WP Image Optimizer

v1.3 — Convert & serve next-gen images (WebP & AVIF) automatically, without breaking any existing site links.

A free, lightweight WordPress plugin to convert and compress existing images (JPG/PNG) to WebP or AVIF — without breaking any existing site links.

How It Works

Instead of replacing image files, the plugin:

1. Generates a .webp (or .avif) copy of each image alongside the original.
2. Injects .htaccess rewrite rules in the uploads folder:
   • If a browser supports WebP/AVIF (via the Accept header), requests to .jpg / .png URLs are transparently served the converted file.
   • If the browser doesn't support it, the original file is served — no broken links, ever.
3. Optionally auto-converts images on upload.

Features

• ✅ Convert existing uploads (bulk) or on-upload automatically
• ✅ Choose WebP or AVIF output
• ✅ Configurable quality (1–100)
• ✅ Zero broken links — original URLs kept, served via .htaccess rewrite
• ✅ Works with GD or Imagick, with manual method selector
• ✅ Supported file extensions selector (JPG, PNG, GIF)
• ✅ Excluded directories with live preview
• ✅ Extra features: Strip EXIF, Remove if larger
• ✅ Expandable file tree with per-folder image counts
• ✅ Nginx config generator
• ✅ WP-CLI support
• ✅ Clean admin UI under Media → Image Optimizer

Requirements

• WordPress 5.8+
• PHP 7.4+
• Apache with mod_rewrite enabled (for the redirect magic)
• GD with WebP/AVIF support or Imagick

Installation

1. Clone or download this repo
2. Upload the folder to /wp-content/plugins/
3. Activate in Plugins
4. Go to Media → Image Optimizer and configure

Changelog

v1.3

• Fixed: Start Bulk Convert button was submitting the settings form instead of triggering bulk conversion (missing type="button" attribute)

v1.2

• Added conversion method selector (Auto / Imagick / GD) with live availability indicators
• Added supported file extensions toggle (JPG, PNG, GIF)
• Added excluded directories with live fragment preview
• Added extra features: Strip EXIF metadata, Remove if larger than original
• Added expandable file tree with per-folder total / converted / pending counts
• Added class-wpio-folder-tree.php — recursive folder tree builder

v1.1

• Initial public release
• Bulk & auto-convert on upload
• WebP & AVIF support
• Background queue via WP-Cron
• Image backup & restore
• Nginx config generator
• WP-CLI commands
• Media Library column with per-image status

Roadmap

• Nginx rewrite rule support
• Per-image conversion status in Media Library
• WP-CLI bulk conversion command
• Image backup/restore before conversion
• Conversion method selector (Imagick / GD / Auto)
• Excluded directories
• File tree with per-folder image counts
• 🚧 Server-side image optimization (coming soon)
• REST API endpoint for headless WordPress use

License

GPL-2.0+