Headless REST API Security
by Md. Rakib Ullah · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 50+ installs across the portfolio →
Manage access to the WordPress REST API by restricting public endpoints, enabling specific route allow-listing, and handling API key authentication.
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 75/100
Few reviews
Active installs
50+
≈51 estimated
Momentum
+16%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “access control” and “authentication” for “headless wordpress” and “rest api security”. “access control” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “headless wordpress” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “authentication” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “rest api security” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
75 health vs 58 average across 25,739 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.9%
of downloads still active
At least 50 of 1.7K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,772 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 2 releases 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 252 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 2 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
29
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 24d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 24d
-0.3
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| gatsby | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| headless your tag | #7 | #17 | down 2 |
| headless wordpress | #10 | #20 | down 1 |
| wordpress headless | #8 | #19 | 0 |
| rest api security | #23 | #24 | 0 |
| wp headless | #9 | #19 | down 1 |
| rest api restriction | #14 | #21 | down 4 |
| access control your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| authentication your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| permissions your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| rest api your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
8 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 7 listed. 1 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “access control” and “authentication” for “headless wordpress” and “rest api security”. “access control” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “headless wordpress” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “authentication” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “rest api security” sits at #23 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 22 Jan 2026 · 283 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 264 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #20,100 to #21,200, alongside the other plugins at 50+ installs. Plugins with the same install count swap places between wp.org requests, so this is where most of them sit. Checked monthly, last on 21 Oct 2026.
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
Downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites.
Not enough installs to measure. This needs at least 100 active sites; below that, a handful of downloads reads as tens of thousands.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
2
releases in the last 12 months
8mo ago
latest release · v2.3 · 22 Feb 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 “50+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 20 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just over 50.
At the current install trend, crossing 60+ in roughly 55 days.
Install history since 21 Jan 2026
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Ridhwan Ahsan9mo ago
Excellent plugin! Secures my headless WordPress API quickly and easily. Works perfectly with Next.js and mobile apps
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Ashikjs9mo ago
Great plugin. Simple setup, easy to use, and it effectively secures my site’s REST API. Highly recommend.
Read on wp.org ↗
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
7 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Manage access to the WordPress REST API by restricting public endpoints, enabling specific route allow-list..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg, Block editor, REST API.
- ✓ Headings and lists 2 headings and 2 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,411 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "permissions" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-10-12 40+ → 50+ up after 33 days in tier
- 2026-09-09 30+ → 40+ up after 83 days in tier
- 2026-06-18 20+ → 30+ up after 61 days in tier
- 2026-04-18 10+ → 20+ up after 10 days in tier
- 2026-04-08 20+ → 10+ down after 27 days in tier
- 2026-03-12 10+ → 20+ up
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).
-
Sticklight 300+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
WPGraphQL 30K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags B -
PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access 10K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags A -
BabyLoveGrowth Integration 2K+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
CoCart – Headless REST API for WooCommerce 900+ installs · 4.5★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Headless REST API Security into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/headless-rest-api-security" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Headless REST API Security — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Headless REST API Security: 50+ active installs, 5.0★ (2 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/headless-rest-api-security
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