WP Optimal State Plugin - Free Download and User Manual

Q: Will this plugin speed up my website?

Yes, typically you'll see faster admin dashboard (10-30% improvement), reduced database query times (15-40% improvement), smaller backup sizes, and better hosting resource usage. Front-end speed improvements are typically 5-15% when combined with caching plugins.

Q: How often should I clean my database?

Recommended schedule: Weekly for One-Click Optimization, Monthly for full manual cleanup, and Quarterly for deep maintenance with all options. High-traffic sites may benefit from twice-weekly cleanups.

Q: Will this affect my published content?

No, safe operations only remove old revisions, deleted content, spam, orphaned data, and expired cache. Your published posts, pages, and approved comments remain untouched.

Version 1.0.2
Last Updated: October 2025
Price: FREE ✅

Introduction

What is WP Optimal State?

WP Optimal State is a comprehensive database optimization and maintenance plugin designed to keep your WordPress website running at peak performance. Over time, WordPress databases accumulate unnecessary data such as post revisions, spam comments, orphaned metadata, and expired transients. This bloat can slow down your site and increase hosting costs.

WP Optimal State provides an intuitive interface to safely identify, review, and remove this unnecessary data while optimizing your database tables for maximum efficiency.

Key Benefits

Improved Performance: Reduce database size and query times
Better User Experience: Faster page loads and admin operations
Cost Savings: Smaller databases mean lower hosting costs
Easy Maintenance: One-click optimization for routine cleaning
Full Control: Choose exactly what to clean and when
Safe Operations: Clear warnings for potentially destructive actions

Who Should Use This Plugin?

Website Owners: Keep your site fast and efficient
Developers: Maintain clean development and staging environments
Agencies: Regular maintenance for client websites
Bloggers: Manage post revisions and comment spam
E-commerce Sites: Optimize product databases and transients

Installation

Automatic Installation

Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
Navigate to Plugins → Add New
Search for “WP Optimal State”
Click Install Now next to the plugin
Click Activate when installation completes

Manual Installation

Download the plugin ZIP file
Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
Navigate to Plugins → Add New
Click Upload Plugin at the top
Click Choose File and select the ZIP file
Click Install Now
Click Activate Plugin when installation completes

Installation via FTP

Download and extract the plugin ZIP file
Upload the wp-optimal-state folder to /wp-content/plugins/
Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
Navigate to Plugins
Find “WP Optimal State” and click Activate

System Requirements

WordPress: 5.0 or higher
PHP: 7.0 or higher
MySQL: 5.6 or higher (or MariaDB 10.0+)
User Permission: Administrator access required

Getting Started

First-Time Setup

Step 1: Access the Plugin

After activation, you’ll find Optimal State in your WordPress admin menu with a performance icon (⚡).

Click on Optimal State to access the main dashboard.

Step 2: Create a Database Backup

⚠️ CRITICAL STEP – DO NOT SKIP!

Before using any cleanup features:

Navigate to Tools → Export in WordPress
Select “All content” and click Download Export File
Save the export file to a safe location

Additional Backup Methods:

Use your hosting control panel’s backup feature
Use a dedicated backup plugin (UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, etc.)
Use phpMyAdmin to export your database
Contact your hosting provider for backup assistance

Step 3: Review Statistics

The plugin will automatically scan your database and display statistics about:

Post revisions count
Auto drafts
Trashed items
Spam comments
Orphaned metadata
Transients
Database size

Take a moment to review these numbers to understand your database health.

Step 4: Start with Safe Operations

For your first cleanup, we recommend using the One-Click Optimization feature, which only performs safe operations that won’t affect your published content.

Dashboard Overview

Main Interface Sections

1. One-Click Optimization Panel (Top Left)

Purple gradient card with rocket icon 🚀

This is your quick-access optimization tool that performs all safe cleanup operations simultaneously:

Removes post revisions
Deletes auto drafts
Cleans spam comments
Removes trashed comments
Cleans orphaned post metadata
Removes orphaned comment metadata
Deletes orphaned relationships
Clears expired transients
Removes orphaned user metadata
Deletes pingbacks
Removes trackbacks
Optimizes all database tables

When to Use:

Weekly maintenance
After major content updates
When site feels sluggish
Before important events or promotions

2. Database Statistics Panel (Top Right)

White card with chart icon 📊

Displays real-time statistics about your database:

Post Revisions: Number of old post versions
Auto Drafts: Automatically saved draft posts
Trashed Posts: Posts in trash (not permanently deleted)
Spam Comments: Comments marked as spam
Trashed Comments: Comments in trash
Orphaned Post Meta: Metadata for deleted posts
Orphaned Comment Meta: Metadata for deleted comments
Expired Transients: Outdated temporary data
All Transients: Total cached temporary data
Autoloaded Options: Number of auto-loading options
Autoload Size: Total size of autoloaded data
Total Database Size: Overall database size in MB/GB

Refresh Stats Button: Click to manually update statistics

3. Database Cleanup Section

Grid of individual cleanup items 🧹

Each cleanup item shows:

Title: Type of data (e.g., “Post Revisions”)
Count: Number of items found (badge)
Description: What this data type is
Warning Icon ⚠️: Appears for potentially destructive operations
Clean Now Button: Initiates cleanup for that specific item

Items are color-coded:

Gray background: Standard cleanup item
Red button: Cleanup action
Green button: Completed action (temporary)
Badge: Shows item count

4. Database Optimization Section

Tools for table-level optimization 🗄️

Two main functions:

Optimize All Tables

Repairs and optimizes all database tables
Reclaims unused space
Updates index statistics
Safe for all sites

Optimize Autoloaded Options

Finds large autoloaded options (>100KB)
Converts them to load on-demand
Excludes critical options (active_plugins, cron, rewrite_rules)
Reduces memory usage

5. Settings Section

Configuration options ⚙️

Delete Revisions Older Than

Set number of days (0-365)
0 = disabled (keeps all revisions)
Default: 30 days
Recommended: 30-90 days depending on content update frequency

Clean Old Revisions Now Button

Immediately removes revisions older than specified days
Separate from other cleanup operations
Useful for one-time bulk cleanup

Features & Functions

One-Click Optimization

Purpose: Perform all safe database maintenance in one action

What It Does:

Removes all post revisions
Deletes auto-draft posts
Cleans spam comments
Removes trashed comments
Deletes orphaned post metadata
Removes orphaned comment metadata
Cleans orphaned term relationships
Deletes expired transients
Removes orphaned user metadata
Deletes pingbacks and trackbacks
Optimizes all database tables

Process:

Click the “Optimize Now” button
Wait for processing (5-60 seconds depending on database size)
Review results showing items cleaned
Statistics automatically refresh

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – No published content affected

Recommended Frequency: Weekly or bi-weekly

Individual Cleanup Operations

Post Revisions

What It Is: WordPress automatically saves versions of your posts and pages every time you edit them.

Why Clean: Each revision is stored as a separate post in the database, potentially creating hundreds or thousands of entries.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – You can still undo changes using remaining revisions

When to Clean:

Before major database operations
When revisions exceed 1000
If you don’t use the revision feature

Impact: Can reduce database size by 10-30% on content-heavy sites

Auto Drafts

What It Is: WordPress automatically saves draft posts as you type.

Why Clean: Abandoned posts remain as auto-drafts indefinitely.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Only removes abandoned drafts

When to Clean: Monthly or when count exceeds 50

Impact: Minimal database size reduction but improves post list clarity

Trashed Posts

What It Is: Posts moved to trash but not permanently deleted.

Why Clean: Trash doesn’t empty automatically.

Safety Level: ⚠️ CAUTION – Permanently deletes posts

When to Clean:

After reviewing trash contents
When certain items should be permanently removed
During major site cleanup

Impact: Varies based on trash contents

⚠️ Warning: This action cannot be undone. Review trash contents first via Posts → All Posts → Trash.

Spam Comments

What It Is: Comments marked as spam by Akismet or manual moderation.

Why Clean: Spam accumulates quickly on popular sites.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Legitimate comments not affected

When to Clean: Weekly or when spam count exceeds 100

Impact: Can significantly reduce comment table size on spam-heavy sites

Trashed Comments

What It Is: Comments moved to trash but not permanently deleted.

Why Clean: Trash doesn’t empty automatically.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Only deletes trashed comments

When to Clean: Monthly or when count is high

Impact: Moderate database size reduction

Orphaned Post Meta

What It Is: Custom fields and metadata attached to deleted posts.

Why Clean: When posts are deleted, their metadata often remains.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Only affects deleted post metadata

When to Clean: After bulk post deletions or monthly maintenance

Impact: Can reduce postmeta table size by 5-15%

Orphaned Comment Meta

What It Is: Metadata attached to deleted comments.

Why Clean: Reduces commentmeta table bloat.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Only affects deleted comment metadata

When to Clean: After comment cleanup or monthly

Impact: Minor database size reduction

Orphaned Relationships

What It Is: Term relationships (tags, categories) for deleted posts.

Why Clean: Keeps taxonomy tables clean.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Only removes relationships for deleted posts

When to Clean: After bulk deletions or quarterly

Impact: Minor database size reduction

Expired Transients

What It Is: Temporary cached data that has exceeded its expiration time.

Why Clean: WordPress doesn’t always clean these automatically.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Only removes expired cache

When to Clean:

Weekly as preventive maintenance
When options table is large
After deactivating plugins

Impact: Can significantly reduce options table size (5-25%)

All Transients

What It Is: All temporary cached data, expired and active.

Why Clean: Forces fresh data generation.

Safety Level: ⚠️ CAUTION – May temporarily slow site while cache rebuilds

When to Clean:

When troubleshooting caching issues
After major plugin updates
When site displays cached errors

Impact: Temporarily increases page generation time

⚠️ Warning: Site may be slower for 1-2 hours while cache rebuilds.

Duplicate Post Meta

What It Is: Duplicate entries in the postmeta table.

Why Clean: Database errors or plugin bugs can create duplicates.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Removes duplicates, keeps one copy

When to Clean:

After identifying duplicate issues
During annual deep cleanup
When postmeta table is unusually large

Impact: Varies depending on duplicate count

Duplicate Comment Meta

What It Is: Duplicate entries in the commentmeta table.

Why Clean: Prevents data inconsistencies.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Removes duplicates, keeps one copy

When to Clean: During thorough database maintenance

Impact: Minor database size reduction

Orphaned User Meta

What It Is: Metadata attached to deleted user accounts.

Why Clean: Keeps usermeta table clean.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Only affects deleted users

When to Clean:

After removing spam users
After bulk user deletions
Quarterly maintenance

Impact: Depends on user deletion history

Unapproved Comments

What It Is: Comments awaiting moderation approval.

Why Clean: Removes backlog of pending comments.

Safety Level: ⚠️ CAUTION – Deletes comments that might be legitimate

When to Clean:

When moderation queue is overwhelming
When closing comments on old posts
After reviewing pending comments

Impact: Varies based on comment volume

⚠️ Warning: Review pending comments first via Comments → Pending.

Pingbacks

What It Is: Notifications when other sites link to your content.

Why Clean: Many pingbacks are spam or from defunct sites.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Won’t affect regular comments

When to Clean:

If you don’t use pingbacks
When pingback spam is high
During comment cleanup

Impact: Reduces comment table size

Trackbacks

What It Is: Similar to pingbacks but using older protocol.

Why Clean: Rarely used in modern WordPress.

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Won’t affect regular comments

When to Clean: Anytime, especially if not using trackbacks

Impact: Minor database size reduction

Database Table Optimization

Optimize All Tables

What It Does:

Runs MySQL OPTIMIZE TABLE command on all tables
Reclaims unused space from deleted rows
Defragments tables for better performance
Updates index statistics
Repairs minor table corruption

Technical Process:

OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_posts;
OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_postmeta;
OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_comments;
-- ... continues for all tables

When to Use:

After cleaning large amounts of data
Monthly maintenance
When database feels fragmented
After major content operations

Duration: 10 seconds to 5 minutes depending on database size

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Non-destructive operation

Expected Results:

Slightly smaller database size
Improved query performance
Better index efficiency

Note: Tables are locked briefly during optimization, causing momentary slowdowns.

Optimize Autoloaded Options

What It Does:

Identifies options larger than 100KB set to autoload
Changes large options to load on-demand
Excludes critical options (active_plugins, cron, rewrite_rules)
Reduces memory usage on every page load

Why It Matters: Autoloaded options are loaded into memory on every single page request. Large autoloaded options can:

Increase memory usage
Slow down every page load
Cause timeout errors on shared hosting
Waste server resources

What’s Considered Large:

Options over 100KB (102,400 bytes)
Usually serialized arrays or cached data
Often created by poorly coded plugins

When to Use:

When autoload size exceeds 1MB
After deactivating plugins
When experiencing memory issues
During performance optimization

Safety Level: ✅ Safe – Critical options are protected

Expected Results:

Faster page loads (50-200ms improvement)
Reduced memory usage
More responsive admin panel

Settings Configuration

Revision Age Limit

Purpose: Automatically clean revisions older than X days

Configuration:

Field: Number input (0-365 days)
Default: 30 days
Disabled: Set to 0

Recommended Settings by Site Type:

Site Type	Recommended Days	Reason
Blog	30-60	Frequent content updates
Business	60-90	Moderate updates
E-commerce	14-30	Frequent product changes
Portfolio	90-180	Infrequent updates
News	14-30	Daily updates

How to Use:

Enter number of days in the field
Click “Clean Old Revisions Now” to apply immediately
Or wait for scheduled cleanup (if configured)

Example: Setting “30 days” means:

Revisions from last 30 days are kept
Revisions older than 30 days are deleted
Protects recent editing history

Safety Guidelines

Before You Start

Essential Pre-Cleanup Steps

Create Full Database Backup
- Use WordPress Export (Tools → Export)
- Use hosting control panel backup
- Use backup plugin
- Download backup to local computer
Test on Staging Site First (Recommended)
- Clone your site to staging environment
- Run cleanup operations
- Verify everything works correctly
- Then apply to production
Review Current Statistics
- Check what will be cleaned
- Verify counts make sense
- Look for unexpectedly high numbers
Schedule Maintenance Window
- Choose low-traffic time
- Inform team members
- Allow 30-60 minutes
- Have backup plan ready
Document Current State
- Take screenshots of statistics
- Note database size before cleanup
- Record page load times
- Save list of active plugins

Understanding Risk Levels

✅ Safe Operations (Green Light)

These operations only remove data that’s no longer needed or already deleted:

Post revisions
Auto drafts
Spam comments
Trashed comments
Orphaned metadata (all types)
Expired transients
Pingbacks
Trackbacks
Duplicate metadata
Database table optimization

Can be performed anytime with minimal risk

⚠️ Caution Required (Yellow Light)

These operations can affect visible content or site functionality:

Trashed Posts: Permanently deletes posts from trash
All Transients: Clears active cache (site may slow temporarily)
Unapproved Comments: Deletes pending comments

Review carefully before proceeding

🛑 High Risk Operations (Not Included)

WP Optimal State deliberately does NOT include:

Deleting published posts
Removing active comments
Modifying user accounts
Changing site settings
Affecting media files

These operations require manual action in WordPress

Recovery Procedures

If Something Goes Wrong

Immediate Steps:

Don’t Panic
- Most operations can be recovered from backup
- Document what happened
- Note error messages
Restore from BackupMethod 1: WordPress Import
- Go to Tools → Import
- Install WordPress Importer
- Upload your export XML file
- Import content
Method 2: Database Restore
- Access phpMyAdmin
- Select your database
- Click Import tab
- Upload backup SQL file
- Execute import
Method 3: Hosting Control Panel
- Access cPanel or hosting dashboard
- Find backup/restore section
- Select database backup
- Restore to original state
Verify Site Functionality
- Check homepage loads
- Test admin access
- Verify posts display
- Test comments
- Check contact forms
Contact Support
- Plugin support forum
- Hosting provider
- WordPress developer

Best Practices for Safe Operation

Daily Operations

✅ Monitor database statistics
✅ Check for unusual patterns
✅ Keep regular backups

Weekly Operations

✅ Run One-Click Optimization
✅ Clean spam comments
✅ Remove expired transients

Monthly Operations

✅ Full database cleanup
✅ Optimize autoloaded options
✅ Review and clean old revisions
✅ Optimize all tables

Quarterly Operations

✅ Deep database analysis
✅ Clean orphaned relationships
✅ Review settings and schedules
✅ Test restoration procedures

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: “Unauthorized” Error Message

Symptoms:

Error message when clicking any button
AJAX operations fail
Statistics don’t load

Causes:

User lacks administrator permissions
Session expired
Nonce verification failed

Solutions:

Log out and log back in
Verify you have administrator role
Check for conflicting security plugins
Clear browser cookies
Try different browser

Issue: Statistics Not Loading

Symptoms:

“Loading statistics…” message doesn’t disappear
Empty statistics panel
Spinning loader indefinitely

Causes:

Large database taking time to query
JavaScript conflict
Server timeout
Database connection issue

Solutions:

Wait 60 seconds (large databases take time)
Click “Refresh Stats” button
Check browser console for JavaScript errors (F12)
Disable other plugins temporarily
Contact hosting about database performance
Increase PHP max_execution_time

Issue: Operation Times Out

Symptoms:

White screen during cleanup
“Maximum execution time exceeded” error
Operation never completes

Causes:

Very large dataset to clean
Server resource limits
PHP timeout settings too low

Solutions:

Clean smaller batches manually
Increase PHP timeout (ask hosting provider)
Use SSH/WP-CLI for large operations
Schedule cleanups during off-peak hours
Upgrade hosting plan

Technical Fix (for developers): Add to wp-config.php:

set_time_limit(300); // 5 minutes
ini_set('max_execution_time', 300);

Issue: Database Size Doesn’t Decrease

Symptoms:

Cleanup successful but database size unchanged
“Optimized X items” but no size reduction
Statistics show 0 items but database still large

Causes:

Database hasn’t reclaimed space yet
InnoDB storage engine doesn’t immediately release space
Large tables not yet optimized

Solutions:

Click “Optimize All Tables” button
Wait 24 hours for MySQL to reclaim space
Run OPTIMIZE TABLE manually via phpMyAdmin
Check if other data exists (uploads, plugins)

Note: InnoDB tables may not shrink immediately. Space is reused internally but file size may not decrease.

Issue: Site Slower After Cleanup

Symptoms:

Pages load slower than before
Admin dashboard sluggish
Database queries taking longer

Causes:

Cleared active transients/cache
Removed useful cache data
Database optimization in progress

Solutions:

Wait 1-2 hours for cache to rebuild
Visit site pages to regenerate cache
Clear browser cache
Flush object cache (if using)
Check server resources

Prevention: Don’t clean “All Transients” unless necessary

Issue: Can’t Access Admin After Cleanup

Symptoms:

Login page works but dashboard won’t load
White screen after login
Database error messages

Causes:

Critical option accidentally modified
Active plugins affected
Corrupted session data

Solutions:

Restore from backup immediately
Access via FTP and rename plugins folder
Use database restore via phpMyAdmin
Contact hosting provider for emergency restore
Try wp-admin/options.php directly

Emergency Recovery:

// Add to wp-config.php temporarily
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);

Check wp-content/debug.log for errors

Issue: “Clean Now” Button Does Nothing

Symptoms:

Clicking button has no effect
No loading state
No error message

Causes:

JavaScript not loaded
jQuery conflict
Browser blocking requests
Ad blocker interference

Solutions:

Hard refresh page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
Check browser console for errors
Disable ad blockers temporarily
Try different browser
Clear browser cache
Check for JavaScript conflicts with other plugins

Issue: Some Items Won’t Clean

Symptoms:

Cleanup reports 0 items deleted
Count remains same after cleaning
“Error – Try Again” message

Causes:

Database permissions issue
Corrupted table
Foreign key constraints
Protected items

Solutions:

Check database user permissions
Run database repair (wp-config.php: define(‘WP_ALLOW_REPAIR’, true))
Access yoursite.com/wp-admin/maint/repair.php
Review MySQL error logs
Contact hosting provider

Error Messages Explained

Error Message	Meaning	Solution
“Unauthorized”	User lacks permissions	Log in as administrator
“Nonce verification failed”	Security token expired	Refresh page
“Cleanup failed”	Database operation error	Check error logs
“Maximum execution time”	PHP timeout	Increase time limits
“Out of memory”	PHP memory exhausted	Increase memory_limit
“Database connection lost”	MySQL timeout	Check database server
“Table doesn’t exist”	Database corruption	Run database repair

Debug Mode

Enable WordPress Debug Mode:

Access site via FTP or hosting file manager
Open wp-config.php
Find: define('WP_DEBUG', false);
Change to: define('WP_DEBUG', true);
Add below it:

define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Save file
Reproduce issue
Check wp-content/debug.log for errors
Disable debug mode after troubleshooting

Important: Never leave debug mode enabled on live sites!

Best Practices

Maintenance Schedule

Weekly Maintenance (5-10 minutes)

Goal: Prevent database bloat

Tasks:

[ ] Run One-Click Optimization
[ ] Review database statistics
[ ] Check for unusual patterns
[ ] Verify site performance

Best Time: Sunday evening or Monday morning during low traffic

Monthly Maintenance (15-30 minutes)

Goal: Deep cleanup and optimization

Tasks:

[ ] Create fresh database backup
[ ] Run all safe cleanup operations individually
[ ] Clean old revisions (30+ days)
[ ] Optimize autoloaded options
[ ] Optimize all database tables
[ ] Review and document results
[ ] Compare database size to previous month

Best Time: First weekend of the month

Quarterly Maintenance (30-60 minutes)

Goal: Comprehensive database health check

Tasks:

[ ] Full database backup
[ ] Review all statistics carefully
[ ] Clean orphaned relationships
[ ] Review and clean duplicate metadata
[ ] Analyze slow query logs
[ ] Test database restoration
[ ] Update documentation
[ ] Review plugin settings
[ ] Consider permanent deletions (trashed items)

Best Time: End of business quarter

Performance Optimization Tips

Database-Level Optimization

Keep Revisions Under Control
- Limit revisions to 30-60 days
- Or limit revision count: Add to wp-config.php:
```
define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5);
```
Regular Transient Cleanup
- Clean expired transients weekly
- Monitor transient growth
- Identify plugins creating excessive transients
Minimize Autoloaded Data
- Keep autoload size under 1MB
- Run autoload optimization monthly
- Identify problematic plugins
Optimize Tables Regularly
- Run table optimization monthly
- After large cleanup operations
- When database feels fragmented
Monitor Database Growth
- Track database size monthly
- Investigate sudden increases
- Plan for scaling needs

WordPress-Level Optimization

Use Object Caching
- Install Redis or Memcached
- Reduces database queries
- Complements WP Optimal State
Implement Page Caching
- Use caching plugin (W3 Total Cache, WP Super Cache)
- Reduces database load
- Improves page speed
Optimize Images
- Use image optimization plugins
- Reduces media library bloat
- Improves load times
Regular Plugin Audits
- Remove unused plugins
- Update regularly
- Check for database-heavy plugins
Use CDN
- Offload static assets
- Reduces server load
- Improves global performance

Server-Level Optimization

Adequate Resources
- Sufficient RAM (min 1GB for WordPress)
- SSD storage
- Modern PHP version (7.4+)
Database Server Tuning
- Optimize MySQL/MariaDB configuration
- Increase buffer sizes
- Enable query cache (if available)

PHP Configuration

memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
post_max_size = 64M
upload_max_filesize = 64M

Regular Server Maintenance
- Update server software
- Monitor resource usage
- Check error logs

Security Best Practices

Protection Measures

Always Backup First
- Never skip this step
- Store backups off-site
- Test restoration regularly
Use Staging Environment
- Test cleanups on staging first
- Verify results before production
- Practice safe deployment
Limit User Access
- Only administrators should access plugin
- Review user roles regularly
- Use principle of least privilege
Monitor Changes
- Document cleanup operations
- Track database size changes
- Keep operation logs
Schedule Off-Peak Operations
- Low traffic times
- Maintenance windows
- User notification in advance

Backup Strategy

3-2-1 Backup Rule:

3 copies of data
2 different storage types
1 off-site backup

Recommended Backup Schedule:

Before every cleanup: Manual backup
Daily: Automated hosting backups
Weekly: Full site backup to external storage
Monthly: Archive backup for long-term storage

Backup Tools:

Free: UpdraftPlus, BackWPup
Premium: BackupBuddy, WP Time Capsule, BlogVault
Hosting: cPanel backups, host-specific tools
Manual: phpMyAdmin export, WordPress export

Content Management Guidelines

Post Revisions

Optimal Strategy:

Keep 3-5 most recent revisions
Delete revisions older than 30-60 days
Document major edits externally

wp-config.php Settings:

// Limit revisions to 5
define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5);

// Or disable revisions entirely
define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', false);

Comments

Moderation Best Practices:

Review pending comments weekly
Empty trash monthly
Clean spam weekly
Use Akismet or similar anti-spam

Auto-Delete Settings:

Don’t rely on auto-delete alone
Manual review recommended
Keep legitimate comments indefinitely

Media Management

Note: WP Optimal State doesn’t manage media files

Complementary Practices:

Use media cleanup plugins for unused images
Optimize images before upload
Regular media library audits
Remove unused media monthly

FAQ

General Questions

Q: Is WP Optimal State safe to use?

A: Yes, when used properly. Always create a backup before cleaning, and start with the One-Click Optimization which only performs safe operations. Items marked with ⚠️ require extra caution.

Q: Will this plugin speed up my website?

A: Yes, typically you’ll see:

Faster admin dashboard (10-30% improvement)
Reduced database query times (15-40% improvement)
Smaller backup sizes
Better hosting resource usage

Front-end speed improvements are typically 5-15% when combined with caching plugins.

Q: How often should I clean my database?

A: Recommended schedule:

Weekly: One-Click Optimization
Monthly: Full manual cleanup
Quarterly: Deep maintenance with all options

High-traffic sites may benefit from twice-weekly cleanups.

Q: Can I undo a cleanup operation?

A: No, cleanup operations permanently delete data. This is why backups are critical. Always backup before cleaning, and test on staging sites when possible.

Q: Will this affect my published content?

A: No, safe operations (without ⚠️ warning) only remove:

Old revisions
Deleted content
Spam
Orphaned data
Expired cache

Your published posts, pages, and approved comments remain untouched.

Q: Does this work with WooCommerce?

A: Yes, WP Optimal State is compatible with WooCommerce and other plugins. It works at the database level and respects all WordPress data structures.

Q: Will this delete my images/media files?

A: No, WP Optimal State only cleans database entries. Media files in wp-content/uploads are not affected. Use a dedicated media cleanup plugin for unused files.

Q: Can I schedule automatic cleanups?

A: Currently, automatic scheduling is not enabled in the interface. You can manually run cleanups or use WordPress cron jobs. Scheduled cleanup functionality may be added in future versions.

Q: What’s the difference between “Expired Transients” and “All Transients”?

Expired Transients: Cached data past expiration time – safe to delete
All Transients: All cached data including active cache – may temporarily slow site while rebuilding

Always clean expired transients first.

Q: How much database space will I save?

A: Varies by site:

Small blogs: 5-20% reduction
Active blogs: 20-40% reduction
E-commerce sites: 10-30% reduction
Large forums: 30-50% reduction

Sites with many revisions see the most dramatic results.

Q: Is this plugin compatible with multisite?

A: The plugin is designed for single-site installations. Multisite compatibility has not been tested and is not officially supported.

Q: Does this work with managed WordPress hosting?

A: Yes, but some managed hosts (WP Engine, Kinsta) may have restrictions on database operations. Check with your host if you experience issues.

Technical Questions

Q: What MySQL/MariaDB permissions are required?

A: The plugin requires standard WordPress database permissions:

SELECT
INSERT
UPDATE
DELETE
CREATE
DROP
ALTER

These are typically included with WordPress installation.

Q: Can I use this on a production site?

A: Yes, but follow these rules:

Always backup first
Test on staging if possible
Run during low-traffic periods
Monitor site after cleanup
Have recovery plan ready

Q: Does this plugin create new database tables?

A: No, WP Optimal State doesn’t create any new tables. It only cleans and optimizes existing WordPress tables.

Q: Will this conflict with other optimization plugins?

A: Generally no, but avoid running multiple cleanup operations simultaneously. Disable other database cleanup plugins before using WP Optimal State, or use them at different times.

Q: What happens to the data that’s deleted?

A: Data is permanently removed from the database via SQL DELETE commands. It’s not moved to trash or marked as deleted – it’s completely erased.

Q: Can I recover data after cleaning?

A: Only from backups. Once cleaned, data cannot be recovered from the plugin. Always maintain recent backups.

Q: Does this plugin log what it deletes?

A: The plugin shows real-time counts of deleted items in the results panel. For detailed logging, enable WordPress debug mode before cleaning.

Q: What’s the maximum database size this can handle?

A: There’s no hard limit, but very large databases (10GB+) may need:

Increased PHP timeout settings
More server memory
CLI-based cleanup for best results

Q: Does this work with custom post types?

A: Yes, cleanup operations work on all post types including custom post types. Revisions, metadata, and relationships are cleaned regardless of post type.

Q: Will this delete plugin settings?

A: Safe operations won’t delete plugin settings. The “Optimize Autoloaded Options” feature specifically excludes critical options like active_plugins. Plugin settings are preserved unless you manually clean “All Transients” which may clear some cached settings.

Troubleshooting Questions

Q: Why do statistics show 0 but database is still large?

A: Database size includes:

Table structure overhead
Non-cleanable data (posts, comments, users)
Media metadata
Plugin/theme data
MySQL storage engine overhead

Not all database content should be cleaned.

Q: The plugin says “Cleaned 500 items” but I don’t see a difference?

A: Run “Optimize All Tables” afterward. MySQL doesn’t immediately release space – it marks it as reusable. Table optimization reclaims this space.

Q: Why won’t my autoload size decrease?

A: Some large autoloaded options are:

Protected by the plugin (active_plugins, cron, rewrite_rules)
Recreated immediately by plugins
Required for site functionality

Focus on identifying and replacing problematic plugins.

Q: Site got slower after cleaning transients?

A: Normal for 1-2 hours while cache rebuilds. Solutions:

Visit all main pages to regenerate cache
Wait for cache to rebuild naturally
Clear browser cache
Flush object cache if using Redis/Memcached

Q: Getting “Out of Memory” errors?

A: Increase PHP memory:

In wp-config.php:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
define('WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');

Or contact hosting provider to increase:

memory_limit
php_memory_limit

Q: Operations timeout on my site?

A: Your hosting may have strict limits. Options:

Contact host to temporarily increase limits
Clean smaller batches manually
Upgrade hosting plan
Use WP-CLI for large operations
Schedule during off-peak hours

Q: Can’t access plugin page after activation?

A: Check:

You have administrator role
WordPress is updated
PHP version meets requirements (7.0+)
No plugin conflicts (deactivate others temporarily)
No .htaccess restrictions

Technical Information

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:

WordPress: 5.0 or higher
PHP: 7.0 or higher
MySQL: 5.6 or higher (or MariaDB 10.0+)
Memory: 64MB PHP memory minimum
User Role: Administrator

Recommended Requirements:

WordPress: 6.0 or higher
PHP: 8.0 or higher
MySQL: 5.7 or higher (or MariaDB 10.3+)
Memory: 128MB+ PHP memory
Storage: SSD-based hosting
Backup: Automated daily backups

Database Operations

Tables Modified

The plugin can clean data from these WordPress core tables:

Table	Operations
wp_posts	Delete revisions, auto-drafts, trash
wp_postmeta	Remove orphaned and duplicate meta
wp_comments	Delete spam, trash, pingbacks, trackbacks
wp_commentmeta	Remove orphaned and duplicate meta
wp_usermeta	Clean orphaned user metadata
wp_term_relationships	Delete orphaned relationships
wp_options	Clean transients, optimize autoload

All Tables: Can be optimized with OPTIMIZE TABLE command

SQL Queries Used

Sample queries (simplified):

-- Count post revisions
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type = 'revision';

-- Delete post revisions
DELETE FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type = 'revision';

-- Find orphaned postmeta
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM wp_postmeta 
WHERE post_id NOT IN (SELECT ID FROM wp_posts);

-- Clean expired transients
DELETE FROM wp_options 
WHERE option_name LIKE '_transient_timeout_%' 
AND option_value < UNIX_TIMESTAMP();

-- Optimize table
OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_posts;

Performance Impact

During Operation

Resource Usage:

CPU: Moderate (30-60% for 10-60 seconds)
Memory: Based on data size (typically 64-256MB)
Disk I/O: High during table optimization
Database: Table locks during operations

Site Impact:

Brief slowdowns during cleanup (1-30 seconds)
Table locks may delay queries momentarily
Minimal impact on front-end for visitors
Admin may be slower during operations

After Operation

Expected Improvements:

Database size: 10-50% reduction (varies)
Query speed: 15-40% faster
Admin speed: 10-30% improvement
Backup time: 20-40% reduction
Hosting storage: Lower usage

Security Features

Built-in Protections

Nonce Verification
- All AJAX requests verified
- Prevents CSRF attacks
- 24-hour token expiration
Capability Checks
- Requires ‘manage_options’ capability
- Administrator role only
- Per-request verification
Input Sanitization
- All user input sanitized
- SQL injection prevention
- XSS protection
Output Escaping
- All output escaped
- HTML injection prevention
- JavaScript safety
Prepared Statements
- Uses $wpdb->prepare() for dynamic queries
- Parameterized queries
- SQL injection prevention

Compatibility

WordPress Versions

Minimum: 5.0
Tested up to: 6.7
Recommended: 6.0+

PHP Versions

Minimum: 7.0
Tested: 7.0, 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2
Recommended: 8.0+

Database Systems

MySQL: 5.6, 5.7, 8.0
MariaDB: 10.0, 10.3, 10.5, 10.6
Percona: Compatible with MySQL versions

Known Compatible Plugins

WooCommerce
Yoast SEO
Contact Form 7
Advanced Custom Fields
Elementor
WPBakery
Jetpack
Wordfence
All major caching plugins

Known Incompatibilities

None currently identified
Report any issues to support

File Structure

wp-optimal-state/
├── wp-optimal-state.php    # Main plugin file
├── css/
│   └── admin-styles.css    # Admin interface styles
├── languages/              # Translation files (future)
│   └── wp-optimal-state.pot
├── readme.txt              # WordPress.org readme
└── LICENSE.txt             # GPL v2 license

Hooks & Filters

Available Actions

wpos_scheduled_cleanup

Triggered by scheduled cleanup (if configured)
Can be used for custom automation

Example:

add_action('wpos_scheduled_cleanup', 'my_custom_cleanup');
function my_custom_cleanup() {
    // Custom cleanup code
}

WP-CLI Usage (Advanced)

For very large databases, consider using WP-CLI:

# Optimize all tables
wp db optimize

# Clean transients (requires plugin)
wp transient delete --expired

# Export database
wp db export backup.sql

# Clean post revisions (requires custom command)
wp post list --post_type=revision --format=ids | xargs wp post delete

Advanced Configuration

Increase Operation Limits

In wp-config.php:

// Increase memory
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
define('WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');

// Increase execution time
set_time_limit(300);
ini_set('max_execution_time', 300);

// Limit post revisions
define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5);

// Or disable revisions
define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', false);

Database Configuration

For large databases, optimize MySQL/MariaDB:

# my.cnf or my.ini
[mysqld]
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 1G
innodb_log_file_size = 256M
query_cache_size = 64M
query_cache_type = 1
table_open_cache = 2000
max_connections = 200

Note: Restart MySQL after configuration changes.

Support

Getting Help

Self-Help Resources

This Manual
- Comprehensive feature documentation
- Troubleshooting section
- FAQ with common issues
WordPress.org Support Forum
- Community support
- Search existing topics
- Post new questions
- URL: wordpress.org/support/plugin/wp-optimal-state
Plugin Website
- Additional documentation
- Video tutorials
- Latest updates
- URL: spiritualseek.com/wp-optimal-state-wordpress-plugin/

Before Requesting Support

Prepare this information:

WordPress Details
- WordPress version
- PHP version
- Database type and version
- Hosting provider
Plugin Information
- WP Optimal State version
- Active plugins list
- Active theme
Issue Details
- What you were trying to do
- What happened instead
- Error messages (exact text)
- Screenshots if relevant
Troubleshooting Steps Taken
- What you’ve already tried
- Results of each attempt
Environment
- Database size
- Number of posts
- Recent changes to site

Enable Debug Mode:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Check wp-content/debug.log for errors.

Reporting Bugs

How to Report

Verify It’s a Bug
- Test on default WordPress theme
- Deactivate other plugins
- Clear all caches
- Try different browser
Check Existing Reports
- Search support forum
- Check GitHub issues (if applicable)
- Avoid duplicate reports

Provide Complete Information

Bug Report Template:

**Expected Behavior:**
What should happen

**Actual Behavior:**
What actually happens

**Steps to Reproduce:**
1. Go to...
2. Click on...
3. See error

**Environment:**
- WordPress: 6.4
- PHP: 8.1
- Plugin Version: 1.0.2
- Database: MySQL 5.7

**Error Messages:**
[Paste any error messages]

**Screenshots:**
[Attach if relevant]

Submit Report
- WordPress.org support forum
- Plugin author contact form
- Include all information above

Feature Requests

Requesting New Features

Check Roadmap
- Review planned features
- Search existing requests
Describe Use Case
- Explain the problem
- Why feature is needed
- How it would work
- Who would benefit
Submit Request
- Support forum
- Plugin website contact
- Be specific and detailed

Contributing

How to Contribute

Translations
- Plugin is translation-ready
- Use translate.wordpress.org
- Submit translations for your language
Documentation
- Report errors in manual
- Suggest improvements
- Share tutorials
Testing
- Test new versions
- Report compatibility issues
- Beta test new features
Code Contributions
- Submit patches for bugs
- Propose improvements
- Follow WordPress coding standards

Privacy & Data Collection

What Data Does the Plugin Collect?

None. WP Optimal State:

✅ Does NOT track users
✅ Does NOT send data to external servers
✅ Does NOT use cookies
✅ Does NOT collect analytics
✅ Does NOT include third-party tracking
✅ Operates entirely locally

All database operations are performed on your WordPress installation only.

License Information

License: GNU General Public License v2 or later
License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

What This Means:

✅ Free to use
✅ Free to modify
✅ Free to distribute
✅ Commercial use allowed
✅ Must maintain GPL license

You are free to:

Use the plugin on unlimited sites
Modify the code
Create derivative works
Charge for your modifications

You must:

Keep the GPL license
Provide source code
Credit original authors

Appendix

Glossary of Terms

Auto-draft: Automatically saved draft posts created while you type

Autoload: Options loaded into memory on every page request

Database Optimization: Process of improving database performance and reducing size

InnoDB: MySQL storage engine (default in modern WordPress)

Metadata: Additional information attached to posts, comments, or users

MyISAM: Older MySQL storage engine

Nonce: Security token to prevent CSRF attacks

Orphaned Data: Database entries referencing deleted items

phpMyAdmin: Web interface for managing MySQL databases

Post Meta: Custom fields attached to posts

Revision: Saved version of post/page from editing

Slug: URL-friendly name (e.g., “wp-optimal-state”)

Transient: Temporary cached data with expiration time

WP-CLI: Command-line interface for WordPress

Useful SQL Queries

For advanced users to run in phpMyAdmin:

-- Check database size
SELECT 
    table_schema AS 'Database',
    ROUND(SUM(data_length + index_length) / 1024 / 1024, 2) AS 'Size (MB)'
FROM information_schema.tables
WHERE table_schema = 'your_database_name'
GROUP BY table_schema;

-- Find largest tables
SELECT 
    table_name AS 'Table',
    ROUND(((data_length + index_length) / 1024 / 1024), 2) AS 'Size (MB)'
FROM information_schema.tables
WHERE table_schema = 'your_database_name'
ORDER BY (data_length + index_length) DESC
LIMIT 10;

-- Count rows in each table
SELECT 
    table_name AS 'Table',
    table_rows AS 'Rows'
FROM information_schema.tables
WHERE table_schema = 'your_database_name'
ORDER BY table_rows DESC;

-- Find large autoloaded options
SELECT 
    option_name,
    LENGTH(option_value) AS size
FROM wp_options
WHERE autoload = 'yes'
ORDER BY size DESC
LIMIT 10;

-- Check table fragmentation
SELECT 
    table_name AS 'Table',
    ROUND(data_free / 1024 / 1024, 2) AS 'Fragmented (MB)'
FROM information_schema.tables
WHERE table_schema = 'your_database_name'
AND data_free > 0
ORDER BY data_free DESC;

⚠️ Warning: Only run these queries if you understand SQL. Incorrect queries can damage your database.

Resources

Official WordPress Resources

Database Optimization

Performance Testing

Backup Solutions

Version History

Version 1.0.2 (Current)

Added internationalization support
Improved security (escaping, sanitization)
Enhanced SQL query preparation
Updated for WordPress 6.7
Documentation improvements

Version 1.0.1

Initial public release
One-click optimization feature
Improved user interface
Autoload optimization
Enhanced statistics display

Version 1.0.0

Initial development release
Core cleanup functionality
Database table optimization
Basic statistics

Credits

Developed By: Luke Garrison 🔗 – The Spiritual Seek
Website: spiritualseek.com
Plugin URI: spiritualseek.com/wp-optimal-state-wordpress-plugin/
License: GPL v2 or later

Built With:

WordPress Core APIs
jQuery (bundled with WordPress)
CSS3 and modern web standards

Special Thanks:

WordPress community
Beta testers
Translators
Support forum contributors

Contact Information

Plugin Support: WordPress.org support forum
Website: spiritualseek.com
Contact Form: spiritualseek.com/contacts/
Plugin Page: spiritualseek.com/wp-optimal-state-wordpress-plugin/

For support requests, please use the WordPress.org support forum. For business inquiries, use the contact form on our website.

Conclusion

Thank you for using WP Optimal State! This plugin is designed to make WordPress database maintenance simple, safe, and effective. By following the guidelines in this manual, you can keep your website running at peak performance.

Key Takeaways

Always backup before cleaning
Start with safe operations (One-Click Optimization)
Clean regularly (weekly recommended)
Monitor results and adjust frequency
Review warnings before potentially destructive operations

Getting the Most from WP Optimal State

Establish a regular maintenance schedule
Keep backups current
Monitor database statistics
Combine with other optimization techniques
Test on staging environments first

Stay Updated

Watch for plugin updates in WordPress admin
Check changelog for new features
Review support forum for tips
Visit plugin website for tutorials

Happy Optimizing!

WP Optimal State – Keep Your WordPress Database Clean and Fast

Documentation Version: 1.0.2
Last Updated: October 2025
Applicable to Plugin Version: 1.0.2 and above

End of Manual

💾 DOWNLOAD HERE 💾

Table of Contents

Introduction

What is WP Optimal State?

Key Benefits

Who Should Use This Plugin?

Installation

Automatic Installation

Manual Installation

Installation via FTP

System Requirements

Getting Started

First-Time Setup

Step 1: Access the Plugin

Step 2: Create a Database Backup

Step 3: Review Statistics

Step 4: Start with Safe Operations

Dashboard Overview

Main Interface Sections

1. One-Click Optimization Panel (Top Left)

2. Database Statistics Panel (Top Right)

3. Database Cleanup Section

4. Database Optimization Section

5. Settings Section

Features & Functions

One-Click Optimization

Individual Cleanup Operations

Post Revisions

Auto Drafts

Trashed Posts

Spam Comments

Trashed Comments

Orphaned Post Meta

Orphaned Comment Meta

Orphaned Relationships

Expired Transients

All Transients

Duplicate Post Meta

Duplicate Comment Meta

Orphaned User Meta

Unapproved Comments

Pingbacks

Trackbacks

Database Table Optimization

Optimize All Tables

Optimize Autoloaded Options

Settings Configuration

Revision Age Limit

Safety Guidelines

Before You Start

Essential Pre-Cleanup Steps

Understanding Risk Levels

✅ Safe Operations (Green Light)

⚠️ Caution Required (Yellow Light)

🛑 High Risk Operations (Not Included)

Recovery Procedures

If Something Goes Wrong

Best Practices for Safe Operation

Daily Operations

Weekly Operations

Monthly Operations

Quarterly Operations

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: “Unauthorized” Error Message

Issue: Statistics Not Loading

Issue: Operation Times Out

Issue: Database Size Doesn’t Decrease

Issue: Site Slower After Cleanup

Issue: Can’t Access Admin After Cleanup

Issue: “Clean Now” Button Does Nothing

Issue: Some Items Won’t Clean

Error Messages Explained

Debug Mode

Best Practices

Maintenance Schedule

Weekly Maintenance (5-10 minutes)

Monthly Maintenance (15-30 minutes)

Quarterly Maintenance (30-60 minutes)

Performance Optimization Tips