Anti-Cache Kit vs Transient Cleaner

Anti-Cache Kit is a development tool for WordPress developers and designers who need to bypass all caching and optimization mechanisms during development, testing, or troubleshooting. Development tool only. Do not leave active on production sites. Key features Cache and optimization management Automatically detects, flushes, and deactivates 20+ cache plugins Removes cache drop-ins (object-cache.php) so caches that keep working through a drop-in actually stop Deactivates optimization plugins that interfere with debugging (Perfmatters, FlyingPress, WP Asset CleanUp, and more) Never deactivates Query Monitor, the debugging tool you need while troubleshooting Clears object cache (Redis, Memcached) and OPcache Clears hosting-specific caches (SiteGround, Cloudflare, Kinsta, and Varnish on demand) Prevents browser caching for administrators Server-level cache prevention Injects .htaccess rules via the WordPress markers API, no backup file needed Disables SiteGround cache via environment variables Sets no-cache, no-store headers at server level for all visitors Disables ETags and mod_expires to prevent conditional caching Sends CDN/proxy bypass headers (X-Accel-Expires, Surrogate-Control) Detects nginx and Caddy and skips rules that would not apply there, offering an equivalent nginx snippet to copy instead Cleanly removes only its own rules on deactivation, leaving the rest of .htaccess untouched Debug mode activation Enables WP_DEBUG, WP_DEBUG_LOG, and SCRIPT_DEBUG (errors go to wp-content/debug.log) Sets WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY to false so errors are logged, not shown on screen Disables WordPress cache (WP_CACHE = false) Comments out conflicting definitions with visible markers instead of deleting them Wraps its own definitions in markers and reverts them on deactivation, preserving any WP_DEBUG, WP_CACHE or SCRIPT_DEBUG you had set yourself Modifies wp-config.php with the WordPress Filesystem API, validates the result before writing, and never keeps a copy of your credentials on disk Maintenance mode Optional status page for non-logged visitors Quick toggle from admin bar Customizable via filter hook Self-contained output with aggressive cache prevention headers (503, no-store, Surrogate-Control) Safety and environment Detects production sites with wp_get_environment_type() and shows a dismissible warning, plus a red dot in the admin bar Status panel reflects the real state: debug constants, server rules, detected environment, and whether wp-config.php is writable Removes its options and any leftover backup directory from older versions on uninstall Supported cache plugins WP Rocket W3 Total Cache WP Super Cache WP Fastest Cache LiteSpeed Cache SiteGround Optimizer WP Optimize Hummingbird (WPMU DEV) Breeze (Cloudways) Autoptimize Cache Enabler Surge Redis Object Cache Powered Cache Comet Cache Swift Performance Nginx Helper NitroPack SpinupWP Docket Cache Object Cache Pro Supported optimization plugins Perfmatters FlyingPress WP Asset CleanUp Object Cache 4 Everyone DietPress (WPO Tweaks) Clearfy Cache EWWW Image Optimizer ShortPixel Image Optimizer Supported hosting caches SiteGround (via .htaccess environment variables and plugin API) Cloudflare (both new and legacy namespaces) Kinsta Varnish (opt-in, best-effort PURGE/BAN when detected) Generic hosting cache systems Developer Information Hooks and Filters ayudawp_anticache_maintenance_data – Filter to customize maintenance page data (heading, status, message, retry) ayudawp_anticache_cache_plugins – Filter to modify the list of supported cache and optimization plugins ayudawp_anticache_purge_varnish – Filter to force the opt-in Varnish purge on or off (return true or false) Constants AYUDAWP_ANTICACHE_VERSION – Plugin version AYUDAWP_ANTICACHE_PLUGIN_DIR – Plugin directory path AYUDAWP_ANTICACHE_PLUGIN_URL – Plugin directory URL AYUDAWP_ANTICACHE_PLUGIN_BASENAME – Plugin basename for hooks Code examples Customize maintenance page: add_filter( 'ayudawp_anticache_maintenance_data', function( $data ) { $data['heading'] = 'My Site Name'; $data['status'] = 'Updating...'; $data['message'] = 'We are deploying a new version. Back in a few minutes.'; return $data; } ); Add a custom cache plugin: add_filter( 'ayudawp_anticache_cache_plugins', function( $plugins ) { $plugins['my-cache/my-cache.php'] = array( 'name' => 'My Cache Plugin', 'type' => 'cache', ); return $plugins; } ); Support Need private support or custom development? Do you need one-on-one help, priority troubleshooting, or a custom feature, integration, or tweak built specifically for your site? I offer private support and custom development. Just contact me and tell me what you need. Need help or have suggestions? Official website WordPress support forum YouTube channel Documentation and tutorials Love the plugin? Please leave us a 5-star review and help spread the word! About AyudaWP We are specialists in WordPress security, SEO, and performance optimization plugins. We create tools that solve real problems for WordPress site owners while maintaining the highest coding standards and accessibility requirements.

Clean expired transients from your options table. The original and best! Transient housekeeping was added to the core of WordPress after version 5.8. However, I have decided to open up this plugin to all versions to allow for manual transient cleaning. Longer term I am working on a new version of the plugin, designed specifically for all WordPress releases. Tested up to PHP 8.2 Fully complies with WordPress coding standards Compliant with the stronger WordPress VIP coding standards, as well as compatibility with their platform Community plugin – visit the Github page to get involved with the latest code development, request enhancements and report issues “Transients are a simple and standardized way of storing cached data in the WordPress database temporarily by giving it a custom name and a timeframe after which it will expire and be deleted.” Unfortunately, expired transients only get deleted when you attempt to access them. If you don’t access the transient then, even though it’s expired, WordPress will not remove it. This is a known “issue” but due to reasons, which are explained in the FAQ, this has not been adequately resolved. Why is this a problem? Transients are often used by plugins to “cache” data (my own plugins included). Because of this it means that expired data can be left and build up, resulting in a bloated database table. Meantime, this plugin is the hero that you’ve been waiting for. Simply activate the plugin, sit back and enjoy a much cleaner, smaller options table. It also adds the additional recommendation that after a database upgrade all transients will be cleared down. The Settings Screen Within Administration -> Tools -> Transients an options screen exists allowing you to tweak when you’d like cleaning to happen, including the ability to perform an ad-hoc run, and when you’d like the to be automatically scheduled. You can even request an optimization of the options table to give your system a real “pep”! Running in Lite mode A “lite” mode is available. By activating this the options screen will no longer appear and default settings will be used. The advantage? Improved performance to Admin and, especially if you’re running multi-site, no chance of anybody “tinkering” with the settings. To activate, use the following… define( 'TC_LITE', true ); This should be added to your wp-config.php file. Using hooks If you’re the type of odd person who likes to code for WordPress (really?) then I’ve added a couple of hooks so you can call our rather neat cleaning functions… housekeep_transients – this will clear down any expired transients clear_all_transients – this will remove any and all transients, expired or otherwise Acknowledgements I’d like to thank WordPress Developer Andrew Nacin for his early discussion on this. Also, I’d like to acknowledge the useful article at Everybody Staze for ensuring the proposed solution made sense, and W-Shadow.com for the cleaning code. Iconography is courtesy of the very talented Janki Rathod.