About this plugin
Perxel Image Optimizer converts your WordPress media library to WebP locally,
on your own server, and serves it – entirely from an admin page, built for shared
hosting.
- No third party. Conversion runs in PHP via WP_Image_Editor (GD/Imagick).
Nothing is uploaded to a CDN or an external optimization service, and there is
no API key, account or paid tier. Your images never leave your host.
- Free. The whole plugin, no upsell.
- Runs in the background. A light scan estimates the work, then a background
job (Action Scheduler) converts the library newest-to-oldest, one calendar
month at a time. Pause, resume, cancel, close the tab – progress is durable.
Optional email report when a run finishes.
- Or run it Fast. An opt-in mode that drives the conversion from the open
admin tab, so the server works continuously – much quicker on shared hosting
with no cron. It throttles itself if the host pushes back, and stopping never
loses work.
- Your JPEG and PNG files stay. foo.jpg gets a foo.jpg.webp sibling;
the conversion never modifies the source file.
- Image size limit. New uploads are scaled down to a maximum size (1920 px
by default, adjustable), and the unused full-size original WordPress keeps
beside a scaled upload is deleted to save disk space (can be turned off).
“Shrink existing images” does the same once for images uploaded before.
- Serving through a managed.htaccess block on Apache/LiteSpeed, with an
htaccess is not writable.
- Per-attachment Convert / Reconvert / Remove buttons in the Media library.
- New uploads are converted automatically, shortly after upload.
- WP-CLI commands ( wp perxel-image ) for running it over SSH.
The admin area is two screens under Media > Optimization: an Optimization page (scan
→ prepare → live monitor) and a separate Settings page (environment,
conversion options, serving, notifications, cleanup).