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ModPageSpeed 2.0 and mod_pagespeed 1.1 — Now available

Google PageSpeed Module alternative

If you're searching for "Google PageSpeed Module" or "PageSpeed Module" in 2026, there's a fork-in-the-road moment worth getting right. Two distinct Google products carry the "PageSpeed" name, and they do completely different things.

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WhatStatusWhat it does
PageSpeed Module (mod_pagespeed, ngx_pagespeed) Deprecated (last release 2020) Server-side optimization module that rewrites HTML/CSS/JS/images at request time
PageSpeed Insights (PSI, pagespeed.web.dev) Active Diagnostic web tool that scores a URL on performance, accessibility, SEO

The first one is the deprecated server module. The second one is a diagnostic tool that's still running and still useful. They are not the same product. The module was the fix; PSI tells you whether you need one.

The deprecated module

Google released mod_pagespeed in 2010 as an Apache module. The ngx_pagespeed nginx port followed in 2013. The original landing page lived at developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/module and the code shipped under the Apache 2.0 license.

Google donated the project to the Apache Software Foundation in 2017. The Apache Incubator podling retired in 2023, and the GitHub repositories were marked read-only in 2025. The archived code now lives at apache/incubator-pagespeed-mod.

The archived 1.13.35.2 binaries still install and still run. They also haven't received a security patch in years, don't build against newer Apache releases, don't ship AVIF, and don't emit Core Web Vitals telemetry.

ModPageSpeed 2.0 — the maintained continuation

We-Amp B.V. continues the work. ModPageSpeed 2.0 is a from-scratch rewrite of the PageSpeed Module designed for nginx and container-native deployment. Otto van der Schaaf, who maintained mod_pagespeed during the Google era, develops it.

The optimization libraries that served billions of pages through Google's module are the same ones in 2.0. The architecture around them is new: a separate worker process generates variants asynchronously, and nginx serves cache hits via zero-copy mmap.

For deployments that want a drop-in upgrade to the original Google module, mod_pagespeed 1.1 continues the original codebase with security patches, modern toolchain, AVIF, and Apache 2.4+ support. 

# nginx with Docker Compose
curl -fsSL https://get.modpagespeed.com | sh
# Apache — mod_pagespeed 1.1 drop-in
LoadModule pagespeed_module modules/mod_pagespeed.so
ModPagespeed on

PageSpeed Insights is a different product

pagespeed.web.dev is Google's Lighthouse-powered diagnostic tool. It loads a URL in a headless Chrome, scores it on Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) and a long list of best-practice audits, and returns suggestions.

PSI is not deprecated. It's still actively maintained and still the canonical reference for "does my page pass Core Web Vitals." Use it to identify problems.

PSI tells you the problem, the module fixes it

PSI and ModPageSpeed are complementary, not competing:

PSI (diagnostic)ModPageSpeed (server-side fix)
Reports LCP is 4.2 seconds Inlines critical CSS so first paint happens before non-blocking resources load
Flags "Serve images in next-gen formats" Generates AVIF and WebP variants automatically, served by capability
Flags "Properly size images" Generates viewport-matched variants — 480px for mobile, 1280px for desktop
Flags "Minify CSS/JS" Runs whitespace-collapsing, comment-stripping minifiers in the worker
Flags "Eliminate render-blocking resources" Defers non-critical CSS, inlines what's needed for first paint

The workflow is: PSI scores the page, ModPageSpeed applies the optimizations on the server, PSI re-scores. Repeat until the score plateaus and the remaining items are application-level work the module can't touch (third-party scripts, server response time, JS execution).

Which one fits

You're looking forUse
A server-side optimization module to fix Core Web Vitals ModPageSpeed 2.0 or mod_pagespeed 1.1
To know whether a URL passes Core Web Vitals PageSpeed Insights
BothRun PSI before and after deploying ModPageSpeed

Frequently asked questions

Is the Google PageSpeed Module the same as PageSpeed Insights?

No. The PageSpeed Module (mod_pagespeed / ngx_pagespeed) was a server-side optimization module that rewrote HTML, CSS, JS, and images at request time. PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev) is a diagnostic tool that scores a URL on Core Web Vitals. The first is deprecated; the second is active.

Is the Google PageSpeed Module still maintained?

No. Google donated the project to the Apache Software Foundation in 2017. The Apache Incubator podling retired in 2023, and the GitHub repositories were marked read-only in 2025. The 1.13.35.2 binaries still install but have not received security patches in years.

What replaces the Google PageSpeed Module?

Two actively-maintained continuations from We-Amp: ModPageSpeed 2.0 (a from-scratch rewrite for nginx and container-native deployment) and mod_pagespeed 1.1 (the lineage continuation with the same configuration syntax, plus security patches and AVIF).

Should I still use PageSpeed Insights?

Yes. PSI is still actively maintained and remains the canonical reference for "does my page pass Core Web Vitals." Use it to identify problems; use a server-side module like ModPageSpeed to fix them.

Can ModPageSpeed fix the issues that PageSpeed Insights flags?

Most of the technical ones — yes. ModPageSpeed inlines critical CSS, generates AVIF and WebP variants, viewport-matched image sizes, and minifies CSS/JS. The remaining items PSI flags are typically application-level (third-party scripts, slow server responses, heavy JavaScript) which a server module can't address.

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