TL;DR
Exclude from Optimization by Cookie lets you prevent NitroPack from optimizing sessions where a specific cookie is present. This is ideal for logged-in users, A/B testing variations, or any situation where caching could disrupt personalized content.
When a visitor lands on your site, their experience might depend on cookies—whether they’re logged in, part of an A/B test, or accessing gated content.
These scenarios require content that’s tailored, not cached. That’s where the Exclude from Optimization by Cookie feature comes in.
Read on to learn how NitroPack elevates this feature as part of a powerful optimization stack to speed up your WordPress site.
What is “Exclude from Optimization by Cookie”?
Some sessions should never be optimized.
For instance, if a visitor is logged in, running through an A/B test variation, or accessing content that looks different based on a cookie value, you want to keep things dynamic and unoptimized to ensure a consistent user experience.
Exclude from Optimization by Cookie allows NitroPack to detect specific cookies and skip the optimization process entirely for those sessions. This ensures:
- No cached content is served when it shouldn’t be
- Users see the correct version of the page
- Testing data and user state are preserved
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With vs Without Exclusion by Cookie (Example)
Let’s say you run an eCommerce store. Your checkout and cart pages are dynamic and personalized per user. Applying full-site optimization could cause these pages to behave unpredictably or display outdated content.
By excluding them, you preserve accuracy and user experience where it matters most.
| Scenario | Without Exclusion | With Exclusion by Cookie |
| Logged-in user | Might see cached public content | Always sees the correct user view |
| A/B testing session | May serve wrong test variant | Variant consistency maintained |
| Membership-protected content | Cached data could leak access | No optimization ensures protection |
Why Is Cookie-Based Exclusion Important?
Cookies power personalization. When optimization tools ignore this, things can go wrong fast:
- Incorrect content display – Users may see public views instead of their personalized content.
- Testing conflicts – A/B experiments become inaccurate when pages are cached.
- Security leaks – Cached private or member-only content could be served to unintended users.
This feature helps maintain accuracy, security, and performance harmony across user experiences.
Exclude from Optimization by Cookie in NitroPack
NitroPack lets you define cookie names (and optional values) that, when detected, automatically prevent optimization for that session.
You can:
- Add cookie names without specifying values
- Match specific values for even more precision
- Combine with other exclusion rules (like URLs) for full control
💡 Good to know
If you’re running NitroPack on a WordPress or WooCommerce website, you likely won’t need to use this option. NitroPack excludes the necessary cookies on these platforms by default.
| Use Case | Cookie Name Example |
| Logged-in WordPress users | wordpress_logged_in_ |
| A/B testing tools | ab_test_group |
| Membership access | member_status=active |
This kind of granularity ensures no critical interaction gets broken by caching or script optimization.
NitroPack vs No Resource Exclusion
Manually excluding resources based on cookies is often error-prone. It usually involves writing custom code, relying on developers to keep exclusions updated, and risking performance regressions if configurations break.
NitroPack solves this by offering a built-in, cookie-based exclusion feature that integrates directly into its optimization workflow. Instead of code, you get a toggle; instead of hardcoding values, you get flexible value-matching logic. This makes it much easier to control what gets optimized based on user state (like logged-in status, geo-location, or test groups) without slowing down your release cycle or introducing risk.
| Feature | Manual Cookie-Based Exclusion | NitroPack Exclude by Cookie |
| Requires coding | ✅ Often | ❌ Dashboard toggle |
| Value matching support | ❌ Limited | ✅ Yes |
| Easy to manage | ❌ Requires edits | ✅ Intuitive interface |
| Works with other exclusions | ❌ Manual config | ✅ Full integration |
How to Use Excluded Resources by NitroPack
To set it up:
- Open your NitroPack dashboard
- Go to Cache Settings >> Cache
- Enable “Exclude from optimization by cookie”
- Add the cookie name (and optional value)
- Save your changes
That’s it. NitroPack will detect the cookie and skip optimization for that session. For advanced tips, check our Exclude by Cookie guide.
Serve personalized experiences without sacrificing performance with NitroPack →
FAQs
Can I exclude all sessions with a specific cookie name, regardless of value?
Yes—just enter the cookie name without assigning a value.
What if I only want to exclude certain cookie values?
You can specify both the cookie name and value for precise targeting.
Will this interfere with my analytics or tracking?
No—NitroPack simply avoids optimizing pages when the condition is met; tracking remains unaffected.
Can I combine this with URL exclusions?
Absolutely. Use both for more tailored control.
Do I need a developer to implement this?
No—the feature is built directly into NitroPack’s dashboard.
