APC Object Cache Backend
by Mark Jaquith · Performance
Also makes 28 other plugins · 165K+ installs across the portfolio →
APC Object Cache provides a persistent memory-based backend for the WordPress object cache. APC must be available on your PHP install.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
D 50/100
Stale · Likely abandoned
Active installs
10+
≈15 estimated
Momentum
-51%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Under-ranked on “apc”. wp.org puts you #22; on merit you place #12. The plugins above you are winning on install count, not on rating or upkeep.
50 health vs 69 average across 1,808 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.0%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 36.3K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,103 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Performance plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 6+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 3.5.2, well behind 6.8.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 2372 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 3.5.2; the current branch is 6.8
5.0★ over 14 reviews, smoothed to 4.30★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 2372 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| apc your tag | #22 | #12 | 0 |
| backend your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| cache your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| object cache your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| performance your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
2 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Under-ranked on “apc”. wp.org puts you #22; on merit you place #12. The plugins above you are winning on install count, not on rating or upkeep.
- “backend”, “cache” and “object cache” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 189 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,100 to #45,000, alongside the other plugins at 10+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
6.5y ago
latest release · v2.0.7 · 4 May 2020
9
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 15 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 15 Mar 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Grzegorz.Janoszka9.2y ago
It reduces the number of sql queries by about half and thus reduces the server load. Highly recommended if you have the correct PHP APC modules.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Vinyl Roads10.8y ago
Easy to install. Boost website (APC totally eliminates the time of retrieving the file from disk and the time spent compiling).
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Gregory11.5y ago
Monstrous WP code works like an agile site after installing this plugin! 🙂 I run APC and this plugin on all my sites. Essential plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ JS Morisset12.0y ago
I run APC and this plugin on all my sites. js.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Jigoshop Support - Paul12.3y ago
Very good plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ General Seed12.9y ago
Works fine, thanks for it Merry Christmas
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Anonymous13.3y ago
Easy to install, and really powerfull.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Cormac Bracken13.3y ago
Simple and problem-free!
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.4.1
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
4 of 8 pass · checked 27 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "APC Object Cache provides a persistent memory-based backend for the WordPress object cache. APC must be ava..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 646 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "performance" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-07-25 20+ → 10+ down after 185 days in tier
- 2025-01-21 30+ → 20+ down after 548 days in tier
- 2023-07-23 40+ → 30+ down after 103 days in tier
- 2023-04-11 30+ → 40+ up after 6 days in tier
- 2023-04-05 40+ → 30+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2023-03-30 30+ → 40+ up after 13 days in tier
- 2023-03-17 40+ → 30+ down after 140 days in tier
- 2022-10-28 50+ → 40+ down after 23 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Docket Cache – Object Cache Accelerator 20K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
SQLite Object Cache 10K+ installs · 4.8★ · 3 shared tags A -
WP Super Cache 1M+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
Redis Object Cache 500K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
Breeze Cache 300K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for APC Object Cache Backend into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/apc" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="APC Object Cache Backend — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> APC Object Cache Backend: 10+ active installs, 5.0★ (14 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/apc
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