WordPress Heartbeat Control: Manage API and Reduce CPU Load
What is Heartbeat?
The Heartbeat API included in WordPress version 3.6 and later is designed to provide fluid updates between your browser and the server to allow autosaving, post locking, login expiration warnings, and much more. It works in the background to send a regular "pulse" between the browser and the server that is repeated at regular intervals and can be used to keep them in sync.
However, the downside of Heartbeat is that it can cause high CPU usage on the server. (In fact, even if you were to simply log in to your WordPress Dashboard and minimize your browser while you worked on other tasks, the API would by default still be updated at regular intervals in the background.)
If you have experienced heavy CPU loads and are using a version of WordPress with Heartbeat included, you can follow the steps below to disable or manage the WordPress Heartbeat API to reduce your server load.
Important: Please back up your files before making any changes suggested in this article. For information on how to generate a full backup, please refer to the following article: WordPress: How to Backup Your WordPress Site
Network Solutions does not provide direct support regarding any code in this article, and it is provided for informational purposes only.
How to Install the Heartbeat Control Plugin
The Heartbeat Control plugin allows you to easily manage and control the WordPress Heartbeat API. You can disable it altogether or customize the settings. This article outlines the basic steps for configuring the plugin. For more comprehensive details, visit this article.
- Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
- Go to Plugins in your WordPress navigation bar on the left side.
- Search for the Heartbeat Control plugin.
- Activate the plugin.
- Go to Settings and Heartbeat Control Settings.
- Configure the settings as you wish.
- For more comprehensive configuration details, visit this article.
Review
The WordPress Heartbeat API enables autosaving, post locking, and login warnings by syncing the browser and server, but it can increase CPU usage. To reduce server load, users can install and configure the Heartbeat Control plugin to manage or disable the API. Backups are recommended before making changes.