Breeze Plugin: 11 Cloudways Cache Settings Tabs and One-Click Optimization

Test environment CloudwaysLightning stackWordPress 7.1.3Breeze 2.6.1Checked on 2026-10-24

The Breeze plugin is a WordPress caching plugin developed by Cloudways and installed by default when you create a WordPress application on Cloudways. We activated Breeze 2.6.1 on a Cloudways application, opened the 11 tabs of the settings screen one by one, and checked the saved settings and the menus that purge the cache.

In the WordPress.org plugin directory, Breeze has more than 300,000 active installations (checked on October 24, 2026), and the latest version is 2.6.3, released on October 20, 2026. The application we checked had 2.6.1 installed, and the plugin list showed a 2.6.3 update.

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9mn read

1️⃣ The Breeze plugin and Varnish: the two layers of Cloudways caching

On Cloudways, a WordPress application is cached by two things working together: Varnish on the server and the Breeze plugin.

🧩 Breeze and Varnish: the two layers of caching

Explainer diagram

①VarnishServer cacheOn by default on the serverTurned on and off in the application settingsKeeps working even if Breeze is deactivated

②BreezeWordPress cache plugins

🔗 [Auto Purge Varnish] on in the [VARNISH] tabA new post or page is published · a comment is submittedBreeze also purges the Varnish cache automatically

Varnish is a server cache that is on by default on the server and is turned on and off in the application settings, so the Varnish cache keeps working even if you deactivate Breeze.

The two caches are linked through [Auto Purge Varnish] in the [VARNISH] tab. While this setting is on, Breeze also purges the Varnish cache automatically when a new post or page is published or a comment is submitted.

2️⃣ The Breeze settings menu: where the 11 tabs are

Open the Breeze settings from [Settings] › [Breeze] in the left admin menu, or reach the same screen from [Breeze] › [Settings] in the admin bar at the top of the screen. The left side has 11 tabs, from [BASIC OPTIONS] to [FAQs], and on most tabs you have to press [Save Changes] at the bottom for a changed value to be saved.

Breeze settings screen: Settings › Breeze in the left menu, 11 tabs from BASIC OPTIONS to FAQs, and the Optimize Your Site in One Click box at the top — The settings screen and its 11 tabs, opened from [Settings] › [Breeze] in the left admin menu

3️⃣ Basic options: cache system, Gzip and browser cache

On the [BASIC OPTIONS] tab you turn Breeze's basic cache, file compression and browser cache on and off. In the application we checked, [Cache System], [Gzip Compression] and [Browser Cache] were on. [Purge Cache After], which sets how often the internal cache is purged, was 1440 minutes (1 day). [Cache System] creates Breeze's internal cache, and you keep it on.

[Mobile Cache] was off. A responsive theme does not need it, and it only suits sites that use a mobile-only theme or plugin. To use it on Cloudways, you must first turn on [Device Detection] in the application settings.

Breeze settings screen: the BASIC OPTIONS tab with Cache System on, Mobile Cache off, Purge Cache After 1440, Gzip Compression on, Browser Cache on and Lazy Load Images off — The [BASIC OPTIONS] tab of the Breeze settings

4️⃣ File optimization and one-click optimization: comparing the three presets

On the [FILE OPTIMIZATION] tab, only [Cache Full Page HTML] was on, and the minification and combining of HTML, CSS and JS and the JavaScript delay settings were all off. Test the minification settings on a staging site before applying them to a live site.

The [ONE-CLICK OPTIMIZATION] tab turns these settings on all at once in three presets, Standard, Advanced and Expert, and the items in each preset are listed below.

addresses	Recommended on screen for	Items turned on
Standard	Most sites	Gzip Compression, Browser Cache, Lazy Load Images, HTML Minify, CSS Minify, Disable Emoji
Advanced	Modern themes and plugins	All Standard items + lazy loading of iframes and videos, Include Inline CSS, Combine CSS, Preload Links, Host Files Locally (Google Fonts)
Expert	Simple sites and testing	All Advanced items + JS Minify and Include Inline JS, Delay All JavaScript, Host Files Locally (Google Fonts and Gravatar)

Breeze settings screen: the ONE-CLICK OPTIMIZATION tab with three preset cards, Standard, Advanced and Expert, the items each one turns on, and an Enable Optimization button on every card — Each card lists the items it turns on, and the [Enable … Optimization] button below the card applies that preset all at once.

Choose a preset to match your type of site. Even after you apply one, you can undo it with [Restore Previous Settings] on the same tab.

5️⃣ Purging the cache and deactivating Breeze: the admin bar menu and the WP_CACHE line

You purge the cache with [Purge All Cache] in the [Breeze] menu of the admin bar. Under [Purge Modules] you can choose [Purge Varnish Cache], [Purge Internal Cache] and [Purge Object Cache] separately. For an application with Varnish turned on, [Purge Varnish Cache] in the [VARNISH] tab purges the Varnish cache of the whole site immediately.

Breeze screen: the Breeze menu in the admin bar expanded, showing Purge All Cache, Purge Varnish Cache and Purge Internal Cache under Purge Modules, Purge Object Cache, Settings and Support — The [Breeze] menu in the admin bar

Breeze settings screen: the VARNISH tab with Auto Purge Varnish on, Varnish Server 127.0.0.1, the Purge button for Purge Varnish Cache, and the Save Changes button — [Auto Purge Varnish] and [Purge Varnish Cache] in the [VARNISH] tab

Only one cache plugin should be used at a time, and Breeze also shows this notice at the top of the screen when you activate it for the first time. If you are switching to another cache plugin such as WP Rocket, you deactivate Breeze first and then continue.

define( 'WP_CACHE', true );

Activating and deactivating also leave traces in the configuration files. When we activated Breeze, [define( ‘WP_CACHE’, true );] was added on line 2 of [wp-config.php] and [advanced-cache.php] was created. After we deactivated it, only [advanced-cache.php] was deleted, and line 2 remained as [define( ‘WP_CACHE’, false );].

🔢 FAQ & Recommended Content

In the [TOOLS] tab, download the settings as a JSON file with [Export Settings], then upload that file with [Import Settings] on the other site to import it. The largest file you can import is 10MB.

In the [TOOLS] tab, you can choose an earlier version under [Rollback Version]. On the application with 2.6.1 installed, the list showed 2.6.0, 2.5.18, 2.5.17 and 2.5.16.

In the [DATABASE OPTIONS] tab, you choose items such as auto drafts, transients, trashed posts and comments, and post revisions to clean up. A notice at the top of the screen tells you to back up the database before cleaning up.

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