X-Gateway-Cache-Status

The unofficial X-Gateway-Cache-Status response header reports the cache verdict of a hosting-side gateway layer sitting between Cloudflare and a WordPress origin. The header travels in a four-header family, always beside X-Gateway-Cache-Key, X-Gateway-Request-ID, and X-Gateway-Skip-Cache.

Usage

Crawl data records the family on 290 hosts, all WordPress sites, nearly all also carrying Cf-Ray and Cf-Cache-Status, so the gateway sits behind Cloudflare's edge. Sampled hosts resolve through GoDaddy nameservers, consistent with a managed WordPress platform whose documentation covers a flushable cache layer without naming the headers, so the attribution stays observational.

The status pairs mechanically with the skip flag: every observed BYPASS appears beside X-Gateway-Skip-Cache: 1, and the cacheable verdicts (MISS, HIT, EXPIRED) beside 0. A single observed sibling, X-Gateway-Rate-Limit-Delayed, carries a delay in seconds on a rate-limited response.

Values

BYPASS

The gateway skipped its cache for the request, the dominant observed value. WordPress responses with sessions, carts, or logged-in cookies commonly force the bypass.

MISS

The gateway cache was consulted and held no stored response, so the origin answered.

HIT

The gateway served the response from its own cache without contacting the origin.

EXPIRED

A stored response existed but aged out, sending the request to the origin for revalidation.

Example

A first request for a cacheable page misses the gateway cache while Cloudflare records its own verdict separately.

HTTP/1.1 200 OK
X-Gateway-Cache-Status: MISS
X-Gateway-Skip-Cache: 0
X-Gateway-Cache-Key: 1768911588.81|standard|https|www.example.re|||/
X-Gateway-Request-ID: 47acfd8ba589f3dba85311a1e4e59c9f
Cf-Cache-Status: DYNAMIC

See also

Last updated: September 21, 2026