Caching on Kinsta

Kinsta includes a powerful server-level caching system that makes your WordPress site load fast for every visitor. It's built in, requires no plugins, and can be cleared with one click when needed.

How Kinsta caching works

Kinsta runs a full-page cache (Kinsta calls it server caching) on its own servers for every site it hosts. When a visitor loads a page:

Kinsta checks if a cached version exists.
If yes, it serves the cached page instantly, no PHP or database processing needed.
If no, it builds the page, serves it to the visitor, and caches it for next time.

This means the first visitor to a page after a cache clear triggers a fresh build; every visitor after that gets the fast cached version.

Each of these sits at a different point on the same path, and a request travels only as far down as the first layer that already has what it is asking for. Not every site has all of them. You do not need to manage them, but it helps to know they exist.

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Three of the types of caching described above sit at different points on one path: the path a request takes from a visitor down to the content your pages are built from. The fourth, object caching, is not on this path: it works inside the site’s own work, saving the results of database queries so they do not have to be repeated.

Closest to the visitor is the browser cache, which keeps images, stylesheets and fonts on the visitor’s own computer. Next is the CDN cache, which keeps copies of your pages and files in data centers around the world, so content comes from the server closest to the visitor. Then the server-side page cache (a plugin or a hosting tool), which saves a complete HTML copy of each page.

Only when none of those has a copy does the request reach WordPress and the database, which look the page up, fetch the content, run the plugins and assemble the HTML.

Not every site has all of these. There are several layers where caching can happen, and you do not need to manage all of them, but it helps to know they exist.

What Kinsta caches

Kinsta's cache applies to:

Standard public-facing pages and posts
Archives (like blog post lists and category pages)

Kinsta has built-in rules that automatically bypass the cache for:

Logged-in users and the WordPress dashboard
The private pages of a store or membership site: cart, checkout and account pages
Anything else matching the private addresses and cookies Kinsta excludes as standard

This means your experience as a logged-in site editor may differ from what a visitor sees. Always check your site in a private/incognito browser window to see the cached visitor experience.

If a page on your site needs to stay fresh for every visitor (a custom login or account page, for example), Kinsta's support team can add a rule to bypass the cache for it. Ask us if you think you need one.

Checking your cache performance

MyKinsta's Analytics section has a Cache area that shows how many requests were served from the cache (hits) and how many missed or bypassed it, plus the pages that bypass the cache most often. More hits generally means a faster site and less work for the server.

Clearing the cache in MyKinsta

When you make significant changes to your site and want visitors to see them immediately:

Log in to MyKinsta, go to Sites and open your site.

Go to the Caching page in the site navigation.

Find the "Clear all caches" button.

Click it to clear all caches. This purges the server (page) cache, the CDN cache and the edge cache for the entire site.

Reload your website in a fresh incognito/private browser tab to confirm the update is showing. If edge caching is on, allow a few minutes for the clear to reach every location.

Clearing the cache from WordPress

The Kinsta MU plugin, which Kinsta installs on every site it hosts, adds cache-clearing controls directly in WordPress:

Log in to WordPress admin.

Look for the cache link in the top admin toolbar, or open Kinsta Cache in the left-hand admin menu.

Click the toolbar link (Kinsta's guides call it Clear Cache or Clear Caches), or click Clear All Caches on the Kinsta Cache page.

Common questions

Why are my changes not showing up after I save them?

Visitors may be seeing a cached version of the old page. Clear the Kinsta cache and then reload your site in a private browser window. See also my changes aren't showing up.

Do I need a caching plugin on Kinsta?

No. Kinsta handles caching on the server, and as a rule it doesn't allow caching plugins. Try to install one on its banned list and the install is blocked. (Kinsta names WP Rocket as a plugin it used to ban and now partners with.) We don't install separate caching plugins on Kinsta sites.

Does Kinsta cache WooCommerce stores?

Yes. Kinsta has caching rules for standard WooCommerce stores, and it excludes the pages that have to stay live for each shopper: cart, checkout and account pages. A customized store can need extra rules, which Kinsta's support team can add.

How often does the cache automatically refresh?

Cached pages expire on their own after 24 hours by default, and that can be made longer in MyKinsta under Caching > Server Caching > Change cache expiration. Ask us if you want it changed on your site. Updating a post or page should also clear the relevant cached pages automatically, and you can clear the whole cache by hand at any time.

Learn more

Kinsta Docs: Cachingkinsta.com