WP Plugin: Kitt AWR avif & webp Replacement for LiteSpeed LScache

AVIF (AV1 Image File Format) is a relatively new image format that was developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM), the same consortium behind the AV1 video codec. AVIF is based on the AV1 video compression technology and is designed specifically for encoding high-quality still images.

Here are some reasons why AVIF is considered superior to WebP and other image formats:

• Compression Efficiency: AVIF offers superior compression efficiency compared to WebP and other image formats. It can achieve higher levels of compression while maintaining excellent image quality. This is particularly beneficial for reducing file sizes, which leads to faster loading times on websites and consumes less bandwidth.
• Image Quality: AVIF supports a wide range of color spaces, including HDR (High Dynamic Range), wide color gamut, and deep color. It also supports lossless and lossy compression, allowing for versatile image quality options. AVIF images typically exhibit fewer compression artifacts compared to WebP, resulting in sharper and more detailed images.
• Wide Browser Support: While AVIF is still relatively new, it has gained significant browser support in recent years. Major browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge have added support for AVIF, making it increasingly viable for web usage. However, it's worth noting that full cross-browser support may vary, and fallback options may be necessary for older browsers.
• Future-proofing: AVIF is based on the AV1 video codec, which is an open, royalty-free, and highly efficient compression standard. This ensures that AVIF remains future-proof, with potential for further advancements and optimizations over time. As more devices and platforms adopt AV1, AVIF will likely become even more prevalent.

It's important to mention that while AVIF offers numerous advantages, there may still be specific use cases where WebP or other image formats are more suitable. Factors such as browser support, image content, and compatibility requirements should be considered when choosing the appropriate format.

Overall, AVIF provides an exciting alternative to WebP, delivering superior compression efficiency and image quality. Its adoption is steadily increasing, and it's likely to become a prominent image format for the web and other applications in the future.

The system requirements for using the AWR plugin are actually not very high. With shared hosting, however, there are sometimes restrictions that prevent this. You should therefore check before installing whether your server meets the requirements. At the latest after installation, you will be shown whether your server is suitable for using the AWR plugin. If your server does not meet all the requirements, there are unfortunately no alternatives. Maybe you should change the hosting provider.

• /proc/meminfo must be readable
• sys_getloadavg() PHP Function must be readable
• Imagick() class must exist
• LiteSpeed web server must be installed
• LiteSpeed Cache Plugin must be installed
• /proc/cpuinfo must be readable
• /proc/stat must be readable.

Resources: Can I use webp

Resources: Can I use avif

The AWR plugin comes with a selection of LiteSpeed Hacks. These hacks extend the functionality of the LiteSpeed Cache plugin, optimize functions and, if necessary, unlock functions that are very often disabled on the server side.

• LiteSpeed avif Hack:
  This Hack makes the built-in crawler avif ready. With enabled avif replacement, the crawler can't warmup the cache.
• LiteSpeed Crawler unlock Hack:
  If the crawler has been disabled by Hosting Provider, this Hack bypasses the lock, so that the built-in crawler of the cache plugin can be used.
• LiteSpeed Crawler Speedup Hack:
  With the LiteSpeed Crawler Speedup Hack you benefit from a better performance of the LiteSpeed built-in crawler.
• LiteSpeed Crawler Load Limit Hack I:
  The LiteSpeed Crawler Load Limit Hack I is a replacement function for configuring the server load limit setting. With this hack it is possible to enter decimal numbers instead of only integers.
• LiteSpeed Crawler Load Limit Hack II for Shared Hosting:
  If you have shared hosting, then you cannot use the LiteSpeed Cache Plugin server load limit feature. This feature uses the PHP function sys_getloadavg() to measure the load state, which is also available for shared hosting, but this function measures the load of the entire server. An account-based measurement is not possible on shared hosting and there is no alternative. This means that each value entered is based on the load state of the entire server. If you were to use the default value 1 and your server has e.g. 64 CPU cores, then the crawler's load management would constantly try to bring the load below this value, but the value 1 can never be reached. As a result, the crawler and its speed are constantly slowed down and the crawl time is delayed as much as possible.
• LiteSpeed Crawler configuration helper Hack
  The LiteSpeed built-in crawler has numerous setting options, but only a few users know how to configure the crawler correctly, which often leads to the crawl process being aborted prematurely or not even starting. In addition, a bug in the crawler means that the full potential cannot be used. This hack detects the configuration of the server and determines the correct configuration for each server.
• LiteSpeed VPI & Lazyload Replacement Hack
  This hack is a replacement for the quic.cloud based VPI function of the LiteSpeed cache plugin. With a different way of working than the VPI function, the VPI hack does not need a cron or quic.cloud. Enabling this hack will automatically remove the lazyload attribute in the above-the-fold area, if present. Because all browsers have supported the native lazyload function for several years and Wordpress now uses this native lazyload attribute by default, the lazyload function of the LiteSpeed Cache plugin has become superfluous. By disabling the lazyload function in the cache plugin, less Javascript is required because the native lazyload function does not require Javascript.
• LiteSpeed FetchPriority Hack
  The FetchPriority is a new feature to positively influence the loading behavior of images in the viewport. The fetchPriority property of the HTMLImageElement interface represents a hint given to the browser on how it should prioritize the fetch of the image relative to other images. In order for this hack to run, either the VPI feature of the LiteSpeed cache plugin or the VPI Replacement hack of the AWR plugin must be enabled.
  
  Resources:
  https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/HTMLImageElement/fetchPriority
  https://web.dev/fetch-priority/

Yes! As long as you are content with the webp replacement, the AWR plugin is free. Since the image conversion takes place on your own server, you are independent of quic.cloud with the AWR plugin. The AWR plugin converts your images according to the LiteSpeed Cache plugin.

If you also want to use the avif replacement, a one-off fee will be charged. The avif conversion also takes place on your own server, so you have no follow-up costs. For this one-time payment you get unlimited First Level Support and unlimited updates. Even if we cannot offer you the avif replacement free of charge, you are independent with the avif replacement plugin for WordPress. You therefore need neither an external service nor quic.cloud, so that you also get cost savings with the AWR plugin. In addition, the one-time fee gives you access to the LiteSpeed hacks, which are continuously supplemented by further hacks.

Yes! All relevant functions and their code for image conversion are OpenSource and licensed under the GPL. This does not apply to the update function. The update function is an independent function that is independent of WordPress. The reason why the update function is not OpenSource is that our security is very important to us. Due to OpenSource, security is unfortunately not guaranteed and we hope that you will understand this.

The AWR plugin is installed according to the known scheme. Download the Kitt AWR plugin and install it using the corresponding function in the WordPress backend.

Unfortunately that is not possible. In addition to other requirements, you absolutely need the LiteSpeed web server and an activated LiteSpeed Cache plugin for Wordpress.

All requirements must be met to use the AWR plugin. If this is not the case with your server, you should think about changing your hosting provider, as the necessary requirements are based on the standard that is usually also found with shared hosting.