How to make Magento faster?

Basic guide on how to optimize Magento for speed.

Magento Admin Changes:

– Enable Cache

1. In the Magento Admin, select System > Cache Management
2. Enable all the Caches

– Combine CSS and JS Files

1. In the Magento Admin, select System > Configuration > Developer
2. Under Javascript Settings, change Merge Javascript Files to YES
3. Under CSS Settings, change Merge CSS Files to YES
4. Clear the cache

– Enable Flat Catalog

1. From the Magento administrator interface , go to System > Configuration > Catalog
2. Under Front-end, change “Use Flat Catalog Category” to YES
3. If desired, under Front-end, change “Use Flat Catalog Product” to YES
4. Clear the cache

– Enable Compilation

1. In the Magento Admin, select System > Tools > Compilation
2. Run the compilation process

NOTE: If you want to add any extensions, turn of compilation first.

Manual File Edits:

– Uncomment the rules under the following sections in the .htaccess file in the root folder where you have Magento installed.

1. enable apache served files compression
2. Add default Expires header
3. If running in cluster environment, uncomment this

Magento Extentions:

– Remove any superfluous Magento extensions installed.

– OPTIONAL: Add in speed enhancing Extensions:
Full Page Cache – A selection of the best Magento full page cache extensions.
Speedster Advanced by Fooman – Minify and combine js and css.

– OPTIONAL: Use Cloudflare

You can test your Magneto shop and get speed information, scores and suggestions at GTmetrix