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Server Cache Exclusions

GridPane applies default cache exclusions automatically, but custom exclusions can be added when needed.

Default Exclusions​

Automatically Bypassed​

  • Query strings - Any URL with ?param=value
  • POST requests - Form submissions and data posts
  • Logged-in users - WordPress admin/authenticated sessions

Excluded URIs​

PatternPurpose
/wp-admin/Admin dashboard
/xmlrpc.phpXML-RPC API
*.phpPHP files
/feed/RSS feeds
*sitemap*.xmlSitemaps

WooCommerce/EDD Pages​

  • /cart/
  • /checkout/
  • /my-account/
  • /store*
  • /addons

Cookies That Bypass Cache​

  • wordpress_logged_in
  • wordpress_no_cache
  • wp-postpass
  • comment_author
  • woocommerce_cart_hash
  • woocommerce_items_in_cart
  • edd_items_in_cart

Custom Exclusions​

Add exclusions via Nginx config files:

  • Redis cache: /var/www/site.url/nginx/custom-skip-redis-cache-context.conf
  • FastCGI cache: /var/www/site.url/nginx/custom-skip-fcgi-cache-context.conf

Exclude Single Page​

if ($request_uri ~* "(/example-page/)") {
  set $skip_cache 1;
  set $skip_reason "${skip_reason}-request_uri";
}

Exclude Multiple Pages​

if ($request_uri ~* "(/page-one/|/page-two/|/page-three/)") {
  set $skip_cache 1;
  set $skip_reason "${skip_reason}-request_uri";
}

Exclude Parent + Child Pages (Wildcard)​

if ($request_uri ~* "(/parent-page.*)") {
  set $skip_cache 1;
  set $skip_reason "${skip_reason}-request_uri";
}

Exclude Homepage​

if ($request_uri ~ ^/$) {
  set $skip_cache 1;
  set $skip_reason "${skip_reason}-request_uri";
}
if ($http_cookie ~* "cookie_name") {
  set $skip_cache 1;
  set $skip_reason "${skip_reason}-your_cookie";
}

Example: Excluding a Live Inventory Page​

A client has a car dealership site at dealership.com using Redis cache. Their /inventory/ page pulls live vehicle data from a third-party API, but visitors see stale results due to caching.

Step 1: Connect via Termius​

Open Termius and connect to the server using your SSH key.

Step 2: Create/Edit the Exclusion File​

nano /var/www/dealership.com/nginx/custom-skip-redis-cache-context.conf

Step 3: Add the Exclusion Rule​

# Exclude inventory pages from cache (live API data)
if ($request_uri ~* "(/inventory.*)") {
  set $skip_cache 1;
  set $skip_reason "${skip_reason}-request_uri";
}

This excludes /inventory/, /inventory/trucks/, /inventory/sedans/, and any other child pages.

Step 4: Test and Reload​

nginx -t
gp ngx reload

Step 5: Verify​

Visit the inventory page and check response headers. You should see X-Cache: BYPASS instead of HIT.

After Adding Exclusions​

  1. Test config: nginx -t
  2. Reload Nginx: gp ngx reload