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To install WP Super Cache on CentOS, install and activate it from WordPress, then choose Simple mode for the lowest-risk setup or Expert mode for Apache’s faster static-file delivery. Expert mode requires mod_rewrite, an Apache virtual-host rule that permits .htaccess overrides, and write access to the site’s .htaccess file. On an enforcing SELinux system, the relevant WordPress directories also need the httpd_sys_rw_content_t label.

The plugin itself is normally straightforward. Most CentOS failures occur because Apache ignores .htaccess, the apache service account cannot write it, or SELinux blocks writes to wp-content and the cache directory.

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What you need before installing

This procedure assumes WordPress is already running through Apache httpd on CentOS. You need administrator access to the WordPress dashboard and root or equivalent privilege on the server for Apache and SELinux changes.

  • Confirm that the site is served by Apache. The Expert method described here depends on Apache rewrite rules; it is not the right method for an Nginx-only server.
  • Know the absolute document-root path for this WordPress installation, such as /var/www/html. Use your real path in every configuration and SELinux command.
  • Back up .htaccess and your Apache virtual-host configuration before changing them. Keep a copy outside the web root so a failed rewrite change can be reversed.
  • Do not make the whole WordPress tree permanently writable just to install a cache plugin. The least-privilege target is a read-only WordPress core and wp-config.php, with write access limited to the directories that actually need it.

The plugin’s interface and rewrite snippets can change between releases. The workflow below describes the current interface labels reported for this setup; check the generated rules after every plugin upgrade rather than assuming an old block is still correct.

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Install and activate WP Super Cache

  1. Sign in to the WordPress administrator dashboard.
  2. Open Plugins > Add New.
  3. Search for WP Super Cache, select the matching plugin, and click Install Now.
  4. When installation finishes, click Activate.
  5. Open Settings > WP Super Cache. The plugin’s configuration page is divided into an Easy tab and an Advanced tab.

Installing the plugin does not automatically give Apache permission to rewrite files. Complete the server checks below before selecting Expert mode.

Choose Simple or Expert mode

Both modes cache pages, but they use different request paths and have different CentOS requirements.

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Characteristic Simple mode Expert mode
How a cached page is delivered Through WordPress/PHP Apache serves a static HTML file before PHP executes
Required server features No mod_rewrite, AllowOverride, or writable .htaccess requirement Apache mod_rewrite, an applicable AllowOverride setting, and a writable .htaccess
Configuration risk Lower; it avoids changes to .htaccess Higher; a rewrite or permission error can prevent the cache rules from being written or honored
Request overhead PHP still handles the cache lookup and response Static files can be returned without executing PHP
Maintenance Fewer server-side dependencies Re-check the rewrite block after plugin upgrades and Apache configuration changes

Use Simple mode when you cannot safely change the virtual host, when SELinux policy cannot be corrected, or when another administrator controls .htaccess. Use Expert mode when you control Apache and want the static-file path.

Enable Simple mode first when you need a safe fallback

  1. In Settings > WP Super Cache, open the Easy tab.
  2. Select the option that turns caching on.
  3. Click Update Status or the equivalent save button shown by your installed release.

Simple mode runs through PHP and does not need the plugin to edit .htaccess. It is therefore useful as a functioning baseline while you repair Apache or SELinux. If the Easy tab reports that caching is on, leave this mode enabled until the server-side checks for Expert mode are complete.

Prepare Apache on CentOS for Expert mode

Check that mod_rewrite is loaded

From a root shell, run:

httpd -M | grep rewrite

A loaded module appears as a rewrite module entry. If the command produces no matching line, Apache cannot apply the rules that Expert mode needs. Enable the module using your CentOS Apache package and configuration process, then verify the command again. Restart Apache after changing its module configuration:

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systemctl restart httpd

If the plugin says that mod_rewrite is missing, do not keep regenerating cache rules; fix this prerequisite first.

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Permit .htaccess overrides only where WordPress needs them

Apache ignores most .htaccess directives when the applicable directory or virtual-host configuration uses AllowOverride None. Locate the <Directory> block that covers the WordPress document root and change its override policy to allow the directives required by WordPress and the cache plugin. A typical scoped block has this shape, with the path adjusted to your installation:

<Directory "/var/www/html">
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
</Directory>

Do not blindly change every AllowOverride None on the server to All. Scope the change to the WordPress directory whenever possible, review the syntax, and restart Apache:

systemctl restart httpd

If Apache will not restart, inspect its error output and restore the last known-good configuration before troubleshooting the plugin.

Make .htaccess writable without broadening permissions unnecessarily

When you click Update Mod_Rewrite Rules, the plugin must write its rules to the WordPress .htaccess file. On CentOS, the web-server account is commonly named apache. That account needs write access to the file and, where the plugin creates cache data, to the appropriate wp-content directories.

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Use the ownership and ACL scheme already used by your server rather than applying a blanket world-writable mode. Check the file’s owner, group, mode, and parent-directory traversal permissions. If your deployment process deliberately keeps .htaccess immutable or read-only, use Simple mode or have the administrator insert and maintain the generated rules instead.

Fix SELinux labels instead of disabling SELinux

CentOS and related RHEL systems commonly run SELinux in enforcing mode. A Unix ownership check can look correct while SELinux still denies Apache’s write. Do not disable SELinux as a shortcut.

Label writable WordPress areas persistently

Only directories that must be changed by Apache should receive the writable web-content type. For a document root at /var/www/html, an example persistent rule for wp-content is:

semanage fcontext -a -t httpd_sys_rw_content_t "/var/www/html/wp-content(/.*)?"
restorecon -Rv /var/www/html/wp-content

Apply the same approach to the actual cache directory if it is outside wp-content. The first command records a persistent file-context rule; restorecon applies the expected labels to existing files. A one-time chcon change is not a durable fix because relabeling can remove it.

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Keep WordPress core files and wp-config.php read-only after setup unless a controlled update process temporarily needs more access. Writable labels should cover only wp-content, uploads, and cache locations that Apache genuinely writes.

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Inspect SELinux denials

If the plugin still reports permission denied, search the audit log:

ausearch -m avc

Then inspect the security labels on the cache tree:

ls -Z /var/www/html/wp-content/cache

Look for a label appropriate for Apache writing, especially httpd_sys_rw_content_t, and compare the denied path in the audit record with the directory you labeled. Correct the persistent context rule, run restorecon again, and retry the operation. Changing ordinary file modes alone will not resolve an SELinux denial.

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Configure Expert mode in WordPress

  1. Open Settings > WP Super Cache and select the Advanced tab.
  2. Select Expert caching and enable caching.
  3. Disable caching for logged-in visitors. Administrators and members should receive their personalized pages rather than a cached anonymous response.
  4. Do not cache pages with GET parameters (query strings). Parameters often represent searches, tracking values, carts, filters, or other request-specific content.
  5. Raise the cache timeout from its default value of 1,800 seconds to about 7,200 seconds for a site whose content does not change every few minutes. This is a starting point, not a universal value: news, commerce, membership, and frequently edited sites may need a shorter lifetime or explicit purges.
  6. Scroll to the bottom of the Advanced tab and click Update Mod_Rewrite Rules.

The plugin should report that it updated the rewrite rules. That action writes its cache block into .htaccess; it does not replace the need for Apache to have mod_rewrite, to allow overrides, and to be able to write the file.

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Verify that Apache is using the generated rules

Open the WordPress document root’s .htaccess and check for the standard WordPress markers:

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# BEGIN WordPress
...
# END WordPress

The cache plugin’s rewrite section should be inside the expected WordPress-managed area generated by your installed release. Keep the marker lines intact. The plugin’s automatic update logic relies on them; deleting or renaming them can leave old rules in place even when the dashboard reports a change.

After changing Apache configuration, restart httpd. If the site returns a 500 error, temporarily restore the backed-up .htaccess, inspect Apache’s error log, and reintroduce only validated directives. A syntax error in the file can affect every request to the site.

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Troubleshoot common CentOS failures

“mod_rewrite is not working”

  • Run httpd -M | grep rewrite. If there is no result, load the module and restart Apache.
  • Confirm that the WordPress directory’s AllowOverride setting is not None.
  • Check that the request is actually reaching Apache, not an Nginx front end or proxy that never evaluates Apache’s .htaccess.
  • Regenerate the rules only after these prerequisites are fixed, then inspect .htaccess for the plugin block.

“.htaccess is not updating”

  • Confirm that the file is writable by the Apache service account, commonly apache on CentOS.
  • Check directory traversal permissions on the document root and its parents.
  • Verify that # BEGIN WordPress and # END WordPress are present and unmodified. The plugin’s automatic update depends on these markers.
  • Check SELinux with ausearch -m avc and inspect the target with ls -Z.
  • After a plugin upgrade, compare the cache rewrite block with the block expected by the newly installed release. Do not assume an older generated block is still current.

“SELinux permission denied”

  • Read the AVC records with ausearch -m avc to identify the denied path and operation.
  • Run ls -Z on wp-content and wp-content/cache to confirm their contexts.
  • Add a persistent semanage fcontext rule for only the required writable paths and apply it with restorecon -Rv.
  • Retest as the Apache service account’s normal request path. Do not solve the denial by disabling SELinux or making the entire site world-writable.

The site uses Nginx

Expert mode is based on Apache rewrite rules and does not apply to an Nginx-only setup. Use Simple mode, or have the person responsible for the Nginx configuration implement an equivalent, explicitly tested cache-delivery design outside this Apache procedure.

Pages show stale or personalized content

Ensure logged-in visitors are excluded from caching and that requests with GET parameters are not cached. When content changes, purge or regenerate the cache using the controls provided by your installed plugin release, then test while logged out in a private browser window. Do not test only as an administrator, because logged-in users should be excluded by the recommended setting.

Post-install security and maintenance checklist

  • Keep mod_rewrite enabled only where needed and scope AllowOverride to the WordPress directory instead of changing the entire server.
  • Keep WordPress core and wp-config.php read-only after updates; limit Apache write access to wp-content, uploads, and cache directories.
  • Record the generated .htaccess block in your configuration backup, but treat the installed plugin release as authoritative after an upgrade.
  • After every plugin upgrade, open the Advanced tab, confirm Expert mode is still selected, and verify the cache rewrite block and WordPress markers.
  • After Apache or SELinux policy changes, run httpd -M | grep rewrite, inspect relevant labels with ls -Z, and review AVC records if a write fails.
  • If server policy cannot meet Expert mode’s requirements, leave Simple mode enabled rather than weakening SELinux or broadening write permissions.

The Bottom Line

On CentOS, the reliable path is to install WP Super Cache in WordPress, use Simple mode unless Apache and SELinux are correctly prepared, and select Expert mode only after verifying mod_rewrite, scoped AllowOverride, writable .htaccess, and httpd_sys_rw_content_t labels. The checks httpd -M, ausearch -m avc, and ls -Z identify most server-side failures.

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