host-meta
Helps other apps and services find out what your site offers.
Solid choice
host-meta is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 60+ sites and was last updated 4 days ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.
- Actively developed — last update 4 days ago
- Tested with the latest WordPress (7.1)
- Small user base (60+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where host-meta stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| discovery | >100 |
| fediverse | #16 |
| host-meta | #6 |
| Webfinger | #3 |
| well-known | #53 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About host-meta
From the official readme · v1.4.0Description
When an app or service wants to connect to your site, it first has to find out what your site supports. Where are the feeds? Is there an API? Can it look up the people who write here?
host-meta is a small file that answers these questions. It always lives at the same address, /.well-known/host-meta, so apps know where to look. The format is an internet standard.
This plugin adds that file to your WordPress site. You don’t have to do anything else, there are no settings.
Why would I need it?
Most visitors never see it. It is for other software. You need it if a plugin or service asks for it, for example:
- The WebFinger plugin can add a link to it, so older apps can still find the profiles of your authors.
- The Open Search Document plugin adds your site search to it.
- Feed readers and other tools can use it to find your feeds and the WordPress API.
What is in the file?
- Links to your feeds (Atom, RSS and RDF)
- A link to the WordPress REST API
- A link for blogging apps (RSD)
- Your site icon, if you set one under Appearance > Customize > Site Identity
- Your privacy policy, if you published one under Settings > Privacy
- Everything other plugins add to it
The file comes in two versions: XML at /.well-known/host-meta and JSON at /.well-known/host-meta.json. Both have the same content.
Logo by Eran Hammer
Installation
Follow the normal instructions for installing WordPress plugins.
Automatic installation
- In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
- Search for “host-meta”.
- Click Install Now and then Activate.
That’s it, there are no settings.
Manual installation
You only need this if your site can’t install plugins on its own, or if you want to try the latest development version.
- Download the plugin from WordPress.org or from the GitHub releases.
- Unzip it. You should get a folder called
host-meta. - Upload that folder to
wp-content/plugins/on your server, for example with an FTP program. - In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins and click Activate below “host-meta”.
Please make a backup of your site before you install plugins by hand.
Installation with Composer
If you manage your site with Composer, you can install the plugin from Packagist:
composer require pfefferle/wordpress-host-meta
Or from WPackagist, which mirrors the WordPress.org version:
composer require wpackagist-plugin/host-meta
Composer puts the plugin into your plugins folder, you still have to activate it.
After the installation
The plugin needs “pretty” permalinks. If your addresses look like ?p=123, go to Settings > Permalinks and pick any other option, for example “Post name”.
Then open https://yoursite.com/.well-known/host-meta (with your own domain) to check that it works.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check that it works?
Open https://yoursite.com/.well-known/host-meta in your browser (with your own domain). You should see a short XML file with some links.
I get a “Page not found” error
WordPress probably did not pick up the new address yet. Go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes. Then try again. If your permalinks are set to “Plain” (addresses like ?p=123), the file can’t work. Pick any other option there, for example “Post name”. If it still does not work, your web server might block addresses that start with a dot (like /.well-known/). Your hosting provider can help with that.
Does it change anything on my site?
No. Your pages, posts and theme stay the same. The plugin only adds the file.
I am a developer, can I add my own links?
Yes, with the host_meta filter. The data uses the JSON format (JRD), the plugin creates the XML version from it. function custom_host_meta( $host_meta ) { $host_meta['links'][] = array( 'rel' => 'lrdd', 'type' => 'application/jrd+json', 'template' => 'https://example.com/.well-known/webfinger?resource={uri}', ); return $host_meta; } add_filter( 'host_meta', 'custom_host_meta' ); For the XML version only, there are two more actions: host_meta_ns adds namespaces to the root element and host_meta_xrd adds elements right before the closing tag. Both expect you to echo your output: function…
Changelog
1.4.0
- Moved the code into the
Host_Metanamespace, the globalHost_Metaclass still works but is deprecated - Namespaces added with
host_meta_nsno longer end up inside thexmlnsattribute - Aliases like
acct:URIs and property values are no longer dropped by the URL escaping - Properties with a
nullvalue are rendered withxsi:nil - URLs in the JSON version are no longer HTML encoded
- The rewrite rules only match the exact well-known URLs
- Requires WordPress 6.4 and PHP 7.4
- Added links to the site icon and the privacy policy
- Removed the outdated translation template, WordPress.org provides the translations
- Added tests and a new readme
1.3.2
- update requirements
1.3.1
- fixed “flush rewrite rules”
1.3.0
- complete refactoring
- updated dependencies
1.2.2
- updated escaping methods
- small changes
1.2.1
- WordPress coding stye
- added missing „static“ to init function
1.2.0
- added WP-API discovery
- added RSD discovery
1.1.0
- removed deprecated
hmnamespace and items - WordPress coding standard
1.0.4
- some small bug-fixes
1.0.3
- better compatibility with other plugins
1.0.2
- bug fix
1.0.1
- bug fix
1.0.0
- refactoring
- deprecated well-known plugin
0.4.3
- implemented new well-known hooks
0.4.2
- some changes to support http://unhosted.org
0.4.1
- fixed ostatus compatibility issue: http://status.net/open-source/issues/3235
0.4
- added jrd support
0.3
- implements the new well-known hook
0.2
- Initial release
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best host-meta alternatives
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FAQ
host-meta: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026
Is host-meta free?
Yes. host-meta is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is host-meta safe to use in 2026?
host-meta is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 60+ sites and was last updated 4 days ago, and scores 68/100 on our health check.
How many websites use host-meta?
host-meta is active on 60+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 9,093 times since it launched in April 2010. It was downloaded 249 times in the last 30 days.
Does host-meta work with WordPress 7.1?
Yes. The developer has tested host-meta up to WordPress 7.1.2, the latest release. It requires WordPress 6.4 or newer.
What PHP version does host-meta need?
host-meta requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was host-meta last updated?
The latest version, 1.4.0, was released on September 25, 2026 (4 days ago).
Who makes host-meta?
host-meta is developed and maintained by Matthias Pfefferle.
What are the best alternatives to host-meta?
The most popular alternatives to host-meta are WebFinger (1K+ installs), Taboola (1K+ installs) and Conversion Agent Discovery (100+ installs).
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