Varnish Cache is huge in the Magento world. We use it a lot too, for good reason. It’s one of the most powerful ways to make a website load faster. And speed is basically our whole thing at Hypernode.
So what is Varnish Cache, exactly?
What is Varnish Cache?
Varnish Cache is a reverse proxy. It keeps a copy of a page in memory, based on things like the URL and the request method. Next time someone visits, it serves that page straight from memory instead of building it from scratch.
In Magento, this is often called Full Page Cache. That’s not quite the same thing as Varnish itself. Full Page Cache is the feature, and Varnish is the most common way to power it, but either way, the effect is the same: your webshop’s pages stop reloading from zero every single time.
The payoff is big speed gains, and that’s the whole point: a fast webshop for your visitors.
Still sounds a bit abstract? That’s fair. We’ll get into the details, starting with how Varnish actually works.
How does Varnish Cache work?
Varnish stores data in virtual memory. It leaves the actual RAM-vs-disk decision up to the operating system.
Most caching tools store bits and pieces of a page. Varnish is built to store the whole thing, though it can also cache and assemble fragments using something called Edge Side Includes if you need that level of control.
It sits in front of PHP, in front of Magento, basically. So once Magento’s handled a request and the outcome hasn’t changed, Varnish doesn’t bother going back to Magento. It just serves it straight from memory.
You configure Varnish through VCL (Varnish Configuration Language). That’s how you write hooks that plug external code into the app.
VCL then gets converted to C and compiled into a library. That’s how deep the configuration goes.
Benefits of Varnish Cache
The big one is speed. That alone is worth it.
But there’s more:
- Less load on your server, more resilience during traffic spikes
- Can double as a basic load balancer across multiple backend servers
- Flexible config through VCL
- Cheaper to run
- Supported out of the box in Magento 2 (you still have to install and turn it on, though)
Disadvantages of Varnish Cache
It’s not perfect, and nothing really is. There are a few downsides worth knowing:
- Only runs on Unix-based systems
- No SSL support out of the box (Hypernode sorts that out for you)
- Cache invalidation isn’t instant by default, though there are ways to get it close to real time
None of these are dealbreakers. They’re just good to know going in.
Magento 2 & Varnish
Magento ships with two cache options:
- The internal cache
- The external cache (Varnish)
It makes sense that Magento supports Varnish natively; it’s built for exactly this. Varnish runs as its own independent component, sitting between your visitors and the web servers running Magento.
We handle the Varnish install for Magento webshops ourselves. That matters most for big sites, ones with lots of dynamic content, heavy traffic, and personalised elements. Setting up Varnish for those gets complicated fast. And those are exactly the sites that need it most.
Want to configure it yourself instead? Magento’s got solid docs for that.
Varnish HTTP Cache versions
Varnish has been through a lot of versions over the years.
There’s a bigger update, though: in 2026, the open-source project renamed itself to Vinyl Cache, after a trademark dispute with Varnish Software (the commercial company behind the original). That rename landed with the 9.0 release in March 2026.
Varnish Software kept going too, with its own fork that still uses the Varnish name.
So now there are two projects with similar names. That’s worth knowing if you’re digging into docs or changelogs. You’ll find both on GitHub either way.
Varnish and Hypernode
On our servers, you can just switch Varnish Cache on. It’s got a lot going for it, and it makes webshops noticeably faster.
Unlike a lot of hosts, we don’t just flip a generic switch. We configure Varnish specifically for your site, so you actually get the full benefit. Our Magento hosting’s built around that.
Got questions? Just reach out.
Hi! My name is Dion, Account Manager at Hypernode
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