HTTP Auth
Provides comprehensive security during development by protecting your entire site and your admin pages from brute-force attacks.
Use with caution
HTTP Auth works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 6K+ sites, is rated 4.2/5 and was last updated 1 year ago, and scores 47/100 on our health check.
- No update in over a year
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.8 (latest is 7.1)
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where HTTP Auth stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| brute attack | #47 |
| Brute Force | >100 |
| http auth | #4 |
| prevent-crawl | #5 |
| restrict site | #71 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4.2 from 6 reviews
About HTTP Auth
From the official readme · v1.0.1Description
This plugin empowers you to set up HTTP Authentication for your website. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a username and password to access specific areas.
Here’s how it benefits you:
- Enhanced Admin Security: Shield your admin pages from brute-force attacks by adding a login barrier.
- Controlled Crawling: Restrict crawlers from accessing your site during development, preventing unnecessary indexing.
- Post-Launch Access Control: Maintain control over admin page access even after your website goes live.
- Easy Activation/Deactivation: Conveniently enable or disable HTTP Auth without deactivating the plugin entirely.
Help Us Improve!
I am constantly working to enhance this plugin and your feedback is valuable. If you are happy with the plugin, consider leaving a review on WordPress.org. Your positive feedback motivates us to keep improving!
Link to Reviews: https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/http-auth/reviews/?rate=5#new-post
Bug Reports
We welcome bug reports for HTTP Auth on GitHub: https://github.com/samiahmedsiddiqui/http-auth. Please remember that GitHub is primarily for bug reporting, and issues not classified as genuine bugs may be closed.
From within WordPress
- Visit ‘Plugins > Add New’
- Search for HTTP Auth
- Activate HTTP Auth from your Plugins page.
- Go to “after activation” below.
Manually
- Upload the
http-authfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory - Activate HTTP Auth through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress
- Go to “after activation” below.
After activation
- Go to the plugin settings page and set up the plugin for your site.
- You’re done!
Installation
This process defines you the steps to follow either you are installing through WordPress or Manually from FTP.
Changelog
1.0.1 – Dec 23, 24
Fix minor WPCS issues and change text for better understanding.
1.0.0 – July 28, 2023
* Fix WPCS issues
Earlier versions
* For the changelog of earlier versions, please refer to the separate changelog.txt file.
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.
FAQ
HTTP Auth: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 26, 2026
Is HTTP Auth free?
Yes. HTTP Auth is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is HTTP Auth safe to use in 2026?
HTTP Auth works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 6K+ sites, is rated 4.2/5 and was last updated 1 year ago, and scores 47/100 on our health check.
How many websites use HTTP Auth?
HTTP Auth is active on 6K+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 78,365 times since it launched in February 2016. It was downloaded 3,324 times in the last 30 days.
Does HTTP Auth work with WordPress 7.1?
HTTP Auth is officially tested up to WordPress 6.8.10, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does HTTP Auth need?
HTTP Auth requires PHP 5.6 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was HTTP Auth last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.1, was released on July 22, 2025 (1 year ago).
Who makes HTTP Auth?
HTTP Auth is developed and maintained by Sami Ahmed Siddiqui.
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