What is the purpose of the wp-cron.php file? It is responsible for different scheduled tasks, like checking updates, sending notifications, posting scheduled tasks, etc. The problem is that it is run when someone visits the website, which often causes extra resource usage. This is especially important for popular websites, where this process can slow down the website. A solution, as recommended by the WordPress developers, is to disable WP_CRON and create a cPanel cronjob making a web request to the file in the schedule suitable for you.
Please, do the following:
- Open the wp-config.php file for editing and add the following line:
define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true); - Add the following cronjob using the appropriate option in your cPanel:
0 0 * * * php /home/$USER/public_html/wp-cron.php >/dev/null 2>&1
This will run wp-cron.php at midnight.
Please, note that $USER in this example should be replaced by the actual user name of your account (your cPanel login). Also, the actual path to wp-cron.php can be different, since your WordPress website may be installed into a subfolder. If you face any difficulties, please contact support.
Information about cPanel Cron Jobs can be found at https://documentation.cpanel.net/display/ALD/Cron+Jobs