WP REST API Key Authentication
by Kamal Hosen · Security
Also makes 7 other plugins · 970+ installs across the portfolio →
A simple plugin to add API key-based authentication to the WordPress REST API. Manage multiple API keys and secure your REST API endpoints.
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
Not scored
no reviews to score from
Active installs
10+
≈16 estimated
Momentum
+44%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “access control”, “api authentication” and “api key” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Not scored yet. Nobody has reviewed this plugin, so a grade would come from directory averages rather than from anything measured here.
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.8%
of downloads still active
At least 10 of 1.3K lifetime downloads are still running, below its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,060 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
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: Update recency
Updated 654 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.7.11; the current branch is 6.8
No reviews yet, so wp.org scores it as a middling unrated listing
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 654 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| access control your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| api authentication your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| api key your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| rest api your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| security your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 5 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “access control”, “api authentication” and “api key” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 17 Jan 2025 · 654 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 132 · peaks are release surges
Directory rank
Ranked about #30,400 to #44,800, alongside the other plugins at 10+ 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 1 Nov 2026.
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
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
1.8y ago
latest release · v1.0 · 16 Jan 2025
1
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 “10+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 59% of the way through.
Install history since 16 Jan 2025
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.8.2
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 1 language, 1 at 90% or more
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
8 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "A simple plugin to add API key-based authentication to the WordPress REST API. Manage multiple API keys and..."
- ✓ 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 Names its audience or use cases ("perfect for", "who want").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions REST API.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 5 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 1,363 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "api authentication" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-03 20+ → 10+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2026-05-29 10+ → 20+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-28 20+ → 10+ down after 75 days in tier
- 2026-03-14 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).
-
JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
SMNTCS Disable REST API User Endpoints 8K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B -
Disabler 900+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A -
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Hostinger Tools 3M+ installs · 3.6★ · 1 shared tag B -
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ installs · 4.9★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP REST API Key Authentication into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/rest-api-key-authentication" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP REST API Key Authentication — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP REST API Key Authentication: 10+ active installs, no reviews yet. Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/rest-api-key-authentication
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