The latest articles on DEV Community by Melly (@mellyod). https://dev.to/mellyod https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F2800512%2F500b628b-1eab-49c9-b283-9410715759e1.png https://dev.to/mellyod en Melly Sat, 10 Oct 2026 10:03:51 +0000 https://dev.to/mellyod/new-tool-to-help-clean-wpoptions-table-311e https://dev.to/mellyod/new-tool-to-help-clean-wpoptions-table-311e <p>Every WordPress developer knows how important it is to optimize websites for better page speed and performance. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by cleaning the WordPress database wp_options table.</p> <h2> The Problem: Database Bloat </h2> <p>Plugin data often remains in the options table even after a plugin is deactivated and deleted. Over time, that leftover plugin data causes database bloat, which increases database size and slows down the website.</p> <p>Unused rows set to <code>autoload = yes</code> are particularly harmful because WordPress loads them into server memory on every single page view.</p> <p>When you go to clean it up, though, it's not always clear by the option prefix which plugin the data actually belongs to. I've searched the internet high and low for a list of plugins and their prefixes, but unfortunately, such a list doesn't exist.</p> <p>There are a few plugins that have that information but you have to pay for an upgrade to access it.</p> <h2> The Solution: A Free Prefix Lookup Tool </h2> <p>To solve this, I built a free browser-based tool that instantly identifies plugin prefixes for you.</p> <p>🔗 <strong>Try it here:</strong> <a href="https://collectiblesandmoreinstore.com/wp-options-plugin-prefix-lookup/" rel="noopener noreferrer">WordPress Options Plugin Prefix Lookup</a></p> <h3> How it helps you: </h3> <ul> <li> <strong>Instant Mapping</strong>: Just type in the prefix, and the tool tells you which plugin uses it.</li> <li> <strong>Safe Cleanup</strong>: Once you confirm a prefix belongs to an obsolete plugin that is no longer installed, you can safely delete those rows (after making a database backup, of course!).</li> <li> <strong>Zero Friction</strong>: It is 100% free with no paywalls, no mandatory account registrations, no gated features, and no installations required.</li> </ul> <p>I believe this tool provides genuine, practical utility to the WordPress community. Please give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below! </p> wordpress webdev showdev database