ThemeRuby

Light Views Counter is a professional, high-performance WordPress plugin that tracks post and page views using intelligent scroll detection technology.
Designed for bloggers, news sites, magazines, and content creators, this plugin helps you understand what content truly resonates with your audience.
Built for speed and scalability, Light Views Counter is optimized for heavy-traffic websites and large post databases. It delivers reliable view tracking without adding query overhead or slowing down your site’s performance.
<h4>🎯 Why Choose Light Views Counter?</h4>
Tracking 
* Scroll Detection Technology – Only counts views when visitors actually read your content (configurable scroll threshold) 
* Bot Protection – Automatically filters out search engine crawlers and automated traffic 
* Duplicate Prevention – Prevent counting the same user multiple times within a configurable time window 
* Short Content Smart Detection – Intelligently handles posts that fit in viewport without requiring scroll
Lightning Fast Performance 
* Zero Impact on Page Speed – Asynchronous REST API ensures counting happens in the background 
* Built-in Caching – Transient-based caching system reduces database load 
* sendBeacon API – Fire-and-forget counting for maximum performance (enabled by default)
Easy to Use 
* Automatic Tracking – Works immediately after activation, no configuration required 
* Flexible Shortcode – Display views anywhere with <code>[lightvc_post_views]</code> shortcode 
* Popular Posts Widgets – Ready-to-use WordPress and Elementor widgets 
* Auto-Display Option – Automatically show view counts at the end of posts
Developer Friendly 
* Clean Public API – Simple functions: <code>lightvc_get_post_views()</code>, <code>lightvc_get_popular_posts()</code> 
* WP_Query Integration – Sort posts by views: <code>'orderby' => 'lightvc_views'</code> 
* Hooks & Filters – Customize everything: <code>lightvc_post_views_count</code>, <code>lightvc_views_html</code>, <code>lightvc_exclude_user</code> 
* REST API Endpoints – HTTP access for external integrations
Enterprise Ready 
* High Traffic Optimized – Tested on sites with millions of views per day 
* Cache Plugin Compatible – Works perfectly with WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, Cloudflare 
* GDPR Compliant – No personal data collection, no cookies, privacy-focused
<h4>Perfect For</h4>
<ul>
<li>Bloggers – See which posts your readers love most</li>
<li>News Websites – Track trending stories and breaking news engagement</li>
<li>Magazine Sites – Identify top-performing content and popular topics</li>
<li>Content Marketers – Measure content performance and reader engagement</li>
<li>E-commerce – Track product page views and customer interest</li>
<li>Publishers – Understand content performance across categories</li>
</ul>
<h4>Key Features</h4>
Smart Counting System 
* Scroll-based view detection 
* Automatic short content detection and handling 
* Configurable time window to prevent duplicate counts 
* Admin user exclusion (don’t count your own views) 
* Bot and crawler filtering
Widgets & Integration 
* Standard WordPress widget for popular posts 
* Display options: thumbnails, view counts, dates 
* Fully customizable layouts 
* Works in any widget area
Analytics & Reporting 
* Admin dashboard with statistics 
* Total views across all posts 
* Most viewed posts list 
* Average views per post 
* Views column in posts list (sortable)
Performance Features 
* Custom database table with optimized indexes 
* Transient caching system 
* Object cache support (Redis/Memcached) 
* sendBeacon API for fire-and-forget requests 
* Conditional script loading 
* No external dependencies
Developer Tools 
* WordPress hooks and filters 
* view data REST API endpoints 
* WP_Query orderby support 
* Compatible with any theme
<h4>💻 For Developers</h4>
Light Views Counter provides a complete developer toolkit:
Basic Functions
Get post views:
 
Get popular posts: 
 10, 
 ‘date_range’ => 7 // Last 7 days 
 ) ); 
 ?>
WP_Query Integration
Sort posts by views: 
 ‘post’, 
 ‘orderby’ => ‘lightvc_views’, 
 ‘order’ => ‘DESC’, 
 ‘posts_per_page’ => 10 
 ) ); 
 ?>
Hooks & Filters
Modify view count: 
 add_filter( ‘lightvc_post_views_count’, ‘my_custom_views’, 10, 2 );
Customize HTML output: 
 add_filter( ‘lightvc_views_html’, ‘my_custom_html’, 10, 3 );
Exclude specific users: 
 add_filter( ‘lightvc_exclude_user’, ‘my_user_exclusion’ );
Track view events: 
 add_action( ‘lightvc_views_counted’, ‘my_view_tracker’ );
REST API Endpoints
<ul>
<li><code>GET /wp-json/lightvc/v1/views/{post_id}</code> – Get view count for a post</li>
</ul>
<h4>📱 Shortcode Usage</h4>
Display views anywhere using the flexible shortcode:
Basic usage: 
 [lightvc_post_views]
With custom style: 
 [lightvc_post_views style=”badge”]
With custom label: 
 [lightvc_post_views label=”Total Reads”]
For specific post: 
 [lightvc_post_views post_id=”123″]
All options: 
 [lightvc_post_views post_id=”123″ style=”badge” label=”Views” icon=”👁️” show_label=”true”]
Available styles: <code>default</code>, <code>minimal</code>, <code>badge</code>, <code>compact</code>
<h4>Translations & Compatibility</h4>
Language Support 
* English (default) 
* Translation ready with .pot file included
Theme Compatibility 
* Works with any WordPress theme 
* Deep integration with Foxiz News theme
Plugin Compatibility 
* Cache Plugins: WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache, LiteSpeed Cache, Autoptimize 
* CDN Services: Cloudflare, StackPath, KeyCDN, BunnyCDN
<h4>🔒 Privacy & Security</h4>
GDPR Compliant 
* No personal data collection 
* No cookies used 
* No cross-site tracking 
* localStorage is client-side only 
* Complete transparency
Security Features 
* Rate limiting to prevent abuse 
* Admin capability checks
<h4>🔗 Useful Links</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://themeruby.com/light-views-counter" rel="nofollow ugc">Plugin Homepage</a></li>
<li><a href="https://themeruby.com/light-views-counter/docs/" rel="nofollow ugc">Documentation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://themeruby.com" rel="nofollow ugc">ThemeRuby Website</a></li>
<li><a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/light-views-counter/" rel="ugc">Support Forum</a></li>
</ul>

Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites

Lightweight and fast post view counter with smart tracking, built for high-traffic sites and large post databases.

Init HTML

Init View Count is a fast, clean plugin to track post views without clutter. It:
<ul>
<li>Uses REST API and JS to count real views</li>
<li>Prevents duplicate counts with session/local storage</li>
<li>Stores counts in meta keys like <code>_init_view_count</code>, <code>_init_view_day_count</code>, etc.</li>
<li>Provides <code>[init_view_count]</code> and <code>[init_view_list]</code> shortcodes</li>
<li>Includes <code>[init_view_ranking]</code> shortcode with tabbed ranking by time range</li>
<li>Supports template overrides (like WooCommerce)</li>
<li>Lightweight. No tracking, no admin bloat.</li>
<li>Includes REST API to query most viewed posts</li>
<li>Supports pagination in <code>[init_view_list]</code> via the <code>page</code> attribute</li>
<li>Batch view tracking support to reduce REST requests on busy sites</li>
<li>Optional strict IP-based filtering to block fake view requests posted directly to the REST endpoint</li>
<li>Includes a Dashboard widget to monitor top viewed posts directly in wp-admin</li>
<li>Learns site-wide traffic shape (hourly & weekday) via AI-powered smoothing</li>
<li>Shapes cached and updated efficiently with minimal overhead</li>
<li>Safe reset action to rebuild patterns automatically</li>
<li>Fully integrated with Trending Engine v3 for uplift-based scoring</li>
</ul>
This plugin is part of the <a href="https://en.inithtml.com/init-plugin-suite-minimalist-powerful-and-free-wordpress-plugins/" rel="nofollow ugc">Init Plugin Suite</a> — a collection of minimalist, fast, and developer-focused tools for WordPress.
GitHub repository: <a href="https://github.com/brokensmile2103/init-view-count" rel="nofollow ugc">https://github.com/brokensmile2103/init-view-count</a>
<h3>Highlights</h3>
<ul>
<li>REST-first design — no jQuery or legacy Ajax</li>
<li>View tracking powered by time + scroll detection</li>
<li>Realtime display with optional animated counters</li>
<li>Fully theme-compatible with overrideable templates</li>
<li>Developer-friendly with rich filter support</li>
<li>Optional <code>[init_view_ranking]</code> shortcode for tabbed view by day/week/month/total</li>
<li>Assets are only loaded when needed – perfect for performance-conscious themes</li>
<li>Fully compatible with headless and SPA frameworks (REST-first + lazy)</li>
<li>Supports batch mode: delay view requests and send in groups (configurable in settings)</li>
<li>Includes optional Dashboard widget for quick admin overview of top viewed posts</li>
<li>AI-powered Traffic Shape Learner – understands your site’s hourly & weekly rhythm</li>
<li>Auto-integrated with Trending Engine v3 for seasonality-aware uplift detection</li>
<li>Smart fallbacks (day → week → month → total) ensure rankings never run empty</li>
<li>Ultra-light: only 1 write per increment + 1 rollup per day, cache-first design</li>
</ul>
<h3>Shortcodes</h3>
<h3>[init_view_count]</h3>
Shows current view count for a post. Only works inside a post loop.
Attributes: 
– <code>field</code>: <code>total</code> (default), <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code> – which counter to display 
– <code>format</code>: <code>formatted</code> (default), <code>raw</code>, or <code>short</code> – controls number formatting 
– <code>time</code>: <code>true</code> to show time diff from post date (e.g. “3 days ago”) 
– <code>icon</code>: <code>true</code> to display a small SVG icon before the count 
– <code>schema</code>: <code>true</code> to output schema.org microdata (InteractionCounter) 
– <code>class</code>: add a custom CSS class to the outer wrapper
<h3>[init_view_list]</h3>
Show list of most viewed posts.
Attributes: 
– <code>number</code>: Number of posts to show (default: 5) 
– <code>page</code>: Show a specific page of results (default: 1) 
– <code>post_type</code>: Type of post (default: post) 
– <code>template</code>: <code>sidebar</code> (default), <code>full</code>, <code>grid</code>, <code>details</code> (can be overridden) 
– <code>title</code>: Title above list. Set to empty (<code>title=""</code>) to hide 
– <code>class</code>: Custom class added to wrapper 
– <code>orderby</code>: Sort field (default: meta_value_num) 
– <code>order</code>: ASC or DESC (default: DESC) 
– <code>range</code>: <code>total</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code>, <code>trending</code> 
– <code>category</code>: Filter by category slug 
– <code>tag</code>: Filter by tag slug 
– <code>empty</code>: Message to show if no posts found
<h3>[init_view_ranking]</h3>
Show tabbed ranking of most viewed posts. Uses REST API and JavaScript for dynamic loading. Optimized for SPA/headless usage.
Attributes: 
– <code>tabs</code>: Comma-separated list of ranges. Available: <code>total</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code> (default: all) 
– <code>number</code>: Number of posts per tab (default: 5) 
– <code>class</code>: Custom class for outer wrapper
This shortcode automatically enqueues required JS and uses skeleton loaders while fetching data.
<h3>REST API</h3>
This plugin exposes two REST endpoints to interact with view counts: one for recording views and another for retrieving top posts.
<code>POST /wp-json/initvico/v1/count</code> 
Record one or more views. Accepts a single post ID or an array of post IDs.
Parameters: 
– <code>post_id</code> — (int|array) Required. One or more post IDs to increment view count for.
This endpoint checks if the post is published, belongs to a supported post type, and applies delay/scroll config (via JavaScript). It updates total and optionally day/week/month view counters.
Note: The number of post IDs processed per request is limited based on the batch setting in plugin options.
<code>GET /wp-json/initvico/v1/top</code> 
Retrieve the most viewed posts, ranked by view count.
Parameters: 
– <code>range</code> — (string) <code>total</code>, <code>day</code>, <code>week</code>, <code>month</code>. Defaults to <code>total</code>. 
– <code>post_type</code> — (string) Post type to query. Defaults to <code>post</code>. 
– <code>number</code> — (int) Number of posts to return. Default: <code>5</code>. 
– <code>page</code> — (int) Pagination offset. Default: <code>1</code>. 
– <code>fields</code> — (string) <code>minimal</code> (id, title, link) or <code>full</code> (includes excerpt, thumbnail, type, date, etc.) 
– <code>tax</code> — (string) Optional. Taxonomy slug (e.g. <code>category</code>). 
– <code>terms</code> — (string) Comma-separated term slugs or IDs. 
– <code>no_cache</code> — (bool) If <code>1</code>, disables transient caching.
This endpoint supports filtering and caching, and can be extended to support custom output formats.
<h3>Filters for Developers</h3>
This plugin provides multiple filters to help developers customize behavior and output in both REST API and shortcode use cases.
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_should_count</code> 
Allow or prevent counting views for a specific post. 
Applies to: REST <code>/count</code> 
Params: <code>bool $should_count</code>, <code>int $post_id</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_meta_key</code> 
Change the meta key used to read or write view counts. 
Applies to: REST & Shortcodes 
Params: <code>string $meta_key</code>, <code>int|null $post_id</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_after_counted</code> 
Run custom logic after view count has been incremented. 
Applies to: REST <code>/count</code> 
Params: <code>int $post_id</code>, <code>array $updated</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_args</code> 
Customize WP_Query arguments used for <code>/top</code> endpoint. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>array $args</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_item</code> 
Modify each item before it’s returned in the <code>/top</code> response. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>array $item</code>, <code>WP_Post $post</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_api_top_cache_time</code> 
Adjust cache time (in seconds) for <code>/top</code> results. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>int $ttl</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_top_post_types</code> 
Customize the list of post types returned by the <code>/top</code> endpoint. 
Applies to: REST <code>/top</code> 
Params: <code>array $post_types</code>, <code>WP_REST_Request $request</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_query_args</code> 
Filter WP_Query args for <code>[init_view_list]</code> shortcode. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_list]</code> 
Params: <code>array $args</code>, <code>array $atts</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_empty_output</code> 
Customize the HTML output when no posts are found. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_list]</code> 
Params: <code>string $output</code>, <code>array $atts</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_view_list_atts</code> 
Modify shortcode attributes before WP_Query is run. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_list]</code> 
Params: <code>array $atts</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_default_shortcode</code> 
Customize the default shortcode used when auto-inserting view count into post content. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_count]</code> auto-insert 
Params: <code>string $shortcode</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_auto_insert_enabled</code> 
Control whether auto-insert is enabled for a given context. 
Applies to: <code>[init_view_count]</code> auto-insert 
Params: <code>bool $enabled</code>, <code>string $position</code>, <code>string $post_type</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_engagement_meta_keys</code> 
Change the meta keys used to retrieve <code>like</code> and <code>share</code> counts when calculating engagement quality. 
Applies to: Engagement algorithm 
Params: <code>array $meta_keys</code> (<code>likes</code>, <code>shares</code>), <code>int $post_id</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_trending_post_types</code> 
Override the list of post types used by the Trending cron calculation. 
Applies to: Cron Trending 
Params: <code>array $post_types</code>
<code>init_plugin_suite_view_count_trending_component_weights</code> 
Adjust weights for Trending score components. 
Applies to: Trending algorithm 
Params: <code>array $weights</code> (<code>velocity</code>, <code>engagement</code>, <code>freshness</code>, <code>momentum</code>)
<h3>Template Override</h3>
To customize output layout, copy any template file into your theme:
Example: <code>your-theme/init-view-count/view-list-grid.php</code>
<h3>License</h3>
This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later. 
You are free to use, modify, and distribute it under the same license.

Init View Count – AI-Powered, Trending, REST API

Count post views accurately via REST API with customizable display. Lightweight, fast, and extensible. Includes shortcode with multiple layouts.

Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites vs Init View Count – AI-Powered, Trending, REST API