Autoloaded Data in WordPress: What Is It and How Can It Cause Problems?
What is Autoloaded Data?
In WordPress, there is a database table called wp_options, which stores various settings and configuration values. Some of these options are marked as “autoload”, which means that they are automatically loaded into memory every time a page is loaded.
If an option in the column autoload is set to “yes”, WordPress will automatically load this data into the cache – regardless of whether it is needed for the current page or not.
Why can Autoloaded Data cause problems?
Autoloaded data is useful in itself because it helps to make frequently used data available faster. However, it can lead to problems over time:
- Excessive amount of data
- Many plugins save their configurations as autoloaded data and often do not remove them after uninstalling.
- As a result, the
wp_optionstable grows steadily, and unnecessary data continues to load.
- Performance
- If the amount of autoloaded data becomes too large (e.g., over 1 MB), it can slow down the page load time.
- For large websites with thousands of visitors per day, this can significantly affect server performance.
- Memory
- Every time a WordPress site is accessed, Autoloaded Data is loaded into the random access memory (RAM).
- Too much can overload the memory, which can cause lags or even crashes.
How to clean up autoloaded data?
1. Analyze Autoloaded Data
Before removing data, you should analyze what values are stored as autoloaded data and how much memory they consume.
SQL query for analysis:
SELECT option_name, length(option_value) AS size, autoload
FROM wp_options
WHERE autoload = 'yes'
ORDER BY size DESC
LIMIT 50;
This command displays the largest autoloaded options.
Alternatively, you can also use plugins such as WP-Optimize or Advanced Database Cleaner .
2. Delete unnecessary autoloaded data
If it turns out that an old or uninstalled plugin has left behind a lot of data, it can be removed manually:
Delete a specific option:
DELETE FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'NAME_DER_OPTION' AND autoload = 'yes';
Changing the autoload value so that the option doesn’t load automatically:
UPDATE wp_options SET autoload = 'no' WHERE option_name = 'NAME_DER_OPTION';
⚠️ Attention:
Before making any changes to the database, a backup should always be made!
3. Automatic cleanup with a plugin
If you’re not familiar with SQL, there are several plugins that can help:
- WP-Optimize
- Advanced Database Cleaner
- Autoload Optimizer
These plugins identify unnecessary autoloaded data and enable secure deletion with just a few clicks.
Conclusion
Autoloaded data can speed up WordPress, but if too much unnecessary data is loaded, it can degrade performance. Regular analysis and cleaning of the wp_optionstable can make the website run faster and more efficiently.
If you’re not sure what data can be deleted, it’s a good idea to create a backup and proceed step by step.
Autoloaded Data in WordPress: What Is It and How Can It Cause Problems in 2024?
