---
title: Cache block.settings in a variable
description: >-
  Assign block.settings to a variable instead of accessing it repeatedly to
  reduce server-side rendering overhead, especially when iterating over section
  blocks in a loop.
source_url:
  html: >-
    https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/best-practices/performance/assign-block-settings-to-variable
  md: >-
    https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/best-practices/performance/assign-block-settings-to-variable.md
api_name: liquid
---

# Cache block.​settings in a variable

Assign [`block.settings`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/objects/block#block-settings) to a variable instead of accessing it repeatedly in Liquid.

***

## Why

There's a performance cost to accessing the [`block.settings`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/objects/block#block-settings) object each time it appears in a template. Liquid must resolve the property chain (`block`, then `settings`, then the specific key) on every access. We're working to improve this, but caching it in a variable with [`assign`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/tags/assign) is a reliable optimization today.

The cost multiplies inside loops. Consider a section with 20 blocks, each referencing 5 settings properties. That's 20 × 5 = 100 `block.settings` lookups per page render. Assigning `block.settings` to a variable at the top of each iteration changes the math: 20 `assign` operations and 100 fast variable reads. Variable reads are cheaper than the full property-chain resolution.

This optimization applies equally to [`section.settings`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/objects/section#section-settings) when a section accesses its own settings many times.

***

## How

At the top of a block loop iteration, or at the top of a section that accesses `section.settings` many times, assign the settings object to a descriptive variable and reference that variable throughout:

```liquid
{%- assign block_settings = block.settings -%}
```

***

## Examples

### Block settings accessed multiple times

Less performant:

```liquid
<h2>{{ block.settings.title }}</h2>
<p>{{ block.settings.text }}</p>
<a href="{{ block.settings.link_url }}">{{ block.settings.link_text }}</a>
{% if block.settings.show_image and block.settings.image != blank %}
  {{ block.settings.image | image_url: width: 600 | image_tag: loading: 'lazy' }}
{% endif %}
```

More performant:

```liquid
{%- assign block_settings = block.settings -%}
<h2>{{ block_settings.title }}</h2>
<p>{{ block_settings.text }}</p>
<a href="{{ block_settings.link_url }}">{{ block_settings.link_text }}</a>
{% if block_settings.show_image and block_settings.image != blank %}
  {{ block_settings.image | image_url: width: 600 | image_tag: loading: 'lazy' }}
{% endif %}
```

### Inside a for loop iterating over section.​blocks

This is where the optimization has the most impact. Each iteration avoids repeated property-chain resolution:

```liquid
{%- for block in section.blocks -%}
  {%- assign block_settings = block.settings -%}
  <div class="slide" {{ block.shopify_attributes }}>
    {% if block_settings.image != blank %}
      {{ block_settings.image
        | image_url: width: 800
        | image_tag:
            loading: 'lazy',
            widths: '400, 600, 800',
            sizes: '(min-width: 768px) 50vw, 100vw',
            alt: block_settings.image_alt
      }}
    {% endif %}


    <div class="slide__content">
      {% if block_settings.heading != blank %}
        <h2>{{ block_settings.heading }}</h2>
      {% endif %}


      {% if block_settings.subheading != blank %}
        <p>{{ block_settings.subheading }}</p>
      {% endif %}


      {% if block_settings.button_label != blank %}
        <a href="{{ block_settings.button_url }}" class="button">
          {{ block_settings.button_label }}
        </a>
      {% endif %}
    </div>
  </div>
{%- endfor -%}
```

In this example, each iteration accesses block settings 9 times. With 20 blocks, that's 180 accesses. The `assign` at the top of each iteration turns those into 20 assigns and 180 fast variable reads instead of 180 full property-chain lookups.

### Section settings accessed many times

The same pattern applies to `section.settings` when a section accesses its own settings repeatedly:

```liquid
{%- assign section_settings = section.settings -%}


<section class="hero {% if section_settings.full_width %}hero--full{% endif %}">
  {% if section_settings.image != blank %}
    {{ section_settings.image
      | image_url: width: 1600
      | image_tag:
          loading: 'eager',
          fetchpriority: 'high',
          widths: '600, 900, 1200, 1600',
          sizes: '100vw'
    }}
  {% endif %}
  <h1>{{ section_settings.heading }}</h1>
  <p>{{ section_settings.subheading }}</p>
  {% if section_settings.button_label != blank %}
    <a href="{{ section_settings.button_url }}" class="button">{{ section_settings.button_label }}</a>
  {% endif %}
</section>
```

***

## Testing

* Use the [Theme Inspector](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/tools/theme-inspector) Chrome extension to measure per-section and per-block Liquid rendering time. Compare timings before and after applying the pattern.
* Compare TTFB in the [Chrome DevTools Network panel](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/devtools/network) before and after applying this pattern. Filter to the document request and check the **Waiting for server response** time.
* The impact is most visible on pages with many sections or blocks: homepages with slideshow sections, FAQ sections with many items, and any section that iterates over `section.blocks`.

***

## References

* [`assign`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/tags/assign) tag
* [`block.settings`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/objects/block#block-settings)
* [`section.settings`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/objects/section#section-settings)
* [`for`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/tags/for) tag
* [`section.blocks`](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/liquid/objects/section#section-blocks)
* [Debugging common causes for slow loading in Shopify Liquid storefronts](https://performance.shopify.com/blogs/blog/debugging-common-causes-for-slow-loading-in-shopify-liquid-storefronts)
* [Avoid deeply nested Liquid loops](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/best-practices/performance/avoid-deeply-nested-liquid-loops)
* [Move operations outside loops](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/best-practices/performance/move-operations-outside-loops)
* [Avoid repetitive filter calls](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/best-practices/performance/avoid-repetitive-filter-calls)

***