New Generation Image Formats
AVIF and WebP are file types that load faster than older JPG, PNG, and GIF images. When more modern file types (such as AVIF or WebP) are used for images on a website, the images load faster. This means that the speed of a website can be optimized by choosing the right image type.
Support for new image formats is now available in the latest browser versions.
What is AVIF?
AVIF is an open-source file format that was released in 2019. WordPress has natively supported the AVIF format since version 6.5.
What is WebP?
WebP is an image file format developed by Google and released in 2010. WordPress has also natively supported the WebP format since version 5.8.
Implementing WebP and AVIF Images in WordPress
Support for AVIF and WebP images can be activated with a separate plugin. Support for WebP and AVIF images will soon be available in Seravo's WordPress service, so the plugin will no longer be needed.
In addition to the plugin, a configuration must be made on the HTTP server (nginx) to enable the image formats. Please refer to our developer docs for instructions on how to make the configuration.
Attn! Enabling WebP images in our shadow environment may cause images to break. In this case, we recommend disabling WebP images on the shadow environment side.