{"id":21854,"date":"2018-07-18T13:01:57","date_gmt":"2018-07-18T11:01:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hetzner.co.za\/help-centre\/uncategorized\/how-to-fix-high-server-load-due-to-wp-cron-php-post-requests\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T10:03:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T08:03:43","slug":"high-server-load-wp-cron-post-requests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xneelo.co.za\/help-centre\/website\/high-server-load-wp-cron-post-requests\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fix high server load due to wp-cron.php POST requests"},"content":{"rendered":"

If your site or server is struggling with high load and you notice many\u00a0wp-cron.php POST<\/strong> requests in the www logs, then the solution is simple: replace the virtual wp-cron with a real cron at your selected schedule.<\/strong><\/p>\n

WordPress has a file called\u00a0wp-cron.php<\/strong>\u00a0that runs every time someone visits your site, which can severely throttle CPU usage and slow down busy sites, as this process only needs to run infrequently. You don\u2019t need to have it running in the background that often, using up valuable\u00a0hosting resources.<\/p>\n

Rather than letting wp-cron slow down your site, it should be disabled and let your system handle scheduled processes in the background \u2014 using a cronjob.<\/p>\n

Disable wp-cron in WordPress<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Use FTP<\/a> to access your server and navigate to the\u00a0public_html<\/strong>\u00a0folder<\/li>\n
  2. Add this line at the bottom of your\u00a0wp-config.php<\/strong> file, just before the section that says \/* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. *\/<\/code>:<\/span>\n
    define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);<\/pre>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    Enable a real cronjob<\/h3>\n
    You can now schedule these wp-crons<\/em> to run once every couple of hours instead, using the\u00a0Cronjob Manager<\/a>\u00a0in konsoleH.<\/p>\n
    \n
      \n
    1. Browse<\/strong>\u00a0to\u00a0konsoleH<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and log in\u00a0at\u00a0Admin or Domain level<\/a><\/li>\n
    2. If Admin level: Select or search for a\u00a0domain name<\/b>\u00a0in the\u00a0Hosting Services<\/b>\u00a0tab<\/li>\n
    3. Select\u00a0Manage Services<\/b>\u00a0from the left-hand menu<\/li>\n
    4. Select\u00a0Cronjob Manager<\/b><\/li>\n
    5. Select\u00a0Add<\/b><\/li>\n
    6. Next to\u00a0Name<\/b>\u00a0you may give your cronjob a name e.g. wp-cron<\/li>\n
    7. Next to\u00a0Job\u00a0<\/b>enter the following:\n
      \/usr\/bin\/php-wrapper \/usr\/www\/users\/ftpuser\/wp-cron.php<\/pre>\n
      where ftpuser<\/em> is your FTP username.<\/li>\n
    8. The\u00a0Status<\/b>\u00a0option allows you to either have the cronjob\u00a0Enabled<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0Disabled.<\/b><\/li>\n
    9. Under\u00a0When<\/b>\u00a0to<\/b>\u00a0execute<\/b>, set the\u00a0time(s)<\/b>\u00a0when the cronjob needs to execute.<\/li>\n
    10. Select\u00a0Save<\/b>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n