation. To do this, navigate to the WordPress dashboard and go to the Settings tab. Under the Permalinks section, ensure that the “Post name” option is selected. If not, choose the “Post name” option and save the changes. This should enable the REST API and potentially fix the encountered error.
If the REST API is already enabled and the error persists, it’s essential to troubleshoot further. One possible cause of the unexpected result with the REST API is a conflict with plugins or themes. To identify if this is the case, deactivate all your plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme. Then, try accessing the REST API again and check if the error still occurs. If the error disappears, it means that one of the deactivated plugins or the previously used theme was causing the unexpected result.
To pinpoint the conflicting plugin or theme, reactivate them one by one and test the REST API after each activation. This will help you identify which specific plugin or theme is causing the error. Once the conflicting plugin or theme is identified, you can either reach out to its developer for support or search for alternative plugins/themes that don’t conflict with the REST API.
By troubleshooting and resolving the encountered error in the REST API, you’ll ensure that your WordPress website functions smoothly. It’s crucial to stay vigilant and regularly check for updates to plugins and themes, as they can often introduce compatibility issues with the REST API. Keeping your WordPress installation up to date will help avoid unexpected results and maintain the proper functioning of the REST API.
July 11, 2023
WordPress code I always use on new installs
I set up a lot of WordPress sites and I keep text files of the bits of code I add to the .htaccess file and config file on all new installs.
To keep WordPress going smoothly, there are a few bits of code I add to files when I install WordPress on a new domain.
Increase Memory Limit
To increase the allowed memory size from the standard 40M to 256M I use the following code in wp-config.php (usually in the /public_html/ folder:
```
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
```
Replace the 256M with 96/128/256 but I find that 128M will suffice for most sites.
Disable WP-Cron
Until recently, I left the wp-cron to handle daily tasks with WordPress. I was advised by my hosts to switch to cPanel to handle cron jobs, this is more efficient and improves performance and reduces server load significantly.
In the same file as before, wp-config.php enter the code below. I usually put it after the database collate information [define(‘DB_COLLATE’, ”);], don’t forget to save:
```
define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', 'true');
```
This will disable the wp-cron from running – you must enable the file to be run by your server. Login to your host backend, usually cPanel, click on Cron Jobs (Advanced section) and enter the command:
```
/usr/local/bin/php ~/public_html/wp-cron.php >/dev/null 2>&1
```
The first part /usr upto php depends on your host. They will usually have a post in their knowledgebase or you can message support for advice. The second part is the actual location of the wp-cron.php file. The >/dev/null 2>&1 just disables e-mail notifications, you will receive loads if left active.
If like me, you install WordPress into the root directory then [username]/public_html/wp-cron.php should be fine. My host setup may differ to yours and I don’t need to specify the username.
After you enter that, you can choose the times to run under common settings, my host suggested twice every hour, some suggest once an hour or once every 6 hours if you don’t have much traffic or make regular changes.
For The Newsletter plugin I changed the frequency to once every 5 minutes as that is the recommended time for that plugin.
Limit Post Revisions
I found that I would have tens of revisions to a single post, all of these would be clogging up my database with useless data. To limit them just enter this code into wp-config.php
```
define ('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 3);
```
This will limit the maximum revisions to just 3 rather than loads and loads, 3-5 should be more than enough.
SSL Redirect
As all of my WordPress sites have SSL installed by default and I install to the base url without the www I add the following code to my .htaccess file to divert everything to the base url:
```
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
 RewriteEngine On
 RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
 RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
 </IfModule>
```
I made another post on this here where I had issues with icons
Expires Headers for WordPress
Add this to your .htaccess file (Apache server not Nginx) using the file manage in cPanel, click on settings and check show hidden files as files with a preceding . are usually hidden.
```
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
  ExpiresActive On

  # Images
  ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType image/gif "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType image/webp "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType image/svg+xml "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType image/x-icon "access plus 1 year"

  # Video
  ExpiresByType video/webm "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType video/mp4 "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType video/mpeg "access plus 1 year"

  # Fonts
  ExpiresByType font/ttf "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType font/otf "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType font/woff "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType font/woff2 "access plus 1 year"
  ExpiresByType application/font-woff "access plus 1 year"

  # CSS, JavaScript
  ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 month"
  ExpiresByType text/javascript "access plus 1 month"
  ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 month"

  # Others
  ExpiresByType application/pdf "access plus 1 month"
  ExpiresByType image/vnd.microsoft.icon "access plus 1 year"
</IfModule>
```
Redis Password
If you are having issues with Redis connections for server caching, you can manually enter the code into your wp-config.php file.
Enter this code somewhere in the file.
```
/** Redis Config **/
define( 'WP_REDIS_PASSWORD', 'yourpasswordgoeshere' );
```
I usually insert the password into the LiteSpeed Cache plugin but sometimes it does not connect so I enter the code into the wp-config.php file.
Auto Update WordPress
I prefer to let WordPress auto-update sites, sometimes the default is disabled.
Just add this code to the wp-config.php file
```
define( ‘AUTOMATIC_UPDATER_DISABLED’, false );
```
October 18, 2020
Instant Images for WordPress – server permissions
I read about a great plugin called Instant Images for WordPress that makes blogging a little easier. A blog post without a featured images looks a little naked and unfinished. Trawling around free images sites takes time, especially when you want to write a quick post and get it up asap.
Instant Images is a free plugin that allows you to search and import images straight from the Unsplash.com royalty free image library.
It has a few negative reviews but that is due to incorrect permissions on the image upload folder. A very simple and quick fix.
Simply use file manager or any FTP software, navigate to:
public_html/wp-content/uploads/
Click on the folder labelled instant-images and change the permissions from 3-4-1 to 7-5-5 – quick and easy and works great.
Using the classic WordPress editor, there is a new button visible above the tools called Instant Images where you can quickly add images to a post. Alternatively, you can go to the Media tab and add images there.
There is a setting gear cog that allows you to set the dimensions which are very important as the images on Unsplash are very high resolution.
Whatsapp gb 2021
October 1, 2018
CSV File issues fixed – MS Excel
I was working with a WordPress plugin and I needed to import a load of products, no problem there is a CSV import option.
I tediously went through the products and entered them into a file, saved as CSV and uploaded. Unfortunately, the file was not recognised as nothing was imported.
I tried entering the encoding UTF-8 option but still no joy.
Eventually, I found that saving the file as a MS DOS csv file in Excel and then uploading worked fine.
I use Excel 365 but it should be the same for the previous versions.
September 28, 2018
WordPress MySQL error when switching to PHP 7.2 – Easy Fix
I changed my PHP from 7.1 to 7.2 at my host Guru Cloud. I noticed that my WordPress site was no longer working, I got the error:
Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress
I switched back to 7.1 and it was working fine. I searched around and found the easy fix.
In cPanel, go to Select PHP Version and add the permission for mysqli and save. After a refresh, the WordPress site was working fine. I checked with my host, they said this was all that was required and will default that to the config for PHP 7.2.
Watch this video for a quick demo on what to change.

March 30, 2018
WordPress icons distorted
I noticed an issue with some of my WordPress websites where the share icons and the search icon would be distorted. I had been upgrading and changing themes, trying out new plugins and trying out Litespeed cache plugin as some of my sites are on a Litespeed server.
The social share icons and search icons would sometimes become distorted and garbled, I tried various settings in Litespeed cache as when I switched this off, the icons were fine. In the end I gave up and contacted the theme developer to see if they could help.
After a few back and forth e-mails, the issue was the redirection to the HTTPS secure site, if the site URL was not HTTPS this caused an issue with the caching and icons. I had to edit my .htaccess file in the public_html folder (view hidden files) and add the following code to create a 301 redirect:
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
</IfModule>
This has now rectified my issue and ensured that the secure site is always served,
February 6, 2018