How to Setup MaxCDN with W3 Total Cache

As part of the Speed Study on MaxCDN & W3 Total Cache, the following steps were completed to setup MaxCDN with W3 Total Cache…

How to Setup MaxCDN with W3 Total Cache – Step by Step

Steps 1 & 2: First up, we need to get an account setup with MaxCDN. After signing up, click through to Zones and then Create Pull Zone.

Steps 3 to 6: Then enter the Pull Zone details. Steps 3 & 5 are up to you to decide, Step 4 should match your site address. Click Create to kickoff the setup process.

Step 7: You should then see a confirmation message that the zone has been successfully created. Click close to continue.

Steps 8 & 9: [Optional] Setup a custom domain.

W3 Total Cache Settings

Steps 10 & 11: With the Zone now setup in MaxCDN, we head into WordPress and go to the W3 Total Cache settings. Ensure Enable CDN ticked, then choose MaxCDN from the dropdown alongside CDN Type.

Step 12: Then click Save all Settings.

Steps 13 & 14: Now click through to the CDN page within W3TC, then click Authorize.

Steps 15 & 16: Login into MaxCDN and copy the Authorization Key.

Step 17: Paste the Authorization Key and click Validate. If everything worked smoothly, you should see a green message saying the “Key is valid”.

Steps 18 & 19: Paste the CNAME address (shown in the Step 8 & 9 MaxCDN image above) in the box alongside “Replace site’s hostname with”. Then clcik Save all Settings.

Steps 20 & 21: Now it’s time to empty all caches within W3 Total Cache as well as in MaxCDN.

Note: When you try to load your site, it may initially have blank images and look all messed up. I found that after waiting for around 5-10 minutes, everything cleared up and the site loaded normally again.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this tutorial on How to Setup MaxCDN with W3 Total Cache, please feel free to ask in the comments below and I will try my best to answer them 🙂