Use htaccess to speed up your website

I have made this guide because in the past I have seen so many other examples of "htaccess files that work" when in reality they do not.
Therefor, I have decided to have a look at w3tc's htaccess that it produces and quickly found that it can be applied to much much more than just wordpress.
Applying the following htaccess will cache your static files and it will automatically handle gzipping. For example, in this vbulletin forum here... in the admin cp I have the gzip compression in there TURNED OFF. Yet my resources are perfectly gzipped according to yslow, pagespeed, gtmetrix & webpagetest.
Before you apply the htaccess below, I STRONGLY recommend that you make a backup of your htaccess just incase your host does not have mod gzip or mod deflate enabled; two apache modules that are vital to caching & gzipping.

I decided to make this thread after I made my original step by step guide on how to speed up vbulletin at vbulletin.org and after I decided to release it to the public on my site, vgchat.

There are several steps to improve your page loading speed. I will go over a few steps that will improve your site's loading time.

Step 1: Tweak your htaccess.
Open the htaccess file in your root and add the following below any url rewrite rules you may have:

Doing this covers the following Pagespeed & Yslow Rules.

Leverage browser caching
Specify a cache validator
Enable gzip compression

# Author: Final Kaoss (aka: Extreme-Gaming)
# Version 2.6
RewriteEngine on

#Deny attempts to view the Htaccess file.
<Files .htaccess>
Order allow,deny
Deny from all
</Files>
# BEGIN Browser Caching/Headers
<IfModule mod_mime.c>
    AddType text/css .css
    AddType text/richtext .rtf .rtx
    AddType image/svg+xml .svg .svgz
    AddType text/plain .txt
    AddType text/xsd .xsd
    AddType text/xsl .xsl
    AddType video/asf .asf .asx .wax .wmv .wmx
    AddType video/avi .avi
    AddType image/bmp .bmp
    AddType application/java .class
    AddType video/divx .divx
    AddType application/msword .doc .docx
    AddType application/x-msdownload .exe
    AddType image/gif .gif
    AddType application/x-gzip .gz .gzip
    AddType image/x-icon .ico
    AddType image/jpeg .jpg .jpeg .jpe
    AddType application/vnd.ms-access .mdb
    AddType audio/midi .mid .midi
    AddType video/quicktime .mov .qt
    AddType audio/mpeg .mp3 .m4a
    AddType video/mp4 .mp4 .m4v
    AddType video/mpeg .mpeg .mpg .mpe
    AddType application/vnd.ms-project .mpp
    AddType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.database .odb
    AddType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.chart .odc
    AddType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.formula .odf
    AddType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.graphics .odg
    AddType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation .odp
    AddType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet .ods
    AddType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text .odt
    AddType audio/ogg .ogg
    AddType application/pdf .pdf
    AddType image/png .png
    AddType application/vnd.ms-powerpoint .pot .pps .ppt .pptx
    AddType audio/x-realaudio .ra .ram
    AddType application/x-shockwave-flash .swf
    AddType application/x-tar .tar
    AddType image/tiff .tif .tiff
    AddType audio/wav .wav
    AddType audio/wma .wma
    AddType application/vnd.ms-write .wri
    AddType application/vnd.ms-excel .xla .xls .xlsx .xlt .xlw
    AddType application/zip .zip
</IfModule>
<IfModule mod_expires.c>
    ExpiresActive On
    ExpiresByType text/css A2628000
    ExpiresByType text/richtext A3600
    ExpiresByType image/svg+xml A3600
    ExpiresByType text/plain A3600
    ExpiresByType text/xsd A3600
    ExpiresByType text/xsl A3600
    ExpiresByType video/asf A2628000
    ExpiresByType video/avi A2628000
    ExpiresByType image/bmp A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/java A2628000
    ExpiresByType video/divx A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/msword A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/x-msdownload A2628000
    ExpiresByType image/gif A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/x-gzip A2628000
    ExpiresByType image/x-icon A2628000
    ExpiresByType image/jpeg A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.ms-access A2628000
    ExpiresByType audio/midi A2628000
    ExpiresByType video/quicktime A2628000
    ExpiresByType audio/mpeg A2628000
    ExpiresByType video/mp4 A2628000
    ExpiresByType video/mpeg A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.ms-project A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.database A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.chart A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.formula A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.graphics A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text A2628000
    ExpiresByType audio/ogg A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/pdf A2628000
    ExpiresByType image/png A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.ms-powerpoint A2628000
    ExpiresByType audio/x-realaudio A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/x-shockwave-flash A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/x-tar A2628000
    ExpiresByType image/tiff A2628000
    ExpiresByType audio/wav A2628000
    ExpiresByType audio/wma A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.ms-write A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/vnd.ms-excel A2628000
    ExpiresByType application/zip A2628000
</IfModule>
<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
    <IfModule mod_setenvif.c>
        BrowserMatch ^Mozilla/4 gzip-only-text/html
        BrowserMatch ^Mozilla/4\.0[678] no-gzip
        BrowserMatch \bMSIE !no-gzip !gzip-only-text/html
        BrowserMatch \bMSI[E] !no-gzip !gzip-only-text/html
    </IfModule>
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
        Header append Vary User-Agent env=!dont-vary
    </IfModule>
    <IfModule mod_filter.c>
        AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css application/x-javascript text/html text/richtext image/svg+xml text/plain text/xsd text/xsl text/xml image/x-icon
    </IfModule>
</IfModule>
<FilesMatch "\.(css|CSS|)$">
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
        Header set Pragma "public"
        Header append Cache-Control "public, must-revalidate, proxy-revalidate"
    </IfModule>
    FileETag MTime Size
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
         Header set X-Powered-By "Step by Step guide to speed up your VB4 (forum only)"
    </IfModule>
</FilesMatch>
<FilesMatch "\.(rtf|rtx|svg|svgz|txt|xsd|xsl|RTF|RTX|SVG|SVGZ|TXT|XSD|XSL|)$">
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
        Header set Pragma "public"
        Header append Cache-Control "public, must-revalidate, proxy-revalidate"
    </IfModule>
    FileETag MTime Size
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
         Header set X-Powered-By "Step by Step guide to speed up your VB4 (forum only)"
    </IfModule>
</FilesMatch>
<FilesMatch "\.(asf|asx|wax|wmv|wmx|avi|bmp|class|divx|doc|docx|exe|gif|gz|gzip|ico|jpg|jpeg|jpe|mdb|mid|midi|mov|qt|mp3|m4a|mp4|m4v|mpeg|mpg|mpe|mpp|odb|odc|odf|odg|odp|ods|odt|ogg|pdf|png|pot|pps|ppt|pptx|ra|ram|swf|tar|tif|tiff|wav|wma|wri|xla|xls|xlsx|xlt|xlw|zip|ASF|ASX|WAX|WMV|WMX|AVI|BMP|CLASS|DIVX|DOC|DOCX|EXE|GIF|GZ|GZIP|ICO|JPG|JPEG|JPE|MDB|MID|MIDI|MOV|QT|MP3|M4A|MP4|M4V|MPEG|MPG|MPE|MPP|ODB|ODC|ODF|ODG|ODP|ODS|ODT|OGG|PDF|PNG|POT|PPS|PPT|PPTX|RA|RAM|SWF|TAR|TIF|TIFF|WAV|WMA|WRI|XLA|XLS|XLSX|XLT|XLW|ZIP)$">
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
        Header set Pragma "public"
        Header append Cache-Control "public, must-revalidate, proxy-revalidate"
    </IfModule>
    FileETag MTime Size
    <IfModule mod_headers.c>
         Header set X-Powered-By "Step by Step guide to speed up your VB4 (forum only)"
    </IfModule>
</FilesMatch>
# End Browser Caching/Headers 

Code (markup):

You can check your results at these two sites.

http://gtmetrix.com/dashboard.html
http://www.webpagetest.org/

If you fail caching or gzip rules for your local pages (ignore external resources on these tests!) then you need to find a new host, quite simply.


Additionally, you can use the htaccess above for virtually any website. It does not matter if you are running a website that you built by hand that uses html or php, phpbb, vbulletin, mybb, invision, xenforo, smf, wordpress, joomla, phpnuke or any other CMS that you can think of. If your software has "seo friendly urls", you may add those rules into the htaccess file provided and they will work just fine. Just make sure that you understand what part of the code does the rewriting before you just blindly paste it along in there however..

Feel free to ask any questions here.

 

Actually, it would be faster if you do not use .htaccess at all and use caching methods through your server's configuration (Lighttpd, nginx / etc)

 

Just enabling gzip compression should be good enough to speed up your site.

 

Yes enabling gzip does help & SpeakWhatsReal, there are tons of people on shared hosting who don't have access to the server's config (Lighttpd, nginx / etc). For them, caching via htaccess is the way to go.

 

This way helps better..!!

 

We run cache and serve content from our frontend systems on our servers for all our clients. They notice faster to instant page loads almost instantly. =)

 

More precisely it will allow browser & proxy caching for your static files

 

Sure it will if you want to get all technical about it lol.

 

seriously there is a server caching which is a whole different game
that is if some one (or bot) hits the refresh button like crazy your mysql is not getting hit at the same rate but is being served from disk cache with no performance impact

 

Yep that's right, glad I didn't have to explain that bit

 

ps: is there an octopus stuck in your google avatar? Please free let it go!

 

uh no, that's a google spider lol

 

Nice tips scylla, thanks for the updates

*subscribed*

 

Thanks for sharing Will keep a note of it

 

Very useful guide - not many people know that you can immensely increase the speed of your site via the .htaccess. Thanks Scylla

 

Are these .htaccess changes still viable in 2013?

 

absolutely.

 

Thanks. I was wondering if it were still the case

 

Alternatively, you can use google pagespeed service in conjunction with the htaccess above, as well to help with the caching. With my use of it, I believe it's best to only let it handle caching js & css, don't let it cache the images or else you will lose search rankings for them.

 

Thanks, it's very helpful for shared hosting