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Disable REST API
Version: 1.8
Description
The most comprehensive plugin for controlling access to the WordPress REST API!
Works as a “set it and forget it” install. Just upload and activate, and the entire REST API will be inaccessible to your general site visitors.
But if you do need to grant access to some endpoints, you can do that too. Go to the Settings page and you can quickly whitelist individual endpoints (or entire branches of endpoints) in the REST API.
You can even do this on a per-user-role basis, so your unauthenticated users have one set of rules while WooCommerce customers have another while Subscribers and Editors and Admins all have their own. NOTE: Out of the box, all defined user roles will still be granted full access to the REST API until you choose to manage those settings.
For most versions of WordPress, this plugin will return an authentication error if a user is not allowed to access an endpoint. For legacy support, WordPress 4.4, 4.5, and 4.6 use the provided rest_enabled
filter to disable the entire REST API.
Installation
- Upload the
disable-json-api
directory to the/wp-content/plugins/
directory via FTP - Alternatively, upload the
disable-json-api_v#.#.zip
file to the ‘Plugins->Add New’ page in your WordPress admin area - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
Screenshots
The JSON returned by a website with the API disabled via filters (WP versions 4.4, 4.5, 4.6)
The JSON returned by a website with the API disabled via authentication methods (WP versions 4.7+)
The Settings page lets you selectively whitelist endpoints registered with the REST API, on a per-user-role basis.
Faq
While logged into WordPress as any user, the REST API will function as intended. Because of this, you must use a new browser – or Chrome’s incognito mode – to test your website with a clean session. Go to yourdomain.com/wp-json/ (or yourdomain.com/?rest_route=/ if you have pretty permalinks disabled) while NOT LOGGED IN to test the results. You will see an authentication error returned if the plugin is active. “DRA: Only authenticated users can access the REST API.”
This plugin is ONLY meant to disable endpoints accessible via the core REST API that is part of WordPress itself. If a plugin or theme has implemented their own REST API (not to be confused with implementing their own endpoints within the WordPress API) this plugin will have no effect.
Reviews
Excellent
By graphicvision1 on August 19, 2024
What else can I say, this plugin does exactly what its supposed to do. It's easy to understand and works perfectly. So well done!
Fantastic
By Wombat Plugins (maartenbelmans) on December 29, 2023
The plugin does what it says on the tin, without being pretentious. Absolutely fantastic!
One of the must have plugins.
By ucsendre on September 14, 2023
I always start my WordPress installations with this plugin (among a few other ones).
A must have on all sites.
Thank you.
Still works on WP 6.2
By mw815371 on April 3, 2023
The plugin still works for me on WordPress 6.2. It's great to have the option to allow API access where I need it and block everything else.
Just what I was looking for
By Ronny Adsetts (ronnyadsetts) on January 26, 2023
Allows locking the WP API behind auth and selectively allowing it where needed. Despite the lack of plugin updates, the author does have an active github repo so don't let that put you off.
Excellent solution
By Ben Sibley (BenSibley) on January 20, 2023
Blocking the REST API entirely breaks plugins that require this functionality, so being able to selectively enable routes is perfect.
I recommend this plugin to everyone who uses Independent Analytics to secure their site while still enabling analytics to be recorded.
Sorry to end this, but updates ...
By Hendrik57 on April 25, 2024
This is a very good plugin with the options, and it could still work now, but we can not verify compliance. Please update. And do not forget to update the .txt file that shows tested WordPress.
Broke my site - but seems good idea
By richardjwallace on December 27, 2022
I installed this but following install I couldn't view any webpages.
The main page give exception
Notice: Trying to get property 'name' of non-object in /home/customer/www/XXXXXX/public_html/wp-includes/rest-api/endpoints/class-wp-rest-posts-controller.php on line 60
I prompted renamed plugin folder using FTP in the folder wp-content\plugins\disable-json-api.disable so I could login then deleted it
Good idea but didn't work for my site
Great work. Easy to use.
By tools400 on October 23, 2022
Just works!
By druut (emkemk) on May 25, 2022
Changelog
1.8
- Tested up to WP v6.3
- Added
dra_error_message
filter so devs can customize the access error message - Fixed bug that caused fatal errors if activating plugin on installations running the LearnPress plugin
- Changed minimum requirements to PHP 5.6 (up from 5.3) and WordPress 4.9 (up from 4.4). Adding docblock comments to support minimums.
1.7
- Tested up to WP v5.8
- Replace use of filemtime() with plugin version number for static file enqueues. Props @tangrufus for bringing this up!
- Fixed logic bug for role-based default_allow rules. Props @msp1974 for the report!
- Few small code-style updates
1.6
- Tested up to WP v5.6
- Added support for managing endpoint access on a per-user-role basis
- Soooooooo many small changes behind the scenes to support the above
1.5.1
- Tested up to WP v5.5
1.5
- Tested up to WP v5.3
- Added enforcement for WordPress and PHP minimum version requirements
- Fixed minor bug to prevent unintended empty routes
- Minor text updates and adding textdomain to translation functions that didn’t have them
1.4.3
- Added
load_plugin_textdomain()
for i18n
1.4.2
- Fixed issue causing unintentional unlocking of endpoints when another WP_Error existed before this plugin did its job
1.4.1
- Fixed echo of text URL to primary Plugins page in WP Dashboard
1.4
- Tested for WP v4.8
- Tested for PHP 5.3+
- Added settings screen
- Site Admins may now whitelist routes that they wish to allow unauthenticated access to
- Added
dra_allow_rest_api
filter to the is_logged_in() check, so developers can get more granular with permissions - Props to @tangrufus for all of the help that went into this release
1.3
- Tested for WP v4.7
- Adding new functionality to raise authentication errors in 4.7+ for non-logged-in users
1.2
- Tested for WP v4.5
- Removal of actions which publish REST info to the head and header
1.1
- Updated to support the new filters created in the 2.0 beta API
1.0
- Initial Release