Nginx.conf rules for Wordfence Falcon Engine Caching when using Nginx and PHP5-FPM

Wordfence is a free WordPress plugin that provides security for your wordpress installation. It has a nice feature that scans your wordpress files and compares it with the original to see if they have been modified.

However, the scan is not foolproof. It does not cover all the core wordpress files or the themes or the plugins. Also, if the hacker has inserted new files, that goes undetected.

One of the features that the Wordfence plugin offers is Caching. It claims that if you Enable Wordfence Falcon Engine, there is a “30 to 50 Times speed increase” in the site.

If you are using Nginx and PHP5-FPM, then you get asked to go to http://www.wordfence.com/blog/2014/05/nginx-wordfence-falcon-engine-php-fpm-fastcgi-fast-cgi/ where the Nginx.conf rules which are require to be inserted are set out.

What you have to do is first locate where your nginx.conf file is


find / -name nginx.conf

reveals the location.

In the case of centminmod, it is at


/usr/local/nginx/conf/nginx.conf

In the case of easyengine, it is at


/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Make a backup of the nginx.conf file by renamning it as nginx_BU.conf with the command


mv /usr/local/nginx/conf/nginx.conf
/usr/local/nginx/conf/nginx_BU.conf

Now, just create a new nginx.conf file with the command


nano /usr/local/nginx/conf/nginx.conf

and paste the Nginx.conf rules provided by Wordfence.

Now restart nginx with the command


service nginx restart

(Centminmod) and


nginx -t && service nginx reload

(easyengine)

If all goes well, you will get the message


nginx: the configuration file /usr/local/nginx/conf/nginx.conf syntax is ok

Now, go back to the Wordfence plugin and enable the caching.

The moot question is whether the caching is better than that provided by WP Super Cache or Quick Cache.

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