In PrestaShop, cache management is very important for:

• Faster page loading
• Better SEO
• Lower server load
• Improved Core Web Vitals

But wrong cache settings can also cause:

• Changes not appearing
• Broken CSS/JS
• Old templates loading

PrestaShop Cache Types

Main Cache Settings

Go to:

Advanced Parameters → Performance

Smarty Settings

Template Compilation

Development Mode

Force compilation = Yes
Cache = No

Used while developing modules/themes.

Production Mode

Force compilation = No
Cache = Yes

Best for live stores.

Clear Cache

Inside Performance page:

Clear cache button

This removes:

• Smarty cache
• Symfony cache
• Temporary compiled files

Manual Cache Clear

PrestaShop 1.7 / 8 / 9

Delete contents inside:

/var/cache/prod/
/var/cache/dev/

Do NOT delete folders themselves.

Linux command:

rm -rf var/cache/prod/*
rm -rf var/cache/dev/*

Smarty Cache Folders

Older versions may use:

/cache/smarty/cache/
/cache/smarty/compile/

CCC (Combine Compress Cache)

CCC means:

• Combine CSS
• Compress CSS
• Compress JS
• Cache JS

Settings:

When to Disable CCC

Disable temporarily if:

• CSS broken
• JS errors
• Module conflicts
• Debugging layout issues

Symfony Cache (PS 8/9)

Modern PrestaShop uses Symfony framework.

Warm cache command:

php bin/console cache:warmup --env=prod

Clear cache:

php bin/console cache:clear

Enable Debug Mode

File:

/config/defines.inc.php

Change:

define('_PS_MODE_DEV_', true);

Or in newer versions:

APP_DEBUG=1

PHP OPCache

Recommended for production servers.

Benefits:

• Faster PHP execution
• Lower CPU usage

Recommended settings:

opcache.enable=1
opcache.memory_consumption=256
opcache.max_accelerated_files=20000

Cloudflare Cache

If using Cloudflare:

After modifying:

• CSS
• JS
• Theme
• Module templates

Use:

Caching → Purge Cache

Browser Cache

Add in .htaccess:

<IfModule mod_expires.c>
ExpiresActive On
ExpiresByType image/webp "access plus 1 year"
ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 month"
ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 month"
</IfModule>

Redis / Memcached

Advanced stores use:

• Redis
• Memcached

For:

• Sessions
• Object caching
• Faster database access

Good for high-traffic stores.

Common Cache Problems

Recommended Production Settings

Performance Optimisation Tips

• Use WebP images
• Enable GZIP/Brotli
• Use CDN
• Reduce modules
• Avoid heavy homepage sliders
• Optimize database regularly

Official documentation:

PrestaShop Performance Documentation

PrestaShop Official Website