Chris Buck

This plugin requires the WP-PostViews plugin to be installed and setup to work correctly. (https://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-postviews/)
This plugin displays a widget in the sidebar with the most recently viewed posts over the last 2 days, the number of times they were viewed, a link to each, and images corresponding to whether they were “hot” posts or not (calculated as a percentage of the most viewed post).

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.

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