The loading speed of an e-commerce store has been recognized as a vital parameter of its success. Ideally, such a site should take only a few seconds to load and one that takes more time tends to lose customers. Magento has been acclaimed as an outstanding e-commerce development platform with powerful features that enable effective catalog management, SEO, and marketing. The only aspect where it needs help is that of website speed. Developers have devised various Magento speed optimization solutions to help. Amongst these, Varnish cache emerges as the most significant one. Varnish serves as an excellent complement to Magento e-commerce stores as it not only enhances significant speed but also provides the potential for reduction in maintenance costs. Let’s explore it in detail.
Varnish Cache- How does it work?
Varnish Cache is a web server accelerator which works as a reverse proxy server to enhance the website speed manifold. It enables lightning-fast content delivery by the means of caching the copy of web pages when the user visits them for the first time. Subsequently, the future requests for these pages are served by the cache. This reduces the backend server load even while the Magento store handles an unlimited number of visitors simultaneously. The benefits of Varnish cache are immense:
- Enhanced speed and performance
- Scalability in terms of handling higher visitor volume
- Savings in server infrastructure
- Protection against outages as the cache continues to serve cached content
- Improved end-user experience
However, there is another side to the picture too as store owners may come across certain challenges with this caching system.
Pain Points Associated With Varnish Cache
Varnish cache is a reliable speed optimization measure for Magento stores, yet it has certain pain points that defeat the very purpose for which it is installed.
- Though Varnish can improve the user experience by enhancing the website speed, it can cause session leakage which can be a key hindrance for the users. Session leakage refers to shared user sessions in which one user is served the content cached for another user. This renders an unsatisfying experience, where the user may end up irritated and leave the site for good.
- A business may have to invest a good deal of time and money in Magento store development in case they are opting for the one enabled with Varnish cache. The reason is that it sometimes slows down the development speed due to performance issues when the cache has to be started and restarted during the process.
- Besides speed, the security matters the most in e-commerce because transactions involve the critical financial details of the customers. The SSL security certificate encrypts these details and ensures a secure shopping experience for the customers. However, Varnish may conflict with SSL in some instances, which means that the store owner may have to compromise security for speed.
Even though these challenges seem big, they can be resolved by hiring skilled Magento developers who have thorough expertise and experience with the platform. In the end, it really matters that the Varnish cache is installed and implemented properly so that complete benefits can be derived.
We, at Orange Mantra, are a team of experts with extensive experience in e-commerce design and development. We have created hundreds of successful online stores that are running seamlessly. Our expertise extends to developing custom stores that are enriched with unique and powerful functionalities.
Read more: Is Varnish Caching A Reliable Measure For Magento Store Speed Optimization