WordPress Caching on Windows Server: WP Super Cache vs. W3 Total Cache

When I moved my wordpress websites from an ubuntu server to a microsoft server my backend was all grey. Just a menu and a lot of nothing.

Disabling WP Super Cache solved this problem. But of course you can’t run a wordpress website without caching. You won’t be able to serve many visitors and your users will get impatient.

How to disable a Plugin if you can’t access the backend
Just delete (or move) the files of the plugin from the folder wp-content/plugins of your wordpress installation and reload the backend. The plugin will be disabled even if you restore the files.

I researched many options. And tried all of the “solutions” I found online.

• Changing the web.config
• Adding a web.config to the cache directory
• Different alterations to the WP Super Cache plugin

Sadly I didn’t get it to work.

W3 Total Cache on the other hand supports IIS greater than version 5 out of the box.

I like WP Super Cache very much and chose it in the past over W3 Total Cache. It has less features and options and is therefore easier to set up.

That beeing said I was very happy when my website was again beeing deliverd in under 200ms. If you are running wordpress on windows check out W3 Total Cache.

If you would like a tutorial about the setup and configuration of W3 Total Cache, write your questions in the comments.