Disable XML-RPC
by Phil Erb · Uncategorized
Disables the XML-RPC API in WordPress 3.5+, which is enabled by default.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
B 81/100
no flags
Active installs
200K+
≈250K estimated
Momentum
+10%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “xml”, “running” and “defaults” to your wp.org tags. You rank #5, #16 and #17 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 1 listed these are the slots worth spending.
81 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →30%
of downloads still active
At least 200K of 672.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 1 release in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Listing tuning
Updated 157 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.1★ over 34 reviews, smoothed to 4.10★
1 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Only 1 tag — use the full 5 relevant tags so search matches more queries.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
39
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
16%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.1
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| disable xml | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| xml rpc | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| rpc | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| disable xml rpc | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| xmlrpc your tag | #1 | #2 | 0 |
| xml | #5 | #9 | 0 |
| disable | #5 | #6 | up 1 |
| disable xmlrpc | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| site xml | #3 | #7 | 0 |
| disable site | #7 | #10 | 0 |
| default | #20 | #20 | up 4 |
| running | #16 | #23 | down 1 |
| defaults | #17 | #18 | up 3 |
| plugin disable | #10 | #14 | 0 |
| disable plugin | #10 | #14 | 0 |
| disable plugins | #12 | #16 | down 1 |
20 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 16 listed. 4 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Add “xml”, “running” and “defaults” to your wp.org tags. You rank #5, #16 and #17 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 1 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 17.5K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
1
releases in the last 12 months
5mo ago
latest release · v1.0.1 · 27 May 2026
2
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “200K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 9 months ago; the previous band took 17 months to cross, which places it about 53% of the way through.
Install history since 11 Aug 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ lpclimbing4mo ago
Block it through htaccess file. Very easy
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ thoughton5mo ago
Doesn’t seem to work on WP Multisite.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ terps0016mo ago
Just as simple as it should be. Very good.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ art-at-tec2.6y ago
Dead simple as it should be. Nice, thank you for that.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zaririnatma2.7y ago
It works perfectly on WordPress 6.4.3 (tested in 2 sites), without plugins conflict. See the tab FAQ to check that after instal, just test it on website quoted there: (xmlrpc-check) – if the test returns Fail on check xmlrpc the plugin worked. You can also run that test BEFORE instal the plugin to prove its work.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kuzavas2.8y ago
Does not work with WordPress 6.4.2, xmlrpc-check tool still shows “All XML-RPC methods are available on the server”
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ charmingdoggo2.9y ago
Works perfect and is easy to use
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ tomhung4.1y ago
No adware
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 7.2.16 · WP 5.3
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
1 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 2 questions in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 0 of 2 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("undefined").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 388 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 1 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-10 100K+ → 200K+ up after 500 days in tier
- 2024-09-28 200K+ → 100K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2024-09-25 100K+ → 200K+ up after 5 days in tier
- 2024-09-20 200K+ → 100K+ down after 898 days in tier
- 2022-04-06 100K+ → 200K+ up after 1235 days in tier
- 2018-11-18 90K+ → 100K+ up after 278 days in tier
- 2018-02-13 80K+ → 90K+ up after 246 days in tier
- 2017-06-12 60K+ → 80K+ up after 210 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag B -
Remove & Disable XML-RPC Pingback 7K+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag D -
Stop XML-RPC Attacks 6K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A -
Remove XML-RPC Methods 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag A - R Rename XMLRPC 1K+ installs · 4.1★ · 1 shared tag D
-
Simple Disable XML-RPC 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Disable XML-RPC into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/disable-xml-rpc" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Disable XML-RPC — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Disable XML-RPC: 200K+ active installs, 4.1★ (34 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/disable-xml-rpc
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