WordPress.org

Weston Ruter

WordPress Performance Team

This plugin was formerly called as “No-cache BFCache”, which admittedly was a poor jargony name and was too narrowly scoped.
This plugin enables instant back/forward navigation via the browser’s <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Glossary/bfcache" rel="nofollow ugc">bfcache</a>. It does this by removing the <code>no-store</code> directive from the <code>Cache-Control</code> response header, which WordPress sends by default when <code>nocache_headers()</code> is called. This happens primarily when a user is logged in, but some plugins may send these “no-cache” headers such as on the Cart or Checkout pages for an e-commerce site. Upon activation, to see the effect, you must log out of WordPress and log back in again, ensuring “Remember Me” is checked. Even so, another plugin, theme or server configuration may be active which makes pages <a href="https://web.dev/articles/bfcache#optimize" rel="nofollow ugc">ineligible for bfcache</a> due to other <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Performance_API/Monitoring_bfcache_blocking_reasons#blocking_reasons" rel="nofollow ugc">blocking reasons</a>. Nevertheless, the removal of <code>no-store</code> will still speed up back/forward navigations since pages may then be served from the browser’s HTTP cache, eliminating the need to re-download the HTML from the server. This is a feature plugin to implement <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/63636" rel="nofollow ugc">#63636</a> in WordPress core.
Blog post: <a href="https://weston.ruter.net/2025/07/23/instant-back-forward-navigations-in-wordpress/" rel="nofollow ugc">Instant Back/Forward Navigations in WordPress</a>
The speed of page navigations in WordPress saw a big boost in 6.8 with the introduction of <a href="https://make.wordpress.org/core/2025/03/06/speculative-loading-in-6-8/" rel="nofollow ugc">Speculative Loading</a>. However, by default Speculative Loading in WordPress is not configured to enable instant page loads, which requires a non-conservative eagerness with the prerender mode; not all sites can even opt in to prerendering due to compatibility issues, such as with analytics, and due to concerns about sustainability with unused prerenders (e.g. increasing server load and taxing a user’s bandwidth/CPU). While Speculative Loading (i.e. the Speculation Rules API) is relatively new and currently only supported in Chromium browsers (e.g. Chrome and Edge), there is a much older web platform technology that enables prerendering and which is supported in all browsers: the back/forward cache (bfcache). This instant loading involves no network traffic and no CPU load, since previously visited pages are stored in memory. According to the web.dev article on <a href="https://web.dev/articles/bfcache" rel="nofollow ugc">back/forward cache</a>:
Chrome usage data shows that 1 in 10 navigations on desktop and 1 in 5 on mobile are either back or forward. With bfcache enabled, browsers could eliminate the data transfer and time spent loading for billions of web pages every single day!
Also learn more via the following video:
<iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y2IVv5KnrmI?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>
Normally, WordPress sends a <code>Cache-Control</code> header with the <code>no-store</code> directive when a user is logged in. This has the effect of <a href="https://web.dev/articles/bfcache#minimize-no-store" rel="nofollow ugc">breaking the browser’s bfcache</a>, which means that navigating back or forward in the browser requires the pages to be re-fetched from the server and for any JavaScript on the page to re-execute. The result can be a sluggish navigation experience not only when navigating around the WP Admin (see <a href="https://github.com/Automattic/jetpack/pull/44322#:~:text=page%20load%20is%3A-,Without%20bfcache,-With%20bfcache" rel="nofollow ugc">Jetpack demo video</a> and demo video below) but also when navigating around the frontend of a site. Furthermore, the lack of bfcache can cause data loss when data has been entered via a JavaScript-built UI since this state is lost when a page is not restored via bfcache (see <a href="https://github.com/woocommerce/woocommerce/pull/58445#issuecomment-3014404754" rel="nofollow ugc">WooCommerce demo video</a> and demo video below).
The reason why the <code>no-store</code> directive was added in the first place was due to a privacy concern where an authenticated user may log out of WordPress, only for another person to access the computer and click the back button to view the contents of the authenticated page loaded from bfcache or the HTTP cache. (See <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/21938" rel="nofollow ugc">#21938</a>.) In practice this issue depends on the user being on a shared computer who didn’t exit the browser, and it requires the malicious user to act soon before the page is evicted from bfcache (e.g. Chrome as a <a href="https://developer.chrome.com/docs/web-platform/bfcache-ccns#:~:text=The%20bfcache%20timeout%20for%20Cache%2DControl%3A%20no%2Dstore%20pages%20is%20also%20reduced%20to%203%20minutes%20(from%2010%20minutes%20used%20for%20pages%20which%20don%27t%20use%20Cache%2DControl%3A%20no%2Dstore)%20to%20further%20reduce%20risk." rel="nofollow ugc">10-minute timeout</a>).
To address this privacy concern, a safeguard is in place to protect against restoring pages from bfcache and the HTTP cache after the user has logged out:
When authenticating to WordPress, a “bfcache session token” cookie is set along with the other authentication cookies. This cookie is not HTTP-only so that it can be read in JavaScript; it is a random string not used for any other purpose. When an authenticated page is served, this bfcache session token is included in the HTML as well as a script which reads the value of this cookie. When a user navigates away from the page and then navigates back to it, a script on the page checks if the current session token in the cookie matches the initial session token sent with the page. If they do not match (e.g. because the user has logged out or another user has logged in), then the contents of the page are cleared and the page is reloaded so that the contents are not available.
Since JavaScript is required to invalidate cached pages, the login form is extended to pass along whether scripting is enabled. Only when JS is enabled will the <code>no-store</code> directive be omitted from the <code>Cache-Control</code> response header. This ensures that users with JavaScript turned off will retain the privacy protection after logging out. Lastly, <code>no-store</code> is also only omitted if the user checked the “Remember Me” checkbox on the login form. Since it is highly unlikely a user on a shared computer would have checked this checkbox, this provides yet an additional safeguard (which may in the end prove excessive). A ✨ emoji is displayed next to the checkbox in a button that opens a popover that promotes the capability. If you want to opt out of this opt-in (and the sparkle) so that all logged-in users get bfcache, you can use the <code>nocache_bfcache_use_remember_me_as_opt_in</code> filter which you can use in a custom plugin or your theme:
<pre>add_filter( 'nocache_bfcache_use_remember_me_as_opt_in', '__return_false' );</pre>
When this plugin strips out the <code>no-store</code> directive, it also ensures that the <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Reference/Headers/Cache-Control#private" rel="nofollow ugc"><code>private</code> directive</a> is sent in its place: “The <code>private</code> response directive indicates that the response can be stored only in a private cache (e.g., local caches in browsers).” WordPress is already sending <code>private</code> as of <a href="https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/57627" rel="nofollow ugc">#57627</a>. This directive ensures that proxies do not cache authenticated pages. In addition to ensuring <code>private</code> is present, this plugin also adds <code>no-cache</code>, <code>max-age=0</code>, and <code>must-revalidate</code> while ensuring <code>public</code> is removed, all to further guard against any misconfigured proxy from caching the private response.
<h4>Demo: Navigating the WordPress Admin</h4>
Without bfcache:
<iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cz-_L6q9ZRc?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&start=22&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>
With bfcache:
<iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z4dILiwe0Rk?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&start=27&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>
<h4>Demo: Navigating the WordPress Frontend</h4>
Without bfcache: The drafted BuddyPress activity update is lost when navigating away from the page before submitting. The activity feed and Tweet have to be reconstructed with each back/forward navigation.
<iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ko1w_SRlCig?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>
With bfcache: The drafted BuddyPress activity update is preserved when navigating away from the page without submitting. The activity feed and Tweet do not have to be reconstructed when navigating to previously visited pages via the back/forward buttons.
<iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bzGm6LcHHAs?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>

Instant Back/Forward


This is now a "must install" plugin for me on every site I work on. It's absolutely magical.


Magical

Enables back/forward cache (bfcache) for instant history navigations even when “nocache” headers are sent, such as when a user is logged in.

ShortPixel

<h3>🚀 The Ultimate Caching and Speed Improvement Plugin for WordPress</h3>
Have you ever wished your website scored 90+ on Google PageSpeed Insights, GTMetrix and other website performance analysis tools? 
And achieve that without the need to pay expensive fees to consultants or learn a lot of advanced technical stuff?
⚡ <a href="https://fastpixel.io/?utm_source=wp-repository&utm_medium=link" rel="nofollow ugc">FastPixel</a> automatically integrates all the latest technical enhancements, such as Page Caching, HTML/CSS/JS minification, DNS prefetching and preloading, Critical CSS, ShortPixel’s <a href="https://shortpixel.com/blog/introducing-smartcompress/?/?utm_source=wp-repository&utm_medium=link" rel="nofollow ugc">Smart Image Optimization</a>, adaptive images, background image scaling and optimization, HTTP/2 support, fonts loading optimization, caching, a global CDN, and Core Web Vitals, within an easy-to-use, 1-minute-setup interface.
<iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6UbWASU8RNw?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe>
<h3>🎬 Ready for a Quick TEST of our Speed Optimization Tool?</h3>
There is no need to install our plugin to run a test. 
You can test FastPixel live on a <a href="https://tastewp.com/template/FastPixel" rel="nofollow ugc">sandbox website at TasteWP</a> or you can quickly assess how <a href="https://fastpixel.io/" rel="nofollow ugc">FastPixel</a> can optimize your website by conducting a test. Simply use <a href="https://test.fastpixel.io/" rel="nofollow ugc">this test page</a>, and we will apply all optimizations to a copy of your website. 
This way, you can easily evaluate the substantial speed improvements it can achieve using the most widely recognized website performance analysis tools.
<h3>🆕 New! Object Cache – Now Available!</h3>
You can now connect FastPixel to your Redis or Memcached server and let our plugin handle the rest. 
Object caching stores the results of database queries in memory, so WordPress skips repetitive work on every page load, meaning faster pages and less load on your server. No configuration needed. Just connect and go. 
– No need for additional plugins 
– Tuned for WooCommerce compatibility 
– Built for maximum performance with the same resources 
– Smart cache prefetching 
– Fully compliant with WordPress 
– Improved efficiency with simple settings and defaults 
– Encrypted communication
<h3>💡 Why choose FastPixel Caching plugin?</h3>
<ul>
<li>Website Performance Boost: Just activate the plugin and within seconds the optimized webpages will start to be served.</li>
<li>Lower the CPU/RAM Impact: Using the plugin will reduce the impact on the resources used by your website. All the CPU intensive processing is done in the cloud and resulting pages will generally be served from a cached version and the optimized images from the CDN.</li>
<li>Automated Core Web Vitals Optimization: FastPixel takes care of all technical aspects automatically.</li>
<li>Smart Cache Warmup/Update: The cache warmup and update are taken care of automatically in a smart way. Pages are cached as they are visited and also updated if you update the content.</li>
<li>Critical CSS: CCSS is automatically generated for each page for lightning-fast page loads.</li>
<li>CSS/JS Processing: CSS/JS files are combined and also minified and compressed before they are served from our CDN.</li>
<li>HTML Optimization: A single, highly optimized HTML file is generated, adaptively serving the ideal webpage based on the visitor’s viewport or device (e.g., mobile, tablet, laptop).</li>
<li>DNS Preconnects: Accelerates resource fetching, reduces the access time to external resources.</li>
<li>Font Processing: All the techniques to accelerate the processing and delivery of fonts are employed, e.g. font subsetting, font loading control, font compression, font embedding (lower CLS result).</li>
<li>Image Resizing & Optimization: Images are automatically resized to fit their placeholders, optimized, and delivered through the ShortPixel CDN.</li>
<li>Automatic Next-Gen Images Delivery: Based on the visitor’s browser capabilities, original JPG, PNG, or GIF images are converted to and served as WebP or AVIF when supported. For browsers without support, the original format is provided.</li>
</ul>
<h3>🌟 Happy users that use our plugin</h3>
If you’re satisfied with the test, just search for “FastPixel” in your WordPress Dashboard > Plugins, install the plugin and see for yourself how much faster your site becomes.
<blockquote>
Testimonials: 
 ★★★★★ It’s as fast as it says in the title! <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/its-as-fast-as-it-says-in-the-title/" rel="ugc">liquidsnake2021</a> 
 ★★★★★ I was a tester and now I`m a happy user <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/i-have-been-tester-and-now-happy-user/" rel="ugc">jppl</a> 
 ★★★★★ This plugin’s fast and easy to set up—I barely have to configure anything <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/this-plugin-works-as-described/" rel="ugc">fajrisp</a> 
 ★★★★★ Works really well! <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/works-really-well-264/" rel="ugc">touto</a> 
 ★★★★★ One of the best tools! <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/one-of-the-best-tools-for-that/" rel="ugc">torsten3d</a> 
 ★★★★★ Super easy to install and worked out of the box <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/well-this-was-easy-moving-from-wp-rocket/" rel="ugc">diffler</a> 
 <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/fastpixel-website-accelerator/reviews/?filter=5" rel="ugc">more testimonials</a>
</blockquote>
<h3>📩 Additional questions</h3>
If you have more questions, technical or otherwise, please refer to our FAQ section below, our <a href="https://fastpixel.io/docs/" rel="nofollow ugc">docs</a> or <a href="https://fastpixel.io/#contact" rel="nofollow ugc">contact us</a>. 
We typically respond within 15 minutes.

FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN

Optimize Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed with advanced caching, image compression, lazy loading, critical CSS, and CDN – the ultimate performance tool.

Instant Back/Forward vs FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN