Resource Cleanup - BoostPro Docs

Remove emoji scripts, oEmbed, jQuery Migrate, query strings, self-pingbacks, and control the Heartbeat API.

Overview

WordPress loads several default scripts, styles, and features that many sites don't need. Each one adds weight to every page load. BoostPro's resource cleanup settings let you selectively remove this overhead to reduce page size and HTTP requests.

These settings are located on the BoostPro → Cleanup tab, under the Asset Cleanup section.

Remove emoji scripts

WordPress includes emoji detection scripts on every page to convert text emoticons into graphical emoji. This adds approximately 16KB of JavaScript, a DNS prefetch to fonts.googleapis.com, and the TinyMCE emoji plugin in the editor.

When enabled, BoostPro removes all three components. Modern browsers handle emoji natively, so this removal has no visible impact on your site.

Disable oEmbed

WordPress includes oEmbed discovery links and embed scripts (~6KB) so other sites can embed your content. Most sites don't need this functionality. Disabling it removes the oEmbed discovery links from your <head> and dequeues the embed script.

Remove jQuery Migrate

jQuery Migrate (~10KB) is a compatibility layer that allows older jQuery code to work with newer versions of jQuery. WordPress loads it by default, but many modern themes and plugins no longer depend on deprecated jQuery APIs.

Caution

Only safe if your theme and plugins don't use deprecated jQuery APIs.

Important

Removing jQuery Migrate can break older themes and plugins that use deprecated jQuery methods. Test on a staging site first. If you see JavaScript errors in your browser console after enabling, disable this setting immediately.

Remove query strings

WordPress appends ?ver= query strings to static asset URLs for cache busting. While useful during development, these query strings can prevent some CDNs and proxies from caching assets effectively. Enabling this strips the version parameter from CSS and JavaScript URLs for better CDN caching.

Disable self-pingbacks

When you link to one of your own posts, WordPress sends a pingback to itself, creating unnecessary database entries and processing overhead. This setting prevents WordPress from pinging its own URLs on internal links.

Limit Heartbeat API

The WordPress Heartbeat API sends AJAX requests at regular intervals to handle auto-saving, post locking (preventing two users from editing the same post), and login session management. By default, it fires every 15 seconds on post editing screens.

Reducing the frequency saves server resources, especially on shared hosting or sites with multiple editors. BoostPro lets you choose from four intervals:

15 seconds — WordPress default
30 seconds — reduces requests by half
60 seconds (recommended) — good balance of responsiveness and resource savings
120 seconds — minimum polling, best for single-author sites

The default when enabled is 60 seconds.

Settings reference

Setting	Default	Estimated savings
Remove Emoji Scripts	Off	~16KB + 1 DNS prefetch
Disable oEmbed	Off	~6KB + discovery links
Remove jQuery Migrate	Off	~10KB
Remove Query Strings	Off	Improved CDN caching
Disable Self-Pingbacks	Off	Reduced DB writes
Limit Heartbeat API	Off (60s when enabled)	Fewer AJAX requests

Tip

Emoji removal and oEmbed are safe for virtually every site. Enable these first for a quick, risk-free reduction in page weight.