Ayesh Karunaratne

Fast 404 is a low foot-print plugin that quickly inspects an incoming HTTP request, and terminates the request as soon as possible if the request is for a non-existing resource. If the browser is expecting an HTML page (indicated by the <code>Accept</code> HTTP header), this plugin will not intercept it. For all other requests, this plugin will terminate it immediately, saving server resources and bandwidth.
When a user browser requests a resource (such as a <code>jpg</code> image, or a <code>.woff2</code> font file), the web server sends this resource if it is available in the requested location. If the file does not exist, the request is forwarded to WordPress to handle. Unless you are using a plugin that dynamically generates these files, these file-not-found requests trigger a full WordPress Page-Not-Found error page. This plugin inspects such incoming requests, and if the browser indicates that it is looking for a resource other than an HTML page, this plugin terminates the request as soon as possible to prevent WordPress from serving this request which would be a waste of resources and bandwidth. This plugin carefully makes sure that the short-circuited 404 pages (which just shows “Not Found” on a blank page) is only returned to browser asset requests, and not for end users who expect an HTML page.
By default, all HTTP requests to <code>js|css|jpg|jpeg|gif|png|webp|ico|exe|bin|dmg|woff|woff2</code> extensions will be fast 404’d. You can configure the extensions and even configure an exclusion pattern to prevent this plugin from intercepting certain requests.
This plugin is the WordPress port of <a href="https://github.com/PHPWatch/Fast404" rel="nofollow ugc">PHPWatch/Fast404</a> package.

Fast 404

Prevents WordPress from delivering full Page-Not-Found errors when the browser is not expecting a full HTML page. Saves bandwidth and improves perform …

Aaron

Stop losing visitors to broken links. 404 Solution doesn’t just redirect errors to your homepage – it uses advanced spell-checking and intelligent matching algorithms to find the actual page your visitor was trying to reach.
When a visitor hits a broken link like <code>/prodcut/awesome-item</code> (typo), most plugins redirect them to your homepage where they get lost and leave. 404 Solution is different – it automatically finds <code>/product/awesome-item</code> and redirects them to the right place.
<h4>Why 404 Solution is Different</h4>
Intelligent URL Matching – Uses sophisticated algorithms (N-gram similarity, Levenshtein distance, multi-word matching) to find the closest existing page, not just blindly redirect to homepage.
Spell-Checking Technology – Automatically handles typos and URL variations so visitors find what they want even when they misspell URLs.
Zero Configuration – Works perfectly out of the box with smart defaults. Advanced users have full control over every aspect.
WooCommerce Optimized – Specifically designed to work with products, categories, variations, and custom post types.
<h4>Core Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>Automatic intelligent redirects based on the best possible match for the URL</li>
<li>404 error logging with detailed visitor data and referrer information</li>
<li>Manual redirect creation for specific URLs to any existing page</li>
<li>Page suggestions shortcode to display matches on custom 404 pages</li>
<li>Automatic cleanup removes redirects when URLs match new pages or are no longer used</li>
<li>Regular expression support for advanced redirect patterns</li>
<li>Debug logging to troubleshoot redirect behavior</li>
<li>Performance optimized for sites with 10,000+ pages</li>
</ul>
<h4>How It Works</h4>
<ol>
<li>Visitor hits a broken link (404 error)</li>
<li>404 Solution analyzes the URL and compares it to all your existing pages</li>
<li>Intelligent matching finds the closest match using spell-checking algorithms</li>
<li>Visitor is automatically redirected to the correct page</li>
<li>You can review all 404s and create custom redirects as needed</li>
</ol>
<h4>Perfect For</h4>
<ul>
<li>eCommerce sites (WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads) with changing product URLs</li>
<li>Content sites with evolving permalink structures</li>
<li>Migrated sites where old URLs need to map to new content</li>
<li>Large sites with thousands of pages where manual redirects are impractical</li>
<li>Any WordPress site that wants to provide better user experience</li>
</ul>
<h4>What Makes This Different From Other Redirect Plugins?</h4>
vs. Redirection – Redirection requires manual redirect rules. 404 Solution automatically finds matches using intelligent algorithms.
vs. 404 to 301 – 404 to 301 redirects everything to your homepage. 404 Solution finds the actual page visitors want.
vs. Simple 301 Redirects – Simple 301 only does manual redirects. 404 Solution creates intelligent automatic redirects based on URL similarity.
<h4>Technical Details</h4>
<ul>
<li>Supports 301 (permanent) and 302 (temporary) redirects</li>
<li>N-gram similarity scoring for fast matching</li>
<li>Spell-checking with Levenshtein distance calculation</li>
<li>Custom post type support (products, events, portfolios, etc.)</li>
<li>Taxonomy-aware (categories, tags, custom taxonomies)</li>
<li>Query parameter preservation</li>
<li>Referrer tracking and logging</li>
<li>IP address logging (GDPR-compliant hashing available)</li>
<li>Automatic performance optimization for large sites</li>
</ul>
Note: For high-traffic sites with thousands of simultaneous users, disable “Create automatic redirects” and avoid using the shortcode to ensure optimal performance.

404 Solution


I haven't tried all of the features that this plugin has to offer as I intended to just use it temporarily to redirect users to a designated 404 page, but it does so much more. I really appreciate the logs that show me the crazy urls people/bots are trying to access. Had a minor issue with a php notice that I reported, and the developer quickly jumped on it and released an update. Kudos!


Works as expected; fast support!

The smartest 404 plugin for WordPress - finds what your visitors were actually looking for.

Fast 404 vs 404 Solution