Cloudways Best Practices: 10 Actionable Tips to Optimize Your Hosting

Cloudways has become a go-to choice for developers, agencies, and small businesses looking for hassle-free managed cloud hosting. But even the most powerful hosting platform only delivers results if you configure it correctly. Following proven Cloudways best practices can mean the difference between a blazing-fast site that converts and a sluggish, vulnerable one that drives users away.

Whether you’re a total beginner launching your first WordPress site or a seasoned pro managing multiple client projects, these actionable tips will help you get the most out of your Cloudways account. For more related resources, consider linking to our internal guide on choosing the right cloud provider for your site and our Cloudways staging site tutorial (internal linking ideas).

Why Cloudways Best Practices Matter

Cloudways removes the complexity of managing cloud infrastructure like AWS, Google Cloud, and DigitalOcean. But its flexibility means there are dozens of settings to tweak — and small mistakes can add up. As noted by leading hosting authority HostingAdvice, proper server configuration is the top factor in hosting performance. Adopting these best practices helps you:

• Cut page load times by up to 50%
• Reduce the risk of hacks and data loss
• Lower your monthly hosting bill by avoiding unused resources
• Scale seamlessly as your traffic grows

10 Essential Cloudways Best Practices

1. Choose the Right Server Size and Cloud Provider

One of the first Cloudways best practices is selecting a server that matches your traffic needs. Don’t overprovision a high-tier server for a low-traffic blog — you’ll waste money. Conversely, a too-small server will crash during traffic spikes.

Use Cloudways’ built-in traffic estimator during setup, and monitor your server’s CPU, RAM, and storage usage via the dashboard. Switch providers if needed: DigitalOcean is great for small sites, while AWS works better for enterprise-scale projects.

2. Enable Built-In Cloudways Caching

Cloudways includes multiple caching layers: Varnish, Memcached, and Redis, plus Breeze (its WordPress caching plugin). Enable all relevant caching tools for your stack.

For WordPress users, install Breeze and turn on minification for CSS, JS, and HTML. Clear caches regularly after updating themes, plugins, or content to avoid displaying outdated pages.

3. Set Up Automated Backups

Never rely on manual backups. Cloudways lets you schedule automated backups (daily, weekly, or custom) to store copies of your site on the server or external S3 buckets.

Set backups to retain at least 7 days of data, and test restoring a backup once a month to ensure your files aren’t corrupted. This is one of the most overlooked Cloudways best practices, but it’s critical for disaster recovery.

4. Strengthen Login Security

Default server and application logins are easy targets for brute force attacks. Change your default Cloudways dashboard password to a strong, unique one, and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for all team members.

For your hosted applications (like WordPress), change the default admin username from “admin” to a custom one, and install a login limiter plugin to block repeated failed login attempts.

5. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Cloudways integrates seamlessly with Cloudflare, its recommended CDN. Enable Cloudflare via the Cloudways dashboard to serve static assets (images, CSS, JS) from servers closest to your visitors.

This cuts latency for global audiences and reduces load on your origin server. Make sure to purge the CDN cache after updating site content to avoid broken layouts.

6. Monitor Server Resource Usage

Check your Cloudways dashboard’s server monitoring tab weekly. Look for consistent high CPU or RAM usage, which indicates you need to upgrade your server or optimize your site’s code.

Set up email alerts for resource spikes so you can address issues before they cause downtime. This proactive approach is a key part of long-term Cloudways best practices.

7. Keep Applications and Plugins Updated

Outdated themes, plugins, and CMS versions are the #1 cause of site hacks. Enable auto-updates for minor WordPress core updates, and manually update themes and plugins after testing them on a staging site.

Cloudways’ staging feature lets you clone your site to a test environment, make changes, and push them live only when you’re sure they work. This prevents broken live sites from faulty updates.

8. Optimize Images and Media

Large unoptimized images slow down your site even with caching enabled. Use Cloudways’ built-in image optimization (via Breeze for WordPress) or third-party tools like TinyPNG to compress images before uploading.

Enable lazy loading for images so they only load when visitors scroll to them, reducing initial page load times. This is a simple but high-impact Cloudways best practice for media-heavy sites.

9. Restrict Server Access with IP Whitelisting

Limit access to your Cloudways server and application dashboards to trusted IP addresses. Add your office and home IPs to the whitelist in the Cloudways security settings to block unauthorized login attempts.

You can also create separate SSH and SFTP credentials for team members instead of sharing the default root credentials, reducing the risk of accidental misconfigurations.

10. Clean Up Unused Resources Regularly

Delete old staging sites, unused themes and plugins, and expired backups to free up server space. Cloudways charges for storage, so removing unused files can lower your monthly bill.

Review your server’s installed applications quarterly: if you have a test site you no longer use, delete it to reclaim resources. This is one of the easiest Cloudways best practices to implement for cost savings.

Advanced Cloudways Best Practices for Power Users

If you manage multiple sites or high-traffic projects, take these extra steps:

• Use Cloudways’ team collaboration feature to assign role-based access to developers and clients, so no one has more permissions than they need.
• Enable New Relic integration for detailed application performance monitoring, to pinpoint slow database queries or plugin conflicts.
• Set up custom cron jobs for tasks like scheduled post publishing or database cleanups, instead of relying on WordPress’ default cron.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cloudways Best Practices

How often should I update my Cloudways server?

Cloudways automatically handles core server updates, but you should review application (WordPress, Magento, etc.) updates weekly. Use staging sites to test updates before pushing them live.

Can I switch Cloudways server sizes after setup?

Yes, Cloudways lets you vertically scale your server (upgrade RAM, CPU, storage) with zero downtime. You can also switch cloud providers by migrating your site to a new server in the dashboard.

Do I need a CDN if I use Cloudways caching?

Yes. Caching reduces load on your origin server, but a CDN delivers content faster to global visitors by serving files from edge locations. The two work together to maximize site speed.

How do I know if my Cloudways server is too small?

Check your server monitoring dashboard for consistent CPU usage above 70% or RAM usage above 80%. If these spikes last more than a few minutes daily, it’s time to upgrade your server.

Final Thoughts on Cloudways Best Practices

Implementing these Cloudways best practices doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with the top 3: enable caching, set up automated backups, and turn on 2FA. You’ll see immediate improvements in speed and security.

As your site grows, layer in more advanced practices like resource monitoring and IP whitelisting. Small, consistent optimizations will save you time, money, and headaches in the long run.

Ready to optimize your Cloudways hosting? Implement one tip today and share your results in the comments below!