Saturday Site Blocker
A plugin that blocks the front-end of the site during Shabbat by displaying a full-page overlay, ensuring respectful observance.
Consider an alternative
Saturday Site Blocker shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 26/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (10+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- No update in over a year
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.7 (latest is 7.1)
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Saturday Site Blocker stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| religious observance | #1 |
| Shabbat | #10 |
| site blocker | >100 |
| site maintenance | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Saturday Site Blocker
From the official readme · v1.1Description
Saturday Site Blocker helps site owners observe Shabbat by displaying a customizable overlay on the front-end of the website during Shabbat hours. The plugin fetches Shabbat times based on the specified location and ensures the site remains inaccessible to visitors during these times, promoting rest and reflection.
Features:
- Automatically fetches Shabbat start and end times based on user-defined location.
- Displays a customizable overlay with title and message during Shabbat.
- Allows administrators to bypass the overlay for site management purposes.
- Provides settings to enable or disable the blocker and customize overlay content.
- Allows customization of the overlay background color and opacity.
- Option to upload an image to be displayed on the overlay. If an image is selected, it will replace the title and content text.
External Services
This plugin connects to the Hebcal API to obtain accurate Shabbat start and end times.
Service Used: Hebcal API
– What data is sent? The plugin sends the user-defined location (city name).
– When is data sent? Data is fetched once per week for caching purposes.
– Where is the data sent? The API request is made to https://www.hebcal.com/shabbat/.
– Privacy Policy: Hebcal Privacy Policy
Installation
- Upload the
saturday-site-blockerfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Navigate to ‘Settings’ -> ‘Saturday Site Blocker’ to configure the plugin:
- Enable or disable the site blocker.
- Set the overlay title and content.
- Specify your location for accurate Shabbat times.
- Customize the overlay background color and opacity.
- Upload an image to be displayed on the overlay. If an image is selected, it will replace the title and content text.
Frequently asked questions
How does the plugin determine Shabbat times?
The plugin fetches Shabbat times from the Hebcal API based on the location specified in the settings.
Can administrators access the site during Shabbat?
Yes, administrators with the ‘manage_options’ capability can bypass the overlay to manage the site during Shabbat.
Is it possible to customize the overlay’s appearance?
Yes, the plugin allows customization of the overlay’s title, content, background color, and opacity through the settings page. You can also upload an image to be displayed on the overlay. If an image is selected, it will replace the title and content text.
Changelog
Added options for overlay background color, opacity, and image upload.
1.1
- Added options to customize the overlay background color and opacity.
- Added option to upload an image to be displayed on the overlay.
1.0
- Initial release of Saturday Site Blocker.
Screenshots
For developers
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FAQ
Saturday Site Blocker: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 13, 2026
Is Saturday Site Blocker free?
Yes. Saturday Site Blocker is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Saturday Site Blocker safe to use in 2026?
Saturday Site Blocker shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 10+ sites and was last updated 2 years ago, and scores 26/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Saturday Site Blocker?
Saturday Site Blocker is active on 10+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 800 times since it launched in February 2025. It was downloaded 45 times in the last 30 days.
Does Saturday Site Blocker work with WordPress 7.1?
Saturday Site Blocker is officially tested up to WordPress 6.7.10, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Saturday Site Blocker need?
Saturday Site Blocker requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Saturday Site Blocker last updated?
The latest version, 1.1, was released on February 16, 2025 (2 years ago).
Who makes Saturday Site Blocker?
Saturday Site Blocker is developed and maintained by arikdpc.
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