Skip to main content
ModPageSpeed 2.0 and mod_pagespeed 1.1 — Now available

mod_pagespeed alternative

mod_pagespeed is Google's open-source web optimization module — image optimization, CSS and JS minification, critical CSS injection — first released in 2010 and shipped as Apache (mod_pagespeed) and Nginx (ngx_pagespeed) modules. Google donated the project to the Apache Software Foundation in 2017; the Apache Incubator podling retired in 2023, and the repositories were marked read-only on GitHub in 2025.

Try ModPageSpeed 2.0 — 14 days free See pricing

The repository still exists, read-only, at apache/incubator-pagespeed-mod. The 1.13.35.2 binaries still install, still build, and still serve pages. They also haven't received a security patch in years, don't build against newer Apache releases, don't emit Core Web Vitals telemetry, and don't ship AVIF.

If you're searching for "mod_pagespeed alternative", you have two actively-maintained successors: ModPageSpeed 2.0 and mod_pagespeed 1.1.

A short history

Year Event
2010Google releases mod_pagespeed for Apache
2013Nginx port released as ngx_pagespeed
2017Google donates the project to the Apache Software Foundation; active Google development ends
2020Final 1.13.35.2 release
2023Apache Incubator podling retires
2025GitHub repositories marked read-only
2026 Active continuations: ModPageSpeed 2.0 (rewrite) and mod_pagespeed 1.1 (lineage continuation)

We-Amp B.V. — founded by mod_pagespeed maintainer Otto van der Schaaf — develops both continuations. The open-source history on we-amp.com has the longer version of how the project changed hands.

Why people are looking for an alternative

The archived 1.13.35.2 binaries still run, but the cost is accumulating:

  • No security patches in years. Unpatched dependencies (libpng, libwebp, libjpeg, ICU) carry known CVEs (e.g. libwebp CVE-2023-4863).
  • No build against newer Apache releases. Builds against current Apache trunk fail.
  • No Core Web Vitals tooling. LCP and INP signals are missing from the filter set.
  • No modern image formats. AVIF support never landed.
  • Toolchain rot. Bazel pre-2.x, glibc constraints, and pinned Python 2 in the build scripts.

ModPageSpeed 2.0 — the rewrite

ModPageSpeed 2.0 is a from-scratch rewrite designed for nginx and container-native deployment. A separate worker process reads originals from a shared cache, generates up to 36 variants per asset (WebP, AVIF, viewport sizes, pixel densities, save-data), and writes them back. Nginx serves cache hits via zero-copy mmap.

Different architecture, same optimization libraries that mod_pagespeed proved at scale. 

# nginx with Docker Compose
curl -fsSL https://get.modpagespeed.com | sh

Read the docs · Try the 14-day trial

mod_pagespeed 1.1 — the lineage continuation

mod_pagespeed 1.1 continues the original codebase. Same configuration syntax, same filters, same admin console. New: CVE patches, modern toolchain, AVIF, Cyclone Cache, Apache 2.4+, nginx 1.30, IIS, and Envoy ports.

If you have a 1.13.35.2 deployment and want a security-patched drop-in, this is the path. 

# nginx
load_module modules/ngx_pagespeed.so;
pagespeed on;
pagespeed FileCachePath /var/cache/ngx_pagespeed;
# Apache
LoadModule pagespeed_module modules/mod_pagespeed.so
ModPagespeed on
ModPagespeedFileCachePath /var/cache/mod_pagespeed

mod_pagespeed 1.1 docs · Package repositories (packages.modpagespeed.com)

2.0 or 1.1 — which one

Use caseChoose
New nginx deployment, want modern architecture ModPageSpeed 2.0
Existing mod_pagespeed 1.13.35.2 deployment, want a drop-in security upgrade mod_pagespeed 1.1
Apache, IIS, or Envoy servermod_pagespeed 1.1
ASP.NET Core application WeAmp.PageSpeed NuGet middleware (uses the 1.1 core)
Want WebP + AVIF + critical CSS + variant-aware caching out of the box ModPageSpeed 2.0

Migration

The 1.1 configuration syntax is the same as 1.13.35.2 — most installs are a package swap. For 2.0, configuration is intentionally minimal and migration is a re-architecture rather than a drop-in. See getting started for the 2.0 install path, and the deeper comparison for choosing between the two.

Frequently asked questions

Is mod_pagespeed deprecated?

Yes. Google handed mod_pagespeed to the Apache Software Foundation in 2017. The Apache Incubator podling retired in 2023, and the repositories were marked read-only on GitHub in 2025. The 1.13.35.2 binaries still install but have not received security patches in years.

What happened to mod_pagespeed?

Google moved on after the 2017 donation to the Apache Incubator. We-Amp shipped the final 1.13.35.2 release. The repository at apache/incubator-pagespeed-mod is now read-only.

What is the modern replacement for mod_pagespeed?

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).

Can I still use mod_pagespeed 1.13.35.2?

It still runs. It also has no security patches in years, doesn't build against newer Apache releases, has no AVIF, and a build toolchain that wants Bazel 0.x and Python 2. If your threat model accepts unpatched dependencies, you can keep running it.

Should I choose ModPageSpeed 2.0 or mod_pagespeed 1.1?

Pick 1.1 if you have an existing pagespeed-style configuration you want to keep working. Pick 2.0 if you're starting fresh, or if AVIF, variant-aware caching, and zero-copy serving are worth a re-architecture.

Try one

Related