Caching on WP Engine

WP Engine includes a powerful built-in caching system called EverCache. It stores ready-made copies of your pages so they load faster for every visitor. Understanding how it works helps you know when to clear it, and why you sometimes see stale content after making updates.

What is caching?

When a visitor loads a page on your WordPress site, the server normally:

Runs PHP code
Queries the database for your content
Assembles the page
Sends it to the visitor

This takes time, especially for complex pages. Caching skips most of this by storing a pre-built copy of the page and serving that instead. The result is much faster page loads.

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.

How EverCache works

WP Engine's EverCache works at the server level, outside WordPress. WP Engine builds many of the features caching plugins offer into its servers, and says its approach is more efficient than those plugins.

EverCache:

Automatically caches pages when they're first loaded.
Serves cached versions to subsequent visitors.
Refreshes cached pages on its own: by default, a cached page expires after 10 minutes.
Has default rules that bypass caching for logged-in users and dynamic content (like WooCommerce cart pages).

When to clear the cache manually

Cached pages expire on their own after 10 minutes by default, so a content change often appears without you doing anything. When a change still isn't showing, clear the cache yourself:

After a major design change that isn't showing up for visitors
After updating plugin settings that affect page output
After changing server-side configurations
If a visitor reports seeing outdated content

How to clear the WP Engine cache

WP Engine adds its own WP Engine menu to WordPress. From the WordPress admin:

Log in to WordPress admin.

Click WP Engine in the WordPress sidebar, then select Caching.

Click Clear All Caches.

Wait a few seconds, then reload your site to confirm the updated content is showing.

Pages that are never cached

By default, WP Engine bypasses the cache for pages including:

The WordPress admin area and login page
Pages viewed by logged-in users (anyone with a WordPress login cookie)
Pages named cart, checkout, check-out or store
A few extra WooCommerce pages, such as the lost-password page, when WooCommerce is installed

This means your experience as a logged-in site editor may not reflect what visitors see. Always check your site in an incognito/private browser window to see the cached version that visitors experience.

Common questions

Why does my site look different when I'm logged in vs when I'm not?

Logged-in users bypass the cache and see uncached pages, which may look slightly different (loading time, minor visual differences). The cached version is what your visitors see. Check it in a private browser window.

Can I disable caching for specific pages?

Yes, within limits. WP Engine's support team adds custom cache exclusions for specific pages, and you can see any existing ones on the environment's Cache page in the User Portal. Caching can't be switched off for a whole site or its homepage. Contact us if you need specific pages excluded from caching.

Does clearing cache slow down my site temporarily?

Yes, for a time. After clearing, the next visitor to each page triggers a fresh cache build. WP Engine says your site will be slower until the pages are cached again.

Do I need a separate caching plugin on WP Engine?

No. Caching is built into WP Engine's servers, and WP Engine disallows caching plugins that clash with it, including W3 Total Cache, WP File Cache and WP Super Cache. We don't install additional caching plugins on WP Engine sites.

Learn more

WP Engine: server and browser cachingwpengine.com