Offload Optimally PDF, DOCX, and MP3 Hosting

Even if they aren’t stated, there will always be constraints when it comes to hosting. There is no such thing as an endless amount of disk space or bandwidth. Certain hosts may advertise it this way but subsequently suspend your account or charge overage costs as a result. We don’t agree with this strategy, and at GreggHosting we make our plan constraints very obvious. Today, we’ll teach you how to offload PDF, DOCX, and MP3 hosting so you don’t have to worry about it interfering with your main WordPress server. It can also help you save money by reducing bandwidth and disk space requirements.

Offloading Storage of PDF, DOCX, and MP3s
The first issue that many sites with a high number of PDF, DOCX, or MP3 files face is that they take up a lot of space on the server. Unlike with optimizing photos, MP3 files cannot always be reduced to smaller file sizes. This can soon deplete your current hosting plan, prompting you to upgrade. A common MP3 file might be as large as 3 MB. Let’s imagine you have 1,000 MP3 files on your site, which may not seem like a lot. That’s 3 GB in and of itself. There are numerous approaches to this, but we’ll discuss one that has shown to be effective for our clients at GreggHosting

Add-On for GreggHosting Disk Space
We provide a disk space add-on in the MyGreggHosting dashboard if you’re a GreggHosting user who likes a convenient solution that doesn’t involve setting up an external provider. Additional disk space is available in 20 GB increments for $1 per GB. The disk space add-on is also fully compatible with the GreggHosting  CDN and our dashboard analytics.

Important: All forms of video files (avi, mp4, mpeg, mpg, webm, mov, etc.) must be hosted elsewhere if you utilize GreggHosting. YouTube/Vimeo are frequently recommended, but they aren’t your only option. If you’d rather offload media to a third-party service, see our Amazon S3 and Google Cloud Storage integration guidelines below!

In My GreggHosting, enable the disk space add-on.
Offloading Storage to Amazon S3 is a great way to save money.
You must first offload the storage somewhere else so that it does not consume disk space on your origin server (WordPress host). Integrating with a service like Amazon S3 is one of the simplest methods to do this. It functions similarly to a web host, but with less expensive bandwidth and storage. This is typically used for large sites that require more backups or provide enormous files (downloads, software, videos, games). Amazon has a long history of being dependable, and their vast infrastructure allows them to provide extremely affordable storage charges. Netflix, Airbnb, SmugMug, Nasdaq, and other companies are among S3’s clients.

Check out our in-depth WordPress and Amazon S3 integration guide. Once the files have been offloaded to S3, you can enable the option to remove them from the local server. This can significantly minimize the amount of disk space required by your WordPress host.

Files are removed from the local server.
Remove files from a local host using Amazon S3.
Storage can be moved to Google Cloud Storage.
This method might also be used with WordPress and Google Cloud Storage. Use Google Cloud Storage to serve media files directly, use it as a backup, or even connect it to a CDN. To save disk space, the locally stored files are automatically removed.

Google Cloud Storage for WordPress
Google Cloud Storage for WordPress
CDN-based caching of PDF, DOCX, and MP3 files
Another option is that you have sufficient disk space with your hosting provider, but your issue is just excessive bandwidth usage. In this instance, you can use a content delivery network to offload and cache the delivery of your PDF, DOCX, and MP3 files (CDN). Read our detailed explanation of why you should use a WordPress CDN. You might also combine the following strategy with the above-mentioned offloading storage option.

WordPress hosting like GreggHosting cache your content as well, however caching on a CDN is usually more reliable when it comes to upgrading your site and emptying the cache for development or testing. Assets cached on a CDN aren’t supposed to be removed frequently because that’s how they provide your stuff faster. Caching on a CDN can assist in preventing your host from being overwhelmed by traffic spikes while also lowering your bandwidth bills. The last thing you want is for something to go viral, leaving you with a huge expense.

Now is the time to subscribe.
We’ve discovered that CDNs can offload up to 70% of traffic on average.

How to Use Cloudflare to Cache PDF, DOCX, and MP3 Files
Cloudflare is a popular CDN among WordPress users, owing to its free plan and extensive network. If you’re a GraggHosting customer, you may use Cloudflare’s CDN without needing to create a Cloudflare account or create custom rules. All you have to do is enable GreggHosting CDN in My GreggHosting, which is completely free. If you have any issues with caching of PDF or DOCX files on your site after enabling GreggHosting CDN, our Support staff is accessible 24/7 and delighted to assist.

Here are some helpful guides to get you started if you’re not a GreggHosting customer and want to set up your own Cloudflare account:

What is Cloudflare and How Do I Install It?
How to Use Cloudflare with Amazon S3
Cloudflare APO for WordPress: How to Set It Up
Cloudflare caches PDF and DOCX files by default. To cache MP3 files, however, you must set up page rules on your WordPress site.

Do you have issues with downtime with WordPress? GreggHosting is a web hosting service that saves you time! Take a look at our highlights.
Create a Page Rule in Cloudflare
Log in to Cloudflare and select “Page Rules” to create a page rule. Then select “Create Page Rule” from the drop-down menu.