Use Amazon S3 With WordPress
I had heard about Amazon’s S3 storage for some time, but really never got around to trying it out until I discovered two interesting WordPress plugins that use the service. If you’re unfamiliar with Amazon S3, it is really inexpensive storage for your files. Amazon has lots of server space available and a content delivery network that can place your content locally all over the planet. Plus their servers are lightning fast which could potentially cut your page load time. So here are the two plugins that have gotten me to leave two widely used standards to these new products.
W3 Total Cache
I have been a user of WP Super Cache almost since I started using WordPress and it does work, but W3 Total Cache takes the concept to an entirely different level. Not only can you cache your pages, but you can also cache your database, plus gzip and minify your CSS and javascript. As I looked through the setting though what I was most excited to see was the option of hosting many of my site’s files on Amazon S3. This would allow me to serve my images and other files much more quickly than my own server would allow.
All that is required is for you to sign up for an account with Amazon’s S3 storage. You will need two security codes and you’ll be ready to go. the plugin will create a bucket for your files and then copy all of them to S3 for serving. Then you activate your changes and you’re good to go. It’s that simple. If you look at the source code of this page, you will notice elements served, not from ThemeWeaver.net, but most images from S3.
I only ran into two issues with the plugin, neither of which deal with S3. On Theme Weaver, the minify option conflicts with WishList Member which I use to power the member part of the site. Thankfully I can turn that portion of the plugin off on the options page and still run the rest of the features. On BillRobbinsDesign.com, my image rotator is not capable of using remote images, so I’ll have to make changes, but I consider the benefits worth it.
So here is the question that matters: Can I tell a difference? You bet. Plus my grade on Y! Slow improved. Now that Google is factoring site load time into it’s algorithm, it’s in all our best interests to make our sites as fast as possible. Using W3 Total Cache can really make a difference. Learn more about the plugin here.
Automatic WordPress Backup
I’ve been using WP Database Backup for a long time to create database backups of my sites and the ones of my clients. The one problem though is this automated solution doesn’t backup the files. Obviously theme files are a simple matter since I maintain local copies of those, but what about all the images I’ve uploaded or my clients have added to their sites? While researching alternatives, I came upon Automatic WordPress Backup and have swapped all my sites for this more comprehensive solution.
Like W3 Total Cache, Automatic WordPress Backup uses Amazon S3 storage for backups, but unlike WP Database Backup, this plugin backups your entire WordPress site–all your files and your database automatically. Setup is a breeze and once you’re configured, you don’t have to worry about it anymore. It really is fix and forget it. If you have a busy site, you can set it to backup frequently–say daily, or less often if you don’t publish content as often. You can learn more and download the plugin here.
If you’ve uncovered a use for Amazon’s S3 service that you’ve found useful, share it with us.
How To Install A WordPress Theme
WordPress has greatly streamlined their process for installing themes. Not that long ago, everyone had to use a FTP program to upload the theme files and then activate them in their control panel. No more. With version 2.8 WordPress added the ability to upload a theme from a zip file and install it. So not it’s easier than ever to add your own theme to your WordPress site. Just watch this quick video to learn how.
After Installing WordPress
Because of what I do for a living, I install WordPress quite a bit more than the average user. Through doing this time and time again, I’ve developed a plan that I follow. Watch this video to get an idea of what I do.
What to do after installing WordPress from Theme Weaver on Vimeo.