External Database Authentication Reloaded
by Joshua Parker · Login & Users
A plugin that allows the use of an external database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, and more) for authentication into WordPress.
45 health vs 59 average across 938 Login & Users plugins
High removal-risk signals
63/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 11+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Compatibility drift. Tested only up to WordPress 4.2.39, well behind 6.8.
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.
Under-optimized
Biggest win: Update recency
To rank higher: Last updated 4065 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Daily downloads
Since 2022-10-05 · 1,381 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peaks are release surges
31
now · peak 81
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
Downloads per 1k installs · 30d
Engagement proxy · release spikes are signal, a long slide is an aging base
Estimated active installs
wp.org reports only “30+”. The real number sits in this band.
Refined from the date this plugin crossed into its current band.
Install history · since 2022-10-04 · 1,371 observations
Details
Growth timeline
Install-band crossings we have observed, and how long each band took to outgrow
- 2026-06-14 40+ → 30+ down after 28 days in band
- 2026-05-17 50+ → 40+ down after 48 days in band
- 2026-03-30 40+ → 50+ up after 22 days in band
- 2026-03-08 30+ → 40+ up after 1 days in band
- 2026-03-07 40+ → 30+ down after 120 days in band
- 2025-11-07 50+ → 40+ down after 17 days in band
- 2025-10-21 40+ → 50+ up after 3 days in band
- 2025-10-18 50+ → 40+ down after 6 days in band
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach — closest match first
- L Limit Login Attempts 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags D
-
WPS Limit Login 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags B -
Database Backup for WordPress 70K+ installs · 4.4★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP phpMyAdmin 50K+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags B -
Google Authenticator 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A
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<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/external-db-auth-reloaded" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="External Database Authentication Reloaded — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> External Database Authentication Reloaded: 30+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-07-17. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/external-db-auth-reloaded