What is HeartBeat WordPress?
HeartBeat is a service API that serves to provide real time information and synchronize data on servers and dashboards.
Heartbeat WordPress API uses /wp-admin/admin-ajak.php to run AJAX from a web browser. But this can send too many requests to admin-ajax.php which can increase CPU usage, which can cause server overload.
To solve this, we can try optimizing the WordPress Hearbeat API by installing the Hearbeat Control plugin.
What do you need?
To start the steps in this tutorial, make sure:
- Have access to the WordPress admin dashboard
Optimizing WordPress with the WordPress Control API
IMPORTANT - Keep in mind, by default WordPress uses the Heartbeat API to set up post locking so that only one admin can edit a post at a time, and it is also used for auto saving. In addition, the API is used for developer purposes to handle certain tasks.
Here are the steps:
1. Install the Plugin Heartbeat Control
- Please login to the WordPress admin dashboard area
- On the dashboard menu on the left please select the Plugins > Add New menu.
In the search field please type Heartbeat Control, then press Enter.
- After that, please click the Install Now button on the Heartbeat Control plugin.
- After the installation process is complete, don't forget to activate the plugin by pressing Activate Plugin.
2. Configuring the Heartbeat Control Plugin
Once the plugin is installed, you will find the plugin settings under the Settings menu for your WordPress site labeled Heartbeat Control. All configuration options for the plugin are made from this page. Follow the instructions below to learn about the settings and how to change them.
- To get to Settings, make sure you're logged into WordPress Admin. Click Settings, then Heartbeat Control
- You will see the general Settings page for the plugin as per the screenshot above. There are three main settings: WordPress Dashboard, Frontend, and Post editor. By default, all settings are set to allow heartbeats. If you want to disable it, click Disable Heartbeat. Notes: If you disable Heartbeat, make sure you tell users to back up/save their changes periodically when working in the dashboard, Frontend editor, or post editor.
- To change the Heartbeat to a specific frequency, click Modify Heartbeat . You will see a slider bar labeled Override Heartbeat frequency which defaults to 15. Slide the bar to your preferred frequency. Remember that this setting is in seconds. For example, if the bar is at 15, then there is an ajax request every 15 seconds.
- Once you are done making changes to the Heartbeat Control plugin settings, make sure to click the SAVE button at the bottom of the page.
Congratulations! You should now be familiar with the Heartbeat Control plugin.