version: "1.0.0" name: orbit-host-cloudways description: Cloudways compatibility audit — Breeze caching plugin, Object Cache Pro support, Varnish caching, server-level vs application-level caching, SSH access, multiple PHP versions, multiple stacks (Apache + NGINX, NGINX-only). Use when the user says "Cloudways", "DO + WP", "Vultr WP", or customer is on Cloudways.

🪐 orbit-host-cloudways — Cloudways compat

Cloudways is a managed-but-flexible host — DigitalOcean / Vultr / Linode + their stack on top. More flexibility than WPE/Kinsta, more responsibility on the user.

What this skill checks

1. Breeze plugin (Cloudways' default caching)

Customers usually have Breeze installed by default. Conflicts arise when:

• Your plugin sets its own Cache-Control headers Breeze ignores
• Your plugin caches object data Breeze expects to clear

2. Object Cache Pro (paid add-on)

If the customer pays for OCP, Redis is persistent + reliable. Without it, no object cache at all on default plans.

3. Varnish (server-level cache)

Cloudways stack uses Varnish in front of Apache/NGINX. Same cookie rules — non-WP cookies bust the cache for all visitors.

# Cloudways' default Varnish config respects:
# - Cookies starting with wp_, wordpress_, comment_author_
# - Cache exclusion via DONOTCACHEPAGE constant

// Trigger Varnish bypass for a specific request
if ( my_plugin_needs_fresh_data() ) {
  if ( ! defined( 'DONOTCACHEPAGE' ) ) define( 'DONOTCACHEPAGE', true );
}

4. SSH access (yes)

Customers can SSH in via Cloudways portal. Your plugin's WP-CLI commands work fine.

5. PHP version (configurable per server)

Cloudways supports PHP 7.4 / 8.0 / 8.1 / 8.2 / 8.3. Customer changes via Cloudways portal.

6. Server stack

Default: NGINX-only. Older sites on Apache + NGINX hybrid. .htaccess works on Apache but not the NGINX-only stack — your plugin shouldn't depend on .htaccess rewrites.

// ❌ Assumes Apache
file_put_contents( ABSPATH . '.htaccess', ... );
 
// ✅ Use WP API which handles both
flush_rewrite_rules( false );

7. Disk + bandwidth limits

Lower-tier plans have small disk + bandwidth quotas. Plugins that bloat the DB or generate large media files need to warn customers.

Output

# Cloudways Compat — my-plugin
 
✓ Detected: customer running Cloudways stack (server inspection)
✓ No .htaccess writes
✓ Triggers DONOTCACHEPAGE for dynamic endpoints
⚠ Plugin caches via wp_cache_* — works only on plans with Redis (OCP add-on)
   Document this limitation in plugin docs.

Pair with

• /orbit-cache-compat — broader cache patterns
• /orbit-host-shared — similar disk-write concerns

Sources & Evergreen References

Canonical docs

• Cloudways Help — root
• Breeze Plugin Docs — caching plugin reference
• Varnish Cache — server cache spec
• Object Cache Pro — add-on reference

Last reviewed

• 2026-04-29