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How to Reduce PHP and WordPress CPU Usage

Your server's CPU usage is related to the total amount of traffic your apps receive and how CPU-intensive your apps are.

If you regularly have high CPU load (for example, your CPU usage is frequently above 80 percent for multiple seconds at a time), the best solution may be to use a more powerful server.

However, if upgrading your server is not an option, there are a few ways you can lower CPU usage.

1. Use the newest version of PHP you can. PHP 7.0 uses less CPU than PHP 5.6, which uses less CPU than PHP 5.5, which uses less CPU than PHP 5.4.
2. Disable any WordPress plugins you don't need. Some WordPress plugins use a huge amount of CPU.
3. Do not disable PHP's opcache. The entire purpose of the opcache is to use memory to save CPU and speed up your apps.