Here are some notes and comments on the topic. Additional entries will be added as new points of interest or issues arise that are deemed worth sharing.
Disable SiteGround Caching
Since SiteGround persists in caching resources even while I’m logged in, thereby interfering with my development work, I prefer to disable its caching entirely and utilize a third-party plugin for caching purposes.
You can disable the cache by adding the following lines in your website’s htaccess file:
<IfModule mod_headers.c>
Header set Cache-Control "private"
</IfModule>
Once you save the changes to the htaccess file you need to purge the Dynamic cache only once from Site Tools > Speed > Caching > Dynamic Cache > Flush Cache.
Learn more: https://world.siteground.com/kb/disable-dynamic-caching-website/
SiteGround Forced Caching Issues Using WP Staging Plugin
- Utilized WP Staging plugin for cloning WordPress projects within a SiteGround shared hosting account; clones are copied to a new folder in the root directory of the source project.
- Clones, somewhat concealed, do not appear in SiteGround’s SuperCacher tool but are still cached without an option to disable.
- Needed to select „Disable all“ in SuperCacher settings to manually clear the cache for the clone after each file modification.
- Support indicated no method to fully disable SuperCacher on shared hosting accounts, despite its previous inconveniences.
- Workaround: Creating a subdomain for the staging site’s root folder makes the project recognizable to the system, allowing it to be added to SuperCacher’s WordPress installations list and enabling static caching to be disabled.
- Additional steps for staging site setup now include subdomain creation, WordPress URL updates, and SSL certificate installation for the staging site.
- An existing wildcard certificate doesn’t apply since SiteGround’s wildcard certificates only cover installations directly in the public_html folder, not deeper directories like those created by WP Staging.