Image Optimization Plugins Move the Work to the Edge
Local batch compression is giving way to on-the-fly transforms. That is faster for editors and weirder for anyone who likes files on disk.
by Riley Cho·May 16, 2026·0 Comments
The old ritual — upload, wait, watch a progress bar rewrite uploads — is fading. Edge transforms serve WebP or AVIF without a second copy in wp-content.
The catch is lock-in. If the CDN goes dark, your srcset may go with it. Keep originals. Know the off-ramp.
Editors will not miss the batch job. Sysadmins should still ask where the bytes live.
