The Science of Acceleration
The setup that matches this query is a pull zone plus W3 Total Cache. Full steps: WordPress + W3 Total Cache. Hosts that resell this should read CDN for platforms.
WordPress spends most of its front-end time on images, CSS, JS and webfonts. Put those on a NetDNA pull zone and let EdgeCaching serve them from the nearest PoP. This guide uses W3 Total Cache, the integration NetDNA documented in 2013.
1. Create a pull zone
In the control panel, add a pull zone. Origin is your WordPress site (https://www.example.com). The CDN URL will look like example.netdna-cdn.com. Leave query-string caching off unless you version assets with ?ver= and want each version stored.
2. Point a CNAME
Create cdn.example.com as a CNAME to the zone hostname. This is the URL you will paste into W3 Total Cache. Use Anycast DNS if you manage DNS at NetDNA.
3. Configure W3 Total Cache
- Install and enable W3 Total Cache.
- Performance → General → enable CDN.
- Performance → CDN → choose Generic Mirror or NetDNA/MaxCDN.
- SSL: auto-detect if EdgeSSL is on.
- Add the CNAME. Mirror theme files, wp-includes, custom directories.
- Replace site’s hostname with the CDN hostname on those paths only — never the HTML document itself.
Related 2013 post: W3 Total Cache + MaxCDN.
4. HTTPS and mixed content
If WordPress is on HTTPS, the CDN must be HTTPS. Enable EdgeSSL and follow mixed content after moving assets to a CDN. Use protocol-relative URLs only as a last resort; prefer https.
5. Purge after deploys
Theme deploys and plugin updates leave stale CSS in cache. Purge the zone or the changed files. See instant purge and the PHP purge recipe.
Does W3 Total Cache work with NetDNA?
Yes. Create a pull zone, then enter the CDN hostname in W3 Total Cache → CDN → Generic Mirror or the NetDNA/MaxCDN engine if present. Mirror wp-content and wp-includes.
Should I enable SSL on the CDN for WordPress?
Yes if the site is HTTPS. Provision EdgeSSL on the zone and use https://cdn.example.com in W3TC so mixed-content warnings do not appear.
How do I purge WordPress after a deploy?
Purge the zone from the NetDNA control panel, the REST API, or a plugin hook. Do not lower TTL to zero as a substitute for purge.