Varnish Cache is an open-source HTTP accelerator designed for content-heavy dynamic websites. It helps speed up your website by caching web pages and reducing the load on your web server. In this guide, we'll walk through the installation of Varnish Cache 6 for both Apache and Nginx on CentOS 8. If you're using a Windows VPS UK or other Windows Virtual Private Server Hosting, the process may vary slightly, but this tutorial focuses on CentOS 8.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have:

• A CentOS 8 server with root access.
• Apache or Nginx installed and running.
• Basic knowledge of the command line.

If you're using a VPS UK Windows, similar configurations can be applied on your server. Windows Server VPS solutions offer dedicated resources, making it easier to handle caching.

Step 1: Update Your System

Start by updating your CentOS 8 system to ensure all packages are up to date:

sudo dnf update -y

Step 2: Install Apache/Nginx

If you don't already have Apache or Nginx installed, you can install one of them using the following commands:

For Apache:

sudo dnf install httpd -y
sudo systemctl start httpd
sudo systemctl enable httpd

For Nginx:

sudo dnf install nginx -y
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Step 3: Install Varnish Cache

To install Varnish Cache 6, we need to add the official Varnish repository to CentOS 8:

sudo dnf install epel-release -y
sudo dnf install https://packagecloud.io/varnishcache/6.0/packages/el/8/varnish-6.0.7-1.el8.x86_64.rpm

Once installed, start and enable the Varnish service:

sudo systemctl start varnish
sudo systemctl enable varnish

Step 4: Configure Varnish for Apache/Nginx

By default, Varnish listens on port 6081, but we need to configure it to listen on port 80 and forward traffic to Apache or Nginx on port 8080.

For Apache:

Edit the Apache configuration file to change the listening port from 80 to 8080:

sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Find the line Listen 80 and change it to:

Listen 8080

Then, restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart httpd

For Nginx:

Modify the Nginx configuration file to listen on port 8080:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Change the listening port:

listen 8080;

Restart Nginx:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 5: Configure Varnish to Listen on Port 80

Now we need to configure Varnish to listen on port 80. Edit the Varnish systemd service file:

sudo nano /usr/lib/systemd/system/varnish.service

Find the line starting with ExecStart and modify it as follows:

ExecStart=/usr/sbin/varnishd -a :80 -T localhost:6082 -f /etc/varnish/default.vcl -s malloc,256m

Reload the systemd daemon and restart Varnish:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart varnish

Step 6: Test Varnish

To verify that Varnish is working correctly, you can use curl to check if the headers are coming from Varnish:

curl -I http://yourdomain.com

You should see a response header like this:

X-Varnish: 1000

Benefits of VPS Hosting for Varnish

Using Windows Virtual Private Servers for hosting Varnish Cache provides dedicated resources for caching and improving website performance. Whether you're on a VPS UK Windows or Windows VPS Hosting UK, running Varnish will drastically reduce load times for your website.

Hosting Varnish Cache on a Windows Server VPS or UK Windows VPS ensures you have the flexibility and power needed to handle high-traffic websites. For users in Italy, Windows VPS Italy is another great option.

Conclusion

Varnish Cache is an excellent solution for accelerating dynamic websites. Whether you're using Apache or Nginx on CentOS 8, Varnish can significantly reduce server load and improve website performance. If you're looking for a reliable and scalable hosting solution, consider Windows Virtual Dedicated Server Hosting for enhanced performance and dedicated resources.