Heartbeat API Control in Super Page Cache
Super Page Cache includes a Heartbeat API Control feature that lets you reduce or switch off the background activity WordPress generates while you and your visitors use your site. This guide explains what the WordPress Heartbeat API is, why you might want to control it, and how to choose the right setting for your site.
What is the WordPress Heartbeat API?
The Heartbeat API is a built-in WordPress feature that lets your browser and your server "check in" with each other at regular intervals while a page is open. Think of it as a steady pulse running in the background.
WordPress uses this pulse for several helpful things:
- Autosave — automatically saving your draft while you write a post or page.
- Post locking — warning you when another user is already editing the same post, so two people don't overwrite each other's work.
- Session and login warnings — letting you know when your login session is about to expire.
- Live dashboard updates — refreshing certain information in real time, in the admin area and on some pages.
Each "pulse" is a small request sent to your server. On their own these requests are tiny, but they repeat constantly for every open browser tab. On busy sites, sites with many logged-in users, or budget/shared hosting plans, all of this background activity can add up and put unnecessary load on your server.
Why control the Heartbeat?
Controlling the Heartbeat can help you:
- Reduce server load and CPU usage, especially on shared hosting.
- Avoid hitting hosting limits on the number of background requests your site is allowed to make.
- Improve overall performance by cutting out activity you may not need.
Because the Heartbeat powers some genuinely useful features, Super Page Cache gives you fine-grained control instead of a single on/off switch. You can decide exactly where the Heartbeat runs and how often.
Where to find the setting
You'll find these options in your WordPress admin under:
Super Page Cache → Settings → Advanced tab → Heartbeat API Control
The three areas you can control
Super Page Cache lets you control the Heartbeat separately in three different areas of your site. This is useful because each area has different needs — you might want to keep the Heartbeat fully active where you're editing, but slow it down or turn it off elsewhere.
1. Heartbeat API in admin dashboard
This controls the Heartbeat on the general WordPress admin screens — your dashboard, plugin pages, settings pages, and so on — except the post editor (which has its own setting below).
2. Heartbeat API in post editor
This controls the Heartbeat while you're editing posts and pages. This is the area most closely tied to autosave and post locking, so it deserves extra thought before you change it (see the warning further down).
3. Heartbeat API on frontend
This controls the Heartbeat on the public-facing part of your site — the pages your visitors see. Most sites don't rely on the Heartbeat on the frontend, so this is often the safest place to reduce or disable it.
The three modes
For each of the three areas above, you can choose one of three modes:
Default
Leaves the Heartbeat running exactly as WordPress normally would. Nothing changes. Choose this if you're happy with WordPress's standard behavior in that area, or if you're not sure and want to play it safe.
Reduced
Keeps the Heartbeat running but slows it down so it checks in much less often (roughly once every two minutes instead of every few seconds). This is a great middle-ground option: you still get autosave, post locking, and other features — just less frequently — while cutting down significantly on background requests.
For most people, Reduced is the recommended starting point when you want better performance without losing functionality.
Disabled
Turns the Heartbeat off completely in that area. This gives you the biggest reduction in background activity, but it also switches off the features that depend on it.
Important: what happens when you disable the post editor Heartbeat
The post editor is the one place where disabling the Heartbeat has noticeable side effects. When you set the post editor area to Disabled, you also turn off:
- Autosave — your drafts will no longer be saved automatically as you type. You'll need to save your work manually.
- Post locking — WordPress will no longer warn you when someone else is editing the same post at the same time.
On a single-author site where you save regularly, this may be perfectly fine. But on sites with multiple authors or editors, disabling the post editor Heartbeat can lead to lost work or people accidentally overwriting each other's changes. If that describes your site, consider using Reduced instead of Disabled for the post editor.
Recommended settings
There's no single "correct" configuration — it depends on your site. Here are some sensible starting points:
| Your situation | Admin dashboard | Post editor | Frontend |
|---|---|---|---|
| You just want a safe performance boost | Reduced | Reduced | Disabled |
| Single-author site, hosting is struggling | Reduced | Reduced | Disabled |
| Multi-author site (protect autosave & locking) | Reduced | Default or Reduced | Disabled |
| You're not sure / want zero risk | Default | Default | Default |
After changing these settings, your site will continue to work normally — you're simply adjusting how much background activity happens. If you ever notice something behaving unexpectedly (for example, drafts not autosaving), switch the relevant area back to Reduced or Default.
Quick summary
- The Heartbeat API is WordPress's background "pulse" that powers autosave, post locking, and live updates.
- It can create unnecessary server load, especially on busy sites or shared hosting.
- Super Page Cache lets you control it separately in the admin dashboard, the post editor, and the frontend.
- For each area you can choose Default (no change), Reduced (slower, recommended), or Disabled (off).
- Be cautious about disabling the post editor Heartbeat, as it turns off autosave and post locking.