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SQLite Object Cache

By OllieJones

Performance & Optimization / Caching Solutions

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

SQLite Object Cache Review - In-Depth Analysis

SQLite Object Cache is a fast persistent object cache backend that enhances site performance by reducing database load. It uses SQLite and can be accelerated by APCu.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.78/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 51+ reviews)

Active Installations

10,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

SQLite Object Cache is a persistent object cache that helps improve your site's performance. It utilizes the SQLite3 extension and can optionally use igbinary and APCu extensions. This plugin is designed to reduce the workload on your MariaDB or MySQL database, allowing for faster content delivery.

By implementing a persistent object cache, your site can load essential information more quickly, which lightens the load on your database server. This plugin is particularly beneficial for sites running on a single web server that supports the necessary extensions.

APCu is an in-memory storage medium that significantly speeds up data retrieval for PHP programs like WordPress. When configured, it can enhance the performance of your caching, making your site operate more efficiently.

Comparing to Alternatives

SQLite Object Cache stands out in the object caching space with no direct vulnerabilities and excellent performance, making it a strong contender among popular alternatives.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Exceptional speed, often faster than Redis according to user tests
No known security vulnerabilities as of the latest scan
Easy installation and noticeable backend performance improvements
Works well with APCu and igbinary for enhanced caching
Highly praised by users for reliability and smooth operation

Weaknesses

Lacks a pro version with advanced features
Relies on server support for APCu and igbinary for optimal performance
May not be as widely supported or documented as Redis-based caches

User Sentiment Analysis

With a perfect 5-star rating from all 50 reviewers, user sentiment is overwhelmingly positive, highlighting speed and ease of use.

Positive highlights

"This feature should come integrated natively within WordPress. Glad you solved it!" — Marcelo Pedra
"Faster than Redis and reliable under heavy simultaneous requests." — Jaro
"Really Awesome Plugin. It served my purpose very smoothly." — Anis Rahman
"Easy install, back-end of WP is noticeably faster." — Andrew
"The speed became extremely fast after enabling the plugin." — Jerry

Common complaints

Weaknesses

No advanced premium features due to absence of a pro version
Performance depends on server environment supporting APCu and igbinary

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a fast, reliable, and secure object caching solution without extra cost, especially those with server environments supporting APCu and igbinary.

Not ideal for

Users needing advanced caching features available in premium plugins or those whose hosting does not support required PHP extensions for optimal performance.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers full object caching functionality with excellent speed and security, suitable for most users.

Final Verdict

SQLite Object Cache delivers outstanding performance and security with a flawless user rating and no known vulnerabilities, making it an excellent choice for WordPress object caching. Its ease of use and speed improvements are highly praised by users, positioning it well against popular alternatives like Redis-based caches.

While it lacks a premium version with advanced features, its free offering is robust and reliable, especially for users with compatible server environments. Overall, it is a top-tier caching plugin for those prioritizing speed, security, and simplicity.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free SQLite Object Cache plugin.

Apcu

Cache

Object Cache

Performance

SQLite

Screenshots

FAQ

Yes. To see the Settings page, choose Settings > Object Cache from the first site, or any site, in the multisite installation.

Putting your .sqlite files outside your site’s document root is good security practice. This is how you do it. If you define the constant WP_SQLITE_OBJECT_CACHE_DB_FILE in wp_config.php the plugin uses that for sqlite’s file pathname instead. For example, if wp-config.php contains this line

define( 'WP_SQLITE_OBJECT_CACHE_DB_FILE', '/tmp/mysite-object-cache.sqlite' );

your object cache data goes into the /tmp folder in a file named mysite-object-cache.sqlite.

You can also define WP_CACHE_KEY_SALT to be a hard-to-guess text string. Continuing the example, this line

define( 'WP_CACHE_KEY_SALT', 'qrstuv' );

causes your object cache data to go into the /tmp folder in a file named mysite-object-cache.qrstuv.sqlite.

Yes. You can use your OS’s memory map feature to access and share cache data with SQLite Memory-Mapped I/O. On some server configurations this allows multiple php processes to share cached data more quickly. In the plugin this is disabled by default. You can enable it by telling the plugin how many MiB to use for memory mapping. For example, this wp-config setting tells the plugin to use 32MiB.

define( 'WP_SQLITE_OBJECT_CACHE_MMAP_SIZE', 32 );

Notice that using memory-mapped I/O may not help performance in the highly concurrent environment of a busy web server. That is why it is disabled by default. Notice also that this kind of memory-mapping is not the same thing as the APCu cache.

Some sites occasionally generate error messages looking like this one:

Unable to execute statement: database is locked in /var/www/wp-content/object-cache.php:1234

This can happen if your server places your WordPress files on network-attached storage (that is, on a network drive). To solve this, store your cached data on a locally attached drive. See the question about storing your data in a more secure place. It also can happen in a very busy site.

Timeout errors can also happen if your Cached Data Size, or your site, is very large. Try reducing your Cached Data Size. If that doesn’t help eliminate timeout errors, try setting the WP_SQLITE_OBJECT_CACHE_TIMEOUT parameter in your wp-config.php file to something larger than the default 5000 milliseconds.