What are the best practices for configuring Gzip compression?

What are the best practices for configuring Gzip compression?

To configure Gzip compression effectively, you should enable it on your web server, set the correct MIME types, and ensure that it is applied to text-based files like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

How do I enable Gzip on Apache?

You can enable Gzip on Apache by adding the following lines to your .htaccess file:

<IfModule mod_deflate.c>
  AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml text/css text/javascript application/javascript
</IfModule>

Are there any downsides to using Gzip?

Yes, while Gzip can significantly reduce file sizes, it may increase CPU usage during compression and decompression, which can impact server performance if not managed properly.

How can I test if Gzip is working on my site?

You can test if Gzip is working by using online tools like GTmetrix or by checking the response headers in your browser's developer tools for 'Content-Encoding: gzip'.