Troubleshooting

Exclude Client Portal from cache

What you'll accomplish

You'll configure your caching plugin to exclude Client Portal pages, fixing issues where login forms refresh without logging in, file uploads fail, or portal content appears stale.

When to exclude Client Portal from cache

Client Portal relies on dynamic user sessions and real-time data. Caching these pages can cause several issues:

  • Login loops - Clicking "Login" refreshes the page but doesn't log you or your client in

  • Form submission failures - Registration forms or file uploads refresh without processing

  • Stale portal content - Modules, files, or updates don't appear after being added

  • Nonce verification errors - Security tokens expire when cached pages are served

If you're using a caching plugin like WP Rocket, WP Fastest Cache, or similar tools, you'll need to exclude Client Portal pages to prevent these issues.

Identify which pages to exclude

Client Portal uses specific URLs that must remain dynamic. Add these patterns to your cache exclusions:

  • /client-portal-login/ - The default login page

  • /client/* - All portal dashboards and content pages (covers /client/project-name/, /client/project-name/module/, etc.)

  • Any custom registration page using the [client_portal_register] shortcode (commonly /register/)

Your portal URLs may use a different slug if you've customized it. Check Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress admin to confirm your portal base slug.

Exclude pages in WP Rocket

WP Rocket is one of the most common caching plugins. Here's how to exclude Client Portal:

  1. In your WordPress admin, go to Settings > WP Rocket

  2. Click the Advanced Rules tab

  3. Scroll to the Never Cache URL(s) section

  4. Add these URLs (one per line): 

    /client-portal-login/
/client/*

  5. If you have a custom registration page, add it as well (e.g., /register/)

  6. Click Save Changes

  7. Clear your cache by clicking Clear Cache at the top of the page

After saving, WP Rocket will exclude these pages from caching and optimization features like minification and lazy loading.

If your clients are logged into WordPress while using their portals, you may also want to enable "Disable page caching for logged in users" under the Cache tab. This ensures their portal experience is always dynamic.

For complete WP Rocket exclusion details, see the official WP Rocket exclusion guide.

Exclude pages in WP Fastest Cache

If you're using WP Fastest Cache, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings > WP Fastest Cache in your WordPress admin

  2. Click the Exclude tab

  3. Under the Exclude Page or Exclude URI section, add these patterns: 

    yoursite.com/client-portal-login/
yoursite.com/client/*

  4. Replace yoursite.com with your actual domain

  5. If you have a registration page, add that URL as well

  6. Click Submit

  7. Go to the Delete Cache tab and click Delete Cache

Make sure to purge your entire cache after adding exclusions. Old cached pages may still cause issues until they're cleared.

Exclude pages in other caching plugins

Most WordPress caching plugins have similar exclusion settings. Look for options labeled:

  • "Never cache URLs" or "URL exclusions"

  • "Page exclusions" or "Exclude pages"

  • "Dynamic content" or "Do not cache"

Add the same URL patterns (/client-portal-login/ and /client/*) to these exclusion lists, then clear your cache.

Server-level caching

If your hosting provider uses server-level caching (Cloudflare, Nginx, Varnish, or services like GridPane), you may need to configure exclusions there as well.

Contact your hosting support and ask them to exclude these URL patterns from server caching:

  • /client-portal-login/

  • /client/*

  • Any custom registration page URLs

GridPane users can follow this GridPane-specific guide for excluding Client Portal from Nginx cache.

Test your exclusions

After configuring exclusions and clearing your cache, test to confirm everything works:

  1. Open an incognito or private browsing window

  2. Navigate to your portal login page

  3. Try logging in with client credentials

  4. Upload a test file or add content to a portal

  5. Verify that changes appear immediately without page refreshes

If issues persist, double-check that:

  • You've cleared both plugin and server-level caches

  • Your exclusion patterns match your actual portal URLs

  • You've saved changes in your caching plugin settings

Still experiencing issues?

If login forms still refresh or content doesn't update after excluding from cache:

  • Temporarily disable your caching plugin to confirm the issue is cache-related

  • Check if browser extensions are interfering with login (ad blockers, privacy tools)

  • Flush your WordPress permalinks by going to Settings > Permalinks and clicking Save Changes

  • Contact your hosting provider to verify no server-level caching is active on portal URLs

For additional help, refer to Using content pages for guidance on how dynamic portal content should behave.

Was this helpful?
Was this helpful?