Proxy Cache Purge
by Danila Vershinin · Performance
Also makes 3 other plugins · 50.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
Automatically empty proxy cached content when your site is modified.
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
A 86/100
no flags
Active installs
50K+
≈52K estimated
Momentum
+2%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “cache” for “cache purge”. “cache” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #20. “cache purge” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
86 health vs 69 average across 1,809 Performance plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.1%
of downloads still active
At least 50K of 2.4M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Performance plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,106 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 25 releases 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 62 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8; the current branch is 7.1
4.4★ over 26 reviews, weighted for review count to 4.2★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
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.
41
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
25%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| proxy your tag | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| purge your tag | #2 | #3 | 0 |
| varnish wordpress | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| wordpress varnish | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| varnish your tag | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| cache purge | #4 | #6 | down 2 |
| empty | #4 | #3 | 0 |
| cached | #6 | #17 | 0 |
| modified | #8 | #10 | down 1 |
| nginx your tag | #10 | #15 | up 2 |
| when | #11 | #21 | — |
| purge cache | #5 | #6 | down 1 |
| empty cache | #7 | #16 | down 1 |
| cache your tag | #20 | #16 | down 4 |
| varnish cache | #7 | #7 | 0 |
| cache id | #11 | #12 | 0 |
| object cache | #22 | #17 | down 1 |
| nginx cache | #13 | #14 | down 1 |
| clear cache automatically | #17 | #14 | down 2 |
| site cache | #18 | #19 | 0 |
164 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 143 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “cache” for “cache purge”. “cache” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #20. “cache purge” sits at #4 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 · 1,491 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 80K · 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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
25
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v5.12.3 · 2 Sep 2026
41
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 37% 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 “50K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2 months ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 50K.
At the current install trend, crossing 60K+ in roughly 188 days.
Install history since 1 Jan 2022
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ manuamaro9mo ago
I had lot of problems with cache but this solved them! Thank you.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Skrlance1.5y ago
The plugin simply works even for all types of cache servers. Only one things bothers me about this plugin is its support for PHP 5.6+ where core itself doesn’t support upto php 7.1 while WordPress recommends using PHP 7.4+. So, this plugin should be compatible with PHP 7.4+. Using newer php code is good for security and performance while deprecated codes might produce venerability!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ bandsaw123.2y ago
Spent most of the day working on getting this working with a remote NGINX reverse proxy. The plug-in keeps complaining about no age header in the response. Google seems to suggest that etags and age headers no longer supported in dynamic content with NGINX. Plug-in help is of no help on what header the plug in is expecting to see in order to work. removed. Will have to keep deleting the cache the old manual way. This topic was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by bandsaw12.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ random9q3.6y ago
No complaints, it’s been working perfectly for years. Need it very, very seldom — but when I do need it it works. When I don’t need it? It’s out of the way and doesn’t advertise itself overmuch, like some of the other plugins I’ve used over time.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ senatmedia3.8y ago
ОТЛИЧНО, СПАСИБО ВАМ!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dave Loodts4.2y ago
Thanks for bringing out this plugin! Varnish can be quit “dogged” in it’s caching, this plugin solves it very nicely. 1000% thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ rvry6.6y ago
I host my site on a Dreampress host and I’ve been using this plugin for years with success and I was super comfy given the plugin is “Brought to you DreamHost.” However a couple of weeks ago Dreamhost initiated a migration of my site to another server. Ever since then my site has been really slow when post updates have been performed (ie whenever wp_insert_post() is called). AJAX calls and routines would stall for ~30 seconds. After hours and hours debugging my code (custom plugin) it turns out this plugin caused the problem! When you specify a custom IP, and that IP no longer exists, the plugin stalls presumably because it’s trying to connect to the old specified IP. Suggested improvements: 1) The plugin should detect this and spit out an error (to errors.log or ideally to admin console) if proxy connections are taking too long. I’m guessing it does a check when you first set an IP but perhaps it should do a more regular check. 2) Dreamhost operational processes should be modified given the plugin comes from Dreamhost! If Dreamhost choose to migrate someones site, they should check for the existence of this plugin, and either update the custom ip to suit the new host or perform some alternate remediation before migrating and breaking the site. I trust implementing both of these will go a long way to keeping a site operational and be well received by Dreamhost customers.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lars Portman7.3y ago
Don’tneed anyother catching plugin if it’s setup right! This topic was modified 6 years ago by lars Portman.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 5.12.0 Change: The GetPageSpeed Amplify recommendation links (readme + Check Caching results) now point to the dedicated Varnish monitoring landing page for a more relevant first impression. 5.12.0
- — Version 5.11.1 Security: The manual “Purge Cache (This Page)” action ( vhp_flush_do ) now only purges URLs on this site’s own host, and requires a capability (filter: vhp_manual_purge_capability , default edit_published_posts ) in addi 5.11.1
- — Version 5.11.0 Fix: Async purge queue self-heals from the stuck full-queue state where vhp_process_purge_queue was silently never re-scheduled. Watchdog re-arms a ghost event when the queue is non-empty and vhp_varnish_last_queue_run i 5.11.0
- — Version 5.10.0 New: Recommendation for GetPageSpeed Amplify cache monitoring (readme + Check Caching results). 5.10.0
- — Version 5.9.2 Fix: Corrected @param/@return docblock types on purge_post(), purge_url(), and related methods so they match the values actually passed and returned, removing false IDE and static-analysis warnings (reported by Sjoerd Bo 5.9.2
- — Version 5.9.1 Update: Tested up to WordPress 7.0 Update: Requires PHP bumped from 5.6 to 7.4 to match WordPress 7.0’s PHP floor. Sites on PHP 5.9.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 10 languages, 0 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 Proxy Cache Purge when asked about this topic, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 1 Nov 2026.
- Assistants
- ChatGPT, Claude
- Topics tracked
- Caching
Readme readiness
7 of 8 pass · checked 2 Nov 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 29 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 29 of 29 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("if you run", "if you have", "if you need").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions REST API, WP-CLI, Multisite.
- ✓ Headings and lists 8 headings and 15 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 10,407 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-26 40K+ → 50K+ up after 46 days in tier
- 2026-07-11 50K+ → 40K+ down after 32 days in tier
- 2026-06-09 40K+ → 50K+ up after 950 days in tier
- 2023-11-02 50K+ → 40K+ down after 21 days in tier
- 2023-10-12 60K+ → 50K+ down after 559 days in tier
- 2022-04-01 50K+ → 60K+ up after 121 days in tier
- 2021-12-01 60K+ → 50K+ down after 61 days in tier
- 2021-10-01 50K+ → 60K+ up after 61 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).
-
Varnish/Nginx Proxy Caching 600+ installs · 4.4★ · 4 shared tags D -
Webglobe Purge Cache 90+ installs · 3.6★ · 4 shared tags -
Nginx Cache 8K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags B -
Purge Varnish Cache 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags B -
Hestia Nginx Cache 1K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
Cache Purge Helper 200+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Proxy Cache Purge into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/varnish-http-purge" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Proxy Cache Purge — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Proxy Cache Purge: 50K+ active installs, 4.4★ (26 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-03. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/varnish-http-purge
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