Caching Compatibility
Page caching can interfere with the age gate if not configured correctly. This guide explains which caching solutions work, which don't, and how to configure them.
How the Age Gate Interacts with Caching
The age gate relies on the MU plugin (xyz-age-gate-redirect.php) running PHP code on every page load to check:
- Whether the visitor is from an age-gated region (Cloudflare headers)
- Whether the visitor has a valid verification cookie
- Whether the visitor is logged in
Page caching works by serving a static HTML file instead of running PHP. If a cached page is served, the MU plugin never runs, and the age gate is bypassed.
Compatible Cache Plugins
The following cache plugins work correctly with the age gate because they respect the standard WordPress loading order, where MU plugins execute before the cache serves content:
W3 Total Cache
Compatible with proper configuration.
Required setup:
- Go to Performance > Page Cache > Advanced.
- Add
age-gate to the "Never cache the following pages" list.
- Under "Rejected cookies," add
xyz_verified — this ensures that page cache varies by the verification cookie.
WP Super Cache/JetPack Boost
Compatible with proper configuration.
Required setup:
- Go to Settings > WP Super Cache > Advanced.
- Add
/age-gate/ to the "Rejected URL Strings" list.
LiteSpeed Cache
Untested Possibly compatible with proper configuration.
Other Cache Plugins
Most cache plugins that use the standard WordPress object cache or page cache mechanism will work as long as you exclude the /age-gate/ page from caching. Check your cache plugin's documentation for how to exclude specific URLs.
Incompatible: WP Rocket
WP Rocket is NOT compatible with this plugin.
Why It Doesn't Work
WP Rocket uses a advanced-cache.php drop-in that serves cached pages before WordPress loads — including before MU plugins. This means:
- A visitor from an age-gated region visits your site.
- WP Rocket intercepts the request and serves a cached HTML page.
- The MU plugin never runs.
- The visitor sees your content without age verification.
Why "Never Cache Cookies" Doesn't Help
WP Rocket's "Never cache pages for these cookies" setting does the opposite of what's needed. It prevents caching for visitors who have the cookie — meaning verified visitors get uncached (slower) pages, while unverified visitors (who lack the cookie) continue to get the cached page that bypasses the age gate.
No Workaround Available
There is currently no way to make WP Rocket compatible with this plugin. WP Rocket would need to add a feature to conditionally serve cached pages based on cookie absence (serve cached only when the verification cookie is present), which is the reverse of their current cookie-based exclusion logic.
If you are currently using WP Rocket and need age verification, you will need to switch to a compatible caching solution. We have verified that our WordPress age verification plugin is compatible with WP Super Cache in Simple mode. JetPack Boost and W3 Total Cache are also compatible. We have not tested with LiteSpeed yet but assume LiteSpeed is not compatible because it's capable of serving pages before WordPress loads.
General Cache Configuration Rules
Regardless of which cache plugin you use:
Always exclude /age-gate/ from caching. The age gate page must be dynamically generated on every request so the verification interface works correctly.
Consider cookie-based cache variation. If your cache plugin supports it, vary the cache by the xyz_verified cookie. This ensures that verified and unverified visitors see different cached versions (or that unverified visitors are never served cached pages).
Test after configuring. Use Test Mode with an incognito window to verify that the age gate activates correctly with your cache plugin enabled.
Object Cache / Database Cache
Object caches (Redis, Memcached) and database query caches do NOT interfere with the age gate. These cache database queries and computed values, not full page HTML. They are fully compatible.
CDN Caching
If you use Cloudflare's CDN cache (or another CDN), ensure that HTML pages are not being cached at the CDN level for age-gated content. By default, Cloudflare does not cache HTML pages (its cf-cache-status header shows DYNAMIC for HTML), so this is usually not an issue. If you've added page rules to cache everything, add an exception for your age-gated paths.
Next Steps
