Really Simple Cache
A *very* lightweight simple cache plugin for WordPress.
by UnicornPanel.net · github.com/unicornpanel/really-simple-cache · website
Install
No release zip yet. The repository archive installs, but the folder name will carry the branch suffix and updates will not flow:
wp plugin install https://github.com/unicornpanel/really-simple-cache/archive/refs/heads/main.zipA blazing-fast, lightweight, file-based cache plugin for WordPress designed to dramatically reduce page load times without complicated settings or bloated features.
🚀 Overview
Really Simple Cache creates static HTML files of your WordPress pages and serves them directly to visitors. It also includes optional CSS/JS optimization, local Gravatar caching, and local Google/Bunny font storage.
No setup, no confusing options, no ads. Just enable and go.
✨ Features
- ⚡ Ultra-lightweight — minimal code, no fluff
- 📁 File-based page caching (HTML output) for maximum compatibility
- 🧹 Automatic cache invalidation on post/comment/menu/theme/customizer updates
- 🎯 Host+scheme aware cache keys to prevent cross-domain cache collisions
- 🧱 Atomic cache writes to reduce partial-file race conditions under load
- 🎛️ Settings UI under
Settings > RS Cachewith modern toggle controls - 🧭 WP Admin Toolbar shortcuts under
Cache:Clear AllClear This PageSettings(opensSettings > RS Cache)
- 🔗 Combine CSS Files toggle
- 🔗 Combine JS Files toggle
- 👤 Store Gravatar Avatars Locally toggle
- 🔤 Store Bunny/Google Fonts Locally toggle
- 🚫 Logged-in bypass — page cache and output optimizations are skipped for logged-in users
- 🧠 Zero-configuration defaults — works immediately, with optional advanced controls
- 📝 MIT License — use it commercially or modify freely
📦 Installation
-
Download or clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/UnicornPanel/Really-Simple-Cache.git -
Upload the folder into:
/wp-content/plugins/ -
Log in to WordPress Admin → Plugins
-
Activate Really Simple Cache
That’s it! Caching begins immediately.
🔧 How It Works
- Guest users receive page caching and output optimization (based on toggles).
- Logged-in users bypass page caching and output optimization.
- On first guest page load, the plugin generates and stores a static HTML version.
- Subsequent visits deliver that file directly from disk until TTL expiry (default: 1 hour).
- The plugin also purges cache files after common content/config changes.
- Same-domain CSS/JS can be minified or combined (configurable).
- Gravatar avatars can be cached locally (configurable).
- Google/Bunny font localization is non-blocking:
- first request keeps remote font URLs
- a background task downloads/localizes font CSS and font files
- page cache is purged so future cached pages use local font URLs
- if a local font file exists but is past local TTL, the plugin checks remote
Last-Modifiedand reuses the local file when the remote file is 7+ days old
Font localization background processing uses WP-Cron.
⚙️ Settings (Settings > RS Cache)
Enable Page CachePage Cache TTL (seconds)Minify HTMLMinify CSSMinify JSDefer ScriptsShow Debug FooterCombine CSS FilesCombine JS FilesStore Gravatar Avatars LocallyStore Bunny and Google Fonts LocallyRemote Asset TTL (seconds)for avatar/font local cache refresh- For local font binaries, stale files may still be reused when origin
Last-Modifiedis older than 7 days
📂 File Locations
Cache files are stored under WordPress uploads:
/wp-content/uploads/really-simple-cache/
Subfolders:
pages/page HTML cachecss/minified CSS assetsjs/minified JS assetsavatars/locally cached Gravatar imagesfonts/css/locally cached Google/Bunny font stylesheetsfonts/files/locally cached font binaries
Removing files in this folder clears cache immediately.
🧪 When You Should Use It
Use this plugin if you want:
✔ A drop-in speed boost for small-to-medium WordPress sites
✔ A low-maintenance caching layer
✔ To reduce PHP processing and database queries
Not recommended for:
✘ Complex dynamic guest experiences without additional bypass rules
✘ Sites requiring per-user or highly personalized cached responses
⚠️ Known Limitations
- HTML minification is intentionally conservative, but theme/plugin-specific markup can still be sensitive.
- Aggressive script deferring can break scripts that rely on immediate execution order.
- Default cookie bypass rules cover common cases (WordPress, WooCommerce, EDD), but custom apps may need extra bypasses using the
rsc_bypass_cookiesfilter. - JS combining intentionally skips scripts with
async,defer,type=\"module\",integrity,crossorigin, andnomodule. - Font localization depends on WP-Cron. If
DISABLE_WP_CRONis enabled, configure a server cron forwp-cron.php.
🛠 Development
Pull requests are welcome!
Guidelines:
- Follow WordPress coding standards
- Keep it lightweight — this plugin’s philosophy is simplicity
- One feature = one PR if possible
📜 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
See the LICENSE file for full details.
⭐ Support the Project
If this plugin helped speed up your site, please give it a ⭐ on GitHub — it helps others discover it and motivates further development.
Happy caching! 🦄