Numerous people, who have a car, do not think about the significance that is associated with maintaining the car. You need to know that a regular change of oil, the correct pressure of the tire as well as a tank full of gas is necessary for keeping everything smooth. Similarly, the WordPress database also requires regular maintenance so that it can run fast and can go through limited problems. Moreover, maintenance helps in making it smooth. However, the knowledge that people have and what they constantly do are completely opposite. Majority of the WordPress users do not spend time behind maintaining the database. They rely only on crossed fingers and good luck. You should not be that kind of a person.
You should know that it is not complicated to maintain the WordPress database. While you are choosing to make use of phpAdmin, there are more plugins that are available, which can help in making the maintenance process easier and simpler. In order to get started, you need to have sound knowledge about the best plugins, which have been specially designed in order to make the maintenance process easier and the website faster.
Why is the WordPress database important?
You already know that the website is comprised of three significant components, which include the core files of WordPress, the theme files, and the MySQL database. The core files, as well as the theme files, are definitely significant but they can be replaced, repaired, or easily reinstalled. However, the database can never be replaced. It is unique for each website and with the information that it stores, it becomes even more valuable.
All the pieces of contents that are there on the website are contained in the database. Posts, comments, pages, Meta information, etc., everything is present in the database. The simplest way of emphasizing the significance of the database is by imagining the feelings that you are going to have if all the pages as well as posts that are there on the website, suddenly disappeared.
Limiting the total revisions that are stored in the database is known to play a big role in keeping all the things organized and ensure that the website runs at a proper speed. As time passes, the database is going to accumulate overhead. Excessive overhead will be responsible for slowing down the website. If you optimize or clean it, it is similar to emptying the trash bin.
Given below is a list of the ideal WordPress database plugins.
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions
This unique plug-in is known to get billed as a simple one-click solution for optimizing and cleaning the database. When you install this plug-in, only one menu will be added under the settings option, and it is known as the Optimize DB Options. The setup time is around 30 seconds, and once the setup is complete, the plug-in will run either on a manual basis or a scheduled basis. The various customization options can help in setting the number of revisions for the pages and posts. You can also control the various things that have been mentioned below.
- Deleting the items that are present in the trash.
- Deleting items that are present in spam.
- Deleting the unused tags.
- Deleting the expired transients.
- Maintaining logs of the transactions.
- Selecting schedules, especially if you are interested in optimizing automatically.
- You have the option of choosing the one-click activation from the admin bar, which is present on the top.
WP-Optimize
Although you have the option of downloading this plug-in from the repository of WordPress.org plug-in, you can get support through GitHub or on your email. This is also a unique plug-in, which helps in maintaining the database and you also have the option of setting it to run in an automatic manner.
This plug-in can perform the actions that have been listed below.
- Deleting the post revisions.
- Deleting the auto drafts and the drafts that have been trashed.
- Removing the comments and the spam comments that have been moved to the trash bin.
- Deleting all the unapproved comments.
- Removing the transient options.
- Removing trackbacks.
- Optimizing the database tables.
- Removing the pingbacks.
WP-Sweep
This is one of the most reputed plugins, which has almost 10000 active installations, a support forum that is well maintained, and numerous positive reviews. The plug-in is considered to be unique because you have the option of conveniently sweeping items individually or everything at once. The main categories into which the various maintenance tasks are divided include:
- Comment Sweep
- Post Sweep
- User Sweep
- Term Sweep
- Option Sweep
- Database Sweep
Within all these categories, you will find the various items like the ability to clean the revisions, deleted posts, orphaned items, and drafts. A crucial thing that this plug-in does not have is scheduling to perform the tasks automatically. However, it is definitely a simple and convenient plug-in and concentrates mainly on functionality. You can visit RemoteDBA.com to know more.
WP- DBManager
This plug-in is known to offer functionality, which is different in comparison to the rest of the plugins in the list. As soon as this plug-in has been installed, it is known to create a menu, within the dashboard, which is known as a database. Although this plug-in is known to offer different features, you need to understand that you can end up damaging the database as a result of this plug-in. This is why it is suggested that you use this plug-in with a lot of caution. The features of this plug-in include:
- Optimizing the database.
- Repairing the database tables.
- Backing up the database.
- Deleting the backup of the database.
- Restoring the database.
With this plug-in, you will have the option of scheduling certain important functions that include backup, repairing, and optimizing. One of the most important features that this plug-in has is the capability of maintaining multiple copies of the database. You also have the option of restoring, downloading, or deleting any copy in a convenient manner.
Conclusion
If you want your own website to run smoothly, it is crucial that you maintain your database. Choose any one of the plugins from the list that have been mentioned above and you are definitely going to be a gainer.
