JWT Authentication for WP REST API
by tmeister · Uncategorized
Also makes 1 other plugin · 62K+ installs across the portfolio →
Extends the WP REST API using JSON Web Tokens Authentication as an authentication method.
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 77/100
no flags
Active installs
60K+
≈69K estimated
Momentum
+17%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “oauth” and “wp api” for “cors” and “json rest api”. “oauth” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “cors” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “wp api” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #18. “json rest api” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
77 health vs 58 average across 25,756 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →6.3%
of downloads still active
At least 60K of 959K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,773 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.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 256 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.9.11, the current branch or newer
4.4★ over 53 reviews, smoothed to 4.25★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
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.
34
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.8
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
11%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| jwt authentication | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| json web authentication your tag | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| jwt your tag | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| json web tokens | #3 | #4 | down 1 |
| wp rest api | #5 | #9 | down 1 |
| rest api your tag | #6 | #5 | down 2 |
| jwt tokens | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| cors | #4 | #3 | 0 |
| rest | #8 | #12 | down 2 |
| api authentication | #3 | #5 | 0 |
| wp rest | #10 | #17 | 0 |
| authentication | #10 | #12 | down 2 |
| json rest api | #7 | #6 | down 4 |
| tokens | #11 | #17 | down 1 |
| json api | #9 | #10 | down 2 |
| wpengine | #9 | #6 | 0 |
| experience api | #10 | #12 | 0 |
| api | #17 | #17 | down 4 |
| authorization | #10 | #10 | down 1 |
| wp api your tag | #18 | #23 | down 4 |
119 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 80 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Swap “oauth” and “wp api” for “cors” and “json rest api”. “oauth” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #24. “cors” sits at #4 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “wp api” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #18. “json rest api” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 42.9K · 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
9mo ago
latest release · v1.5.0 · 18 Feb 2026
20
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 54% 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 “60K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 18 months ago; the previous band took 19 months to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 14 Aug 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ hozayrayz8mo ago
I currently have the free version, and it’s great and simple to use. I never had an issue with it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ dorf9mo ago
they make it confusing and confounding on purpose
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ xmtek1.1y ago
The support guy is not a non-techie, so the support was actually helpful! The plugin works great and let me really extend the user system of my WP so it can act in a auth/auth capacity for the services behind it.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bizberg Themes1.5y ago
Upgrade message cannot be removed from my site. This topic was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by Bizberg Themes.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ vaibhavk3261.5y ago
Hi, actually I am trying to generate token at my login time using an wp_login hook but i am unable to do so, can you provide me any way to do it. Tell me whether there is any buildin function is there that I can use. add_action(‘wp_login’, function ($user_login, $user) {if (!user_can($user, ‘dokandar’)) {return;} $response = wp_remote_post(site_url('/wp-json/jwt-auth/v1/token'), [ 'body' => [ 'username' => $user_login, 'password' => 'YOUR_DEFAULT_PASSWORD_IF_AVAILABLE', // Not ideal, see note below ], ]); if (is_wp_error($response)) { error_log('Token request failed: ' . $response->get_error_message()); return; } $body = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response), true); if (!empty($body['token'])) { update_user_meta($user->ID, 'vendor_jwt_token_key', $body['token']); } else { error_log('JWT token missing: ' . json_encode($body)); } }, 10, 2); I am using this thing but thing is password can’t be accessed directly in wordpress.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Mwale Kalenga1.5y ago
I’ve been using the plugin for over year, it’s very good and user friendly! At some point there was a constant message to upgrade, but that was fixed. This topic was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by Mwale Kalenga.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Lucas K1.5y ago
Unfortunately, this plugin is (April 2025) behind a paywall. This should be removed from the plugin directory!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ kklo2.1y ago
Hi, I use the Traveler Theme. I installed it according to the instructions, but I always get a connection error: Status Code Error: 401 when connecting with make (integromat)base url: ./domain.com/wp-json/API Key: copied from wp-config.phpHow do I fix this? Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.5.0 Security: Updated dependencies to latest secure versions (deep-copy, php-parser, phpunit) Feature: Smart upgrade prompts that appear based on actual plugin usage rather than immediately after installation Feature: Usage- 1.5.0
- — Version 1.4.1 Enhancement: Updated lucide-react from 0.294.0 to 0.541.0 – Latest icon library improvements with new icons and performance optimizations Enhancement: Updated tailwind-merge from 2.6.0 to 3.3.1 – Enhanced CSS utility mer 1.4.1
- — Version 1.4.0 Feature: Live API Explorer – Interactive tool to test JWT endpoints directly from admin dashboard with real API calls Feature: Enhanced Configuration Dashboard – Real-time monitoring of system health and setup requiremen 1.4.0
- — Version 1.3.8 Fix upsell notice bug, now it is show only one time 1.3.8
- — Version 1.3.7 Added PRO announcement 1.3.7
- — Version 1.3.6 Added Safeguard in enqueue_plugin_assets to Handle Null or Empty $suffix 1.3.6
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
6 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 Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 5 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 5 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 REST API.
- ✓ Headings and lists 23 headings and 3 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 9,932 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "json web authentication", "oauth" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-05-02 50K+ → 60K+ up after 566 days in tier
- 2023-10-14 40K+ → 50K+ up after 162 days in tier
- 2023-05-05 50K+ → 40K+ down after 55 days in tier
- 2023-03-11 40K+ → 50K+ up after 84 days in tier
- 2022-12-17 50K+ → 40K+ down after 20 days in tier
- 2022-11-27 60K+ → 50K+ down after 18 days in tier
- 2022-11-09 70K+ → 60K+ down after 77 days in tier
- 2022-08-24 60K+ → 70K+ up after 266 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).
-
User Data Fields For JWT Authentication 30+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags D -
GS JWT Authentication for WP REST API 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags - W WP REST API – Pure Taxonomies 400+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
- A API Bearer Auth 300+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags B
-
CoCart JWT Authentication 200+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags - S SearchWP API 200+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for JWT Authentication for WP REST API into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/jwt-authentication-for-wp-rest-api" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="JWT Authentication for WP REST API — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> JWT Authentication for WP REST API: 60K+ active installs, 4.4★ (53 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/jwt-authentication-for-wp-rest-api
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