How to Check if a Website Is Using Cache

Caching can make a website faster, but it can also make troubleshooting confusing. If you edit a page and still see the old version, or one visitor sees something different from another, cache is a likely cause.

On TekLan shared hosting, start with the application and Enhance-specific checks below. cPanel cache instructions do not apply to TekLan shared hosting because the control panel is Enhance.

Check in a Private Browser Window

Open the page in a private window or a different browser. If the change appears there, your normal browser cache is likely holding old CSS, JavaScript, images, or redirects.

You can also hard-refresh the page:

• Windows/Linux: Ctrl + F5
• macOS: Cmd + Shift + R

Check WordPress Cache Plugins

If the site runs WordPress, look for caching or optimisation plugins such as WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, W3 Total Cache, Autoptimize, or similar tools.

Clear the plugin cache after changing layouts, menus, CSS, JavaScript, forms, or important page content. If the problem disappears after clearing plugin cache, you have found the active cache layer.

Check CDN Cache

If the site uses Cloudflare or another CDN, purge the CDN cache for the affected URL or asset. A CDN can keep old images, CSS, JavaScript, and sometimes full HTML pages even after the origin website has changed.

When testing, pause or bypass CDN cache temporarily if the CDN dashboard allows it. Turn it back on once the issue is confirmed.

Check Cache Headers

You can inspect headers from a terminal:

curl -I https://example.co.uk

Look for headers such as cache-control, age, expires, etag, or CDN-specific headers. These can show whether the page or asset is being cached and for how long.

Check Static Assets Separately

Sometimes the page HTML updates but the CSS or JavaScript stays old. Open the stylesheet or script URL directly and check whether it shows the latest version.

If the file is old, clear plugin optimisation cache, CDN cache, and browser cache. If the URL has a version string, make sure the version changes after deployment.

Check Enhance Context

Enhance gives you the file manager, logs, PHP tools, and website-level controls, but WordPress page cache usually lives inside WordPress or a CDN rather than in a generic cPanel-style cache area.

Use Enhance to confirm the file was actually updated:

1. Log in to web.teklanhosting.co.uk.
2. Open the website.
3. Go to Files.
4. Check the modified time of the affected file if the change was made at file level.

Do Not Cache These Pages Blindly

• Checkout pages.
• Basket or cart pages.
• Logged-in account pages.
• Admin dashboards.
• Form confirmation pages with one-time tokens.

Troubleshooting Order

1. Check a private browser window.
2. Clear WordPress/plugin cache.
3. Clear CDN cache if one is used.
4. Check headers with curl -I.
5. Confirm the file or content is updated in Enhance.
6. Check logs if the site is generating errors rather than serving stale content.

Related TekLan Posts

Read Website Caching Explained for Beginners, How to Check Website Resource Usage in Enhance, and How to Check Website Error Logs in Enhance.