Only REST API
Got a WordPress install that serves only as the data layer and/or admin UI of your web application?
Consider an alternative
Only REST API shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20+ sites and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 24/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (20+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in 10 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.4 (latest is 7.1)
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 Only REST API stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| api | >100 |
| JSON | >100 |
| only | >100 |
| rest | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Only REST API
From the official readme · v1.0.0Description
Got a WordPress install that serves only as the data layer and/or admin UI of your web application?
This plugin will effectively turn off all default front end output, redirect all front end urls to the main site url, and optionally display a message of your choice. The message can be a simple plain text message or you can use the included filters to completely control the HTML output.
All activity in the wp-admin and all requests for assets like images, scripts, files, etc. will be unaffected by this plugin. Only requests that go through the template_redirect action will be affected.
Message Output
Rather than contaminate the data structures you might be using for your application (like posts and pages) this plugin includes a settings page with a simple textarea box where you can save any basic message you want to show. The message content is stored in the options table, and the textarea supports all the same HTML that you can use in post content.
You can use the only_rest_api_page_content filter to include any custom HTML output you want inside the <body> tags, or you can use the only_rest_api_page_html filter to completely replace all HTML output of the message page, including the <html> and <head> tags.
There is also an only_rest_api_page_css filter that allows you to override the 5 lines of CSS this plugin includes to center the message on the page.
If you want a hook added or have a feature request let me know. Pull requests are welcome on Github.
Filter Examples
Use custom HTML inside the <body> tags:
add_filter( 'only_rest_api_page_content', 'xxx_page_content' );
function xxx_page_content( $content ) {
$content = '<div class="custom-output">Sorry, I Only Speak REST. Please try again at a proper endpoint.</div>';
return $content;
}
Add custom CSS to the default output:
add_filter( 'only_rest_api_page_css', 'xxx_page_css' );
function xxx_page_css( $css ) {
$css .= '.page-content { color: red; font-size: 72px; }';
return $css;
}
Replace the entire HTML output for the page:
add_filter( 'only_rest_api_page_html', 'xxx_page_html' );
function xxx_page_html( $html ) {
ob_start();
?>
<!doctype html>
<html lang="">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta http-equiv="x-ua-compatible" content="ie=edge">
<title>Call me back over the REST API yo!</title>
<meta name="description" content="">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="your-awesome-stylesheet.css">
<script type="text/javascript">
// Do neat stuff...
</script>
</head>
<body>
<div class="page-content">
Ain't nobody got time for non-REST API requests. Please try again at a proper endpoint. :)
</div>
</body>
</html>
<?php
$html = ob_get_clean();
return $html;
}
Installation
Manual Installation
- Upload the entire
/only-rest-apidirectory to the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate Only REST API through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
Better Installation
- Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress admin and search for Only REST API.
- Click Install.
Screenshots
For developers
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Best Only REST API alternatives
All api plugins →
FAQ
Only REST API: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 27, 2026
Is Only REST API free?
Yes. Only REST API is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Only REST API safe to use in 2026?
Only REST API shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 20+ sites and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 24/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Only REST API?
Only REST API is active on 20+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 2,433 times since it launched in September 2015. It was downloaded 41 times in the last 30 days.
Does Only REST API work with WordPress 7.1?
Only REST API is officially tested up to WordPress 4.4.34, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Only REST API last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.0, was released on December 7, 2015 (11 years ago).
Who makes Only REST API?
Only REST API is developed and maintained by Braad.
What are the best alternatives to Only REST API?
The most popular alternatives to Only REST API are WP Consent API (200K+ installs), Disable REST API (80K+ installs) and Mailgun for WordPress (80K+ installs).
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