Description
Brightery Cache King is a standalone full-page cache for public WordPress content. It stores completed anonymous HTML responses as files and reuses them on later visits.
The plugin does not require an account, external service, CDN, Composer package, PHP extension, or another caching plugin.
Main features
- Static HTML cache for public pages, posts, archives, products, and public custom post types.
- Direct static delivery on compatible Apache and LiteSpeed servers.
- Early
advanced-cache.phpdelivery when direct web-server delivery is unavailable. - Generated Nginx configuration guidance for direct static delivery.
- Manual homepage builder and background full-site cache builder.
- Automatic cache invalidation after content and public site structure changes.
- Gzip precompression, ETag, Last-Modified, HEAD, and conditional-request support.
- Separate cache directories per host.
- Integration health checks and repair controls.
Safe by default
Cache King bypasses logged-in sessions, WordPress Admin, login, REST API requests, XML-RPC, Ajax, cron, previews, searches, password-protected content, errors, feeds, authenticated requests, and responses marked private.
WooCommerce cart, checkout, account URLs, and customer-session cookies are excluded by default. Public product and category pages can still be cached.
No off-site data transfer
Cache King stores only HTML already generated for public visitors. It makes local loopback requests to the same WordPress site when you build static pages. It does not send site or visitor data to Brightery or any third party.
Security and privacy
- Administrative actions require the
manage_optionscapability and WordPress nonces. - Cache writes use temporary files and the WordPress filesystem API.
- Cache paths and hosts are validated before filesystem use.
- Cache cleanup remains inside the plugin-owned cache directory and does not follow symbolic links.
- Generated configuration and temporary files are blocked from direct Apache access.
- No analytics, tracking, telemetry, account registration, or off-site API is included.
Screenshots
Installation
- In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin > Upload Plugin.
- Upload
brightery-cache-king.zip. - Activate Brightery Cache King.
- Open Cache King from the WordPress admin menu.
- Review the integration check and use Repair installation if a writable-file step needs to be retried.
- Select Build homepage now or Build all static pages.
- Test the site in a logged-out or private browser window.
Cache King attempts to enable WP_CACHE, install its own advanced-cache.php drop-in, create its cache directory, and add marked Apache or LiteSpeed rules. If a protected file is not writable, the dashboard explains which manual step is required.
For Nginx, copy the generated directives into the existing site configuration, test the configuration, and reload Nginx.
FAQ
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Does Cache King cache WordPress Admin or logged-in pages?
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No. Administrative, authenticated, preview, background, and API requests are bypassed.
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Does it cache WooCommerce carts or customer accounts?
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No. Cart, checkout, account paths, WooCommerce session cookies, and private responses are excluded. Public product and product-category pages can be cached.
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Does it require Redis, Memcached, a CDN, or an external API?
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No. It uses local static files and standard WordPress and PHP functionality.
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Is it literally zero-resource caching?
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No HTTP response can use zero resources. On compatible Apache or LiteSpeed configurations, a cache hit can be served as a static file without starting PHP or WordPress. On Nginx, the generated server rule is required for the same direct-delivery behavior. Without a direct rule, the early drop-in starts minimal PHP and exits before normal WordPress loading.
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Why should I test while logged out?
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Logged-in frontend visits are intentionally bypassed. Use a private browser window or a separate logged-out browser to verify public cache behavior.
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What happens when content changes?
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When automatic purge is enabled, relevant content, comment, taxonomy, menu, theme, plugin, update, or public-setting changes clear the public cache. The homepage is queued for rebuilding, and other pages are rebuilt on their next anonymous visit or when you run the full-site builder.
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Can I run another full-page cache plugin at the same time?
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No. Two full-page caching systems may compete for
advanced-cache.php, rewrite rules, and cache headers. Cache King does not overwrite a drop-in owned by another plugin and reports the conflict in its dashboard. -
What does Cache King Pro add?
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Cache King Pro adds scheduled full-site cache warming. The Free edition already includes manual homepage and full-site building.
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What happens when I deactivate or delete the plugin?
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Deactivation removes Cache King’s generated integration rules, drop-in, and cache files while retaining settings. Deleting the plugin through WordPress also removes its saved settings.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Brightery Cache King” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
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Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.1.2
- Replaced the plugin-managed response output buffer with the WordPress 6.9 template enhancement output buffer.
- Removed the unclosed plugin-managed response buffer lifecycle reported during WordPress.org plugin review.
1.1.1
- Replaced the direct file-handle implementations with compatible cache-file responses.
- Removed manual translation loading; WordPress.org now loads translations automatically.
- Renamed plugin code, hooks, nonces, handles, and generated drop-in identifiers with the unique
brightery_cache_kingprefix. - Corrected the WordPress.org plugin-header metadata.
- Updated filesystem access, request handling, and translation context for Plugin Check compliance.
1.1.0
- Fixed direct Apache homepage caching when plain permalinks are enabled.
- Added signed, cookie-free homepage generation.
- Added a manual background full-site builder for published public content.
- Added homepage cache health and build progress to the dashboard.
- Added generated, site-specific Nginx
try_filesguidance. - Added Apache RewriteBase, HEAD support, warm-request bypass, and Apache 2.4 END handling.
- Preserved login, session, ecommerce, API, preview, and private-response safety bypasses.
1.0.0
- Initial static HTML page-cache release.