Free users are limited to 1000 IP lookups per domain per day. Once this daily limit is reached, the API will stop delivering geo information for that domain until the next day, when the quota resets.
This system is ideal for smaller websites, personal projects, or sites in development. However, as your traffic grows, you’ll likely need to switch to an Unlimited License to avoid interruptions.
How Is a Lookup Counted?
- Every time a new IP address visits your site, it counts as one lookup.
- If the same user visits again but with a new IP, a new lookup is triggered.
- Internet bots (e.g., crawlers or spiders) are usually excluded, but some bots using advanced AI-based techniques may bypass detection and increase your lookup count.
How Caching Affects Lookups
Geo Controller uses an internal caching system that stores geo information per visitor to reduce repeated lookups.
This cache has a set expiration time. Once expired, a new lookup is made.
The cache expiration time can be customized by defining a constant in your wp-config.php file.
Example: Set cache to 30 days
define( 'CFGP_SESSION', (60 * 24 * 30) ); // 43200 minutes = 30 days
This ensures that the same IP will not trigger additional lookups for 30 days unless the IP address changes.
Why Use Caching?
IP-based geolocation can change over time. Caching allows you to balance performance and accuracy.
If you need fewer lookups and don’t expect location changes often, consider increasing the cache duration.
Also see: What do I get from an Unlimited License?