Nginx Cache
by Till Krüss · Performance
Also makes 4 other plugins · 609.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Purge the Nginx cache (FastCGI, Proxy, uWSGI) automatically when content changes or manually within WordPress.
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
B 82/100
no flags
Active installs
8K+
≈9K estimated
Momentum
+12%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “purge” and “cache” for “nginx cache” and “cache purge”. “purge” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “nginx cache” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “cache” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #17. “cache purge” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
82 health vs 69 average across 1,808 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.4%
of downloads still active
At least 8K of 332.4K lifetime downloads are still running, above 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.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 181 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 24 reviews, smoothed to 4.26★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
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.
28
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.8
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| nginx your tag | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| fastcgi your tag | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| fastcgi cache | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| nginx cache | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| flush your tag | #8 | #6 | down 2 |
| cache your tag | #17 | #15 | down 1 |
| purge your tag | #24 | #17 | down 1 |
| proxy | #20 | #17 | down 3 |
| purge cache | #15 | #12 | down 1 |
| flush cache | #9 | #8 | down 1 |
| cache purge | #16 | #12 | down 3 |
| manually | #24 | #23 | down 4 |
| wordpress cache | #21 | #21 | 0 |
| no cache | #16 | #15 | down 2 |
| cache plugin | #24 | #21 | down 3 |
23 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 15 listed. 8 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “purge” and “cache” for “nginx cache” and “cache purge”. “purge” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “nginx cache” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “cache” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #17. “cache purge” sits at #16 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 12.8K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
6mo ago
latest release · v1.0.8 · 4 May 2026
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 “8K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band yesterday and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 9K.
Install history since 12 Apr 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ E-Liquids UK2.1y ago
Another outstanding plugin from same developer who created Redis Object Cache Pro! The plugin is lightweight and effective for purging nginx cache, teaming this plugin with “syncthing” allows us to clear our caches across multiple servers in the pool. It’s part of our core. This topic was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by E-Liquids UK.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ imissit2.5y ago
Best plugin I’ve ever come across. Does the job, for free, asks nothing in return, and is insanely minimal. Till is a legend.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ keysuck3.0y ago
This plugin is the ONLY one that actually purges FastCGI cache without any impact to the website.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Chinmay Rajyaguru4.3y ago
Easy to use, and Handy tool
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Gulshan Kumar4.3y ago
Doesn’t purge Hindi encoded URL permalink
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wudesign4.8y ago
I have tried almost every cache plugin for WordPress during 10 years, many of them are very lightweight (which I prefer) such as WP Super Cache, Fastest Cache, Comet Cache, Cache Enabler… they are all great and work well. (Other cache plugins like WP Rocket, Swift Performance, W3 Total Cache, Litespeed LS cache, Nitropack are too bloated imo.) After some years I learned that actually if you have Nginx servers, and enable the FastCGI cache… you don’t need to use any “old-fashioned” cache plugins! Immediately I was addicted to this setup… launch $5 LEMP cloud server and enable FastCGI cache in my Nginx config, and fantastic performance with no more worrying about bloated plugins and errors with cache plugins. The problem? How to clear my Nginx cache? I was deleting the cache folder in my SSH window every time and super annoying. I discovered the EasyEngine plugin called Nginx Helper, it was fantastic! However, some of the settings did not require in my situation so I looked more. After that I finally found Mr. Till’s Nginx Cache plugin and very lightweight… This plugin is what I use now, very easy and no bloat. I can use this plugin for all LEMP script like WordOps, SlickStack, and Webinoly and everything in my entire server is free open source software. Great work! And your Redis Cache plugin too, a perfect match.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ andreorion6.2y ago
For those who do not know, it is necessary to enter linux to empty the cache with a command. This plugin, which looks silly, saves a lot of time. Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sim Architect6.2y ago
Can’t believe my eyes! I have been using SSH to flush my cache manually each time I update anything on my site, tried several plugins, tried to recompile NGINX a bunch of times as well, no success (and unable to afford NGINX Plus) for almost a year! Installed your plugin today, August 12, 2020, on the latest WordPress 5.5 and it works!!!!!!!! Thank you so very much 🤩
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.0.8 Support NGINX_CACHE_PATH constant 1.0.8
- — Version 1.0.7 Support newer versions of Nginx in validate_dirlist() 1.0.7
- — Version 1.0.6 Fixed rare issue in validate_dirlist() 1.0.6
- — Version 1.0.5 Added nginx_cache_zone_purged action 1.0.5
- — Version 1.0.4 Improved translatable strings Fixed auto-purge bug Fixed bug when validating directory 1.0.4
- — Version 1.0.3 Create cache directory if it doesn’t exists Re-create cache directory after cache purge Allow post types to be excluded from triggering a cache purge 1.0.3
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 10 languages, 6 at 90% or more
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.
Share of voice
How often each assistant names Nginx Cache when asked about this topic, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 25 Oct 2026.
- Assistants
- ChatGPT, Claude
- Topics tracked
- Caching
Readme readiness
2 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 "Purge the Nginx cache (FastCGI, Proxy, uWSGI) automatically when content changes or manually within WordPress."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! 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 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 308 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "flush" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-31 9K+ → 8K+ down after 4 days in tier
- 2026-10-27 10K+ → 9K+ down after 2024 days in tier
- 2021-04-12 9K+ → 10K+ up after 351 days in tier
- 2020-04-26 7K+ → 9K+ up after 139 days in tier
- 2019-12-09 6K+ → 7K+ up after 183 days in tier
- 2019-06-09 2K+ → 6K+ up after 696 days in tier
- 2017-07-13 800+ → 2K+ up after 128 days in tier
- 2017-03-07 700+ → 800+ up after 22 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).
-
Hestia Nginx Cache 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 4 shared tags A -
Proxy Cache Purge 50K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags A - S Server-Side Cache AutoPurge 10K+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B
-
Purge Varnish Cache 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags B -
Varnish/Nginx Proxy Caching 600+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags D -
Cleavr Clear Cache 300+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Nginx Cache into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/nginx-cache" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Nginx Cache — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Nginx Cache: 8K+ active installs, 4.6★ (24 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/nginx-cache
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