How can I tell if the cache preload process is working?

Hello @zgall1

Thank you for your inquiry and I am happy to assist you with this.
You can check if the pages are cached in your wp-content/cache folder.
If using native wp crown – it’s fired when users visited pages only.
If you don’t want to rely on wp-cron – use wp-cli command for preloading and Unix cron
wp w3-total-cache pgcache_prime and track the output which pages/sitemap positions are primed by script
Thank you!

– I am familiar with the location of the cache. I am unclear though if the cache is being built by my users visiting the site or the cache preload.

– This is a high traffic site. Does that suggest that the native wp cron would be sufficient?

Hello @zgall1

If you are using native wp-cron fired only when users visited pages.
If wp-cron is disabled and you are using easy cron then the cache is built by the custom cronjob.
Using native wp-cron should be sufficient in your case, but again if you do not want to rely on it it’s best to use wp-cli in this case.
Thank you!

Thanks for the explanation.

Can you also address this point?

– I am familiar with the location of the cache. I am unclear though if the cache is being built by my users visiting the site or the cache preload. I suspect it is not working as intended but I am not sure how to check. Is there a log that I can consult?

Hello @zgall1

When using easy cron the cache is generated with cache preload.
logging is available in wp-cli now.
Call it directly via wp w3-total-cache pgcache_prime
and track the output which pages/sitemap positions are primed by script
Thank you!