Shibboleth

How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.

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.

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.

26 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 5 listed. 21 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.

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

How often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.

Share of active installs on each version of this plugin · 83% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.

Crossed into this band 2.3 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.

1. ★★★★★ diders

   3.2y ago

   It’s simple and works in multisite setups as well.

   Read on wp.org ↗
2. ★★★★★ jakeparis

   4.0y ago

   We had no trouble installing and configuring the plugin. When we ran into an issue, it was no trouble to interact with the plugin authors.

   Read on wp.org ↗
3. ★★★★★ rslater_illinois

   4.1y ago

   I am ashamed to say I have been using this excellent plugin for years without a single issue yet never took a moment to leave a review, which I am remedying now. Excellent work. Thank you all for this wonderful contribution to the WordPress ecosystem. I know I and thousands of other folks (far more than your WP use count indicates — I’ve added this to hundreds of sites over the years myself) in Higher Ed appreciate this plugin!

   Read on wp.org ↗
4. ★★★★★ nilssiegle

   8.7y ago

   Simple to set up, and does exactly what it is supposed to do. I had some issues during setup, but they originated from my lack of knowledge of Shibboleth. Auto-Login, managed user attributes and roles, everything I need works very easy.

   Read on wp.org ↗
5. ★★★★★ Jonathan Champ

   11.2y ago

   Edit May 2018: New maintainer, updated code and new features moves this from 4 stars to 5 stars. Works well with Multi-site and various setups. Original review from August 2015: Install it, configure it and it works. The maintainer seems to have taken a hiatus, would be good to have a backup person on the committer list. The version on github is a bit newer and includes some community fixes. Needs a few improvements for multisite, but it does work. Would like a couple more options: “Notify admin on new account create?” “Create account on login?” “Image to use with login text?” This topic was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by Jonathan Champ. Reason: New maintainer and new versions = updated score

   Read on wp.org ↗
6. ★★★★★ Androclese

   11.6y ago

   Works well. Had to modify the Login/Logout paths to work with mod_auth_mellon (RHEL 6.6+). Tested it with User Role Editor, and this plugin does recognize that new Roles exist, letting you map a new CN to that Role.

   Read on wp.org ↗
7. ★★★★★ Dan.LaSota

   12.3y ago

   As first mentioned in this support thread post: https://wordpress.org/support/topic/shibboleth-options-on-multisite-wordpress-installation?replies=6 this Shibboleth plugin provides inadequate security by allowing any administrator of a multisite installation to alter global settings for the site. It’s also not a good sign when there is no response from the developers. Although an update was released in April, it doesn’t look like this plugin gets regular support from the developers.

   Read on wp.org ↗

Recent releases and news for this plugin

1. 2026-06-22 Version 2.5.4 Security: Always require Spoof Key for HTTP auth #117 (thanks @Nxploited) Documentation: Document the _no_account default role option #116 (thanks @beanscg, @dmrzzz) Bumped minimum WordPress version to 4.3 (mostly to app 2.5.4
2. 2026-02-23 Version 2.5.3 Security: Limit redirects to approved hosts #112 (thanks @Belippo, @Jefhumbe) 2.5.3
3. 2025-07-22 Version 2.5.2 Compatibility: PHP 8.0 and newer require count() argument to be countable #108 (thanks @Gameink, @frereut) 2.5.2
4. 2025-07-21 Version 2.5.1 Compatibility: Fix profile save on WordPress 6.6 #104 (thanks @MadtownLems) 2.5.1
5. 2024-10-11 Version 2.5.0 Feature: Add the ability to configure multiple IdPs #101 (thanks @smbader) 2.5.0
6. 2023-10-31 Version 2.4.3 Compatibility: Check for Shibboleth username instead of Shib-Session-ID; thanks @spfncer #97 CI: Update GitHub Action workflows and code for WordPress coding standard v3 #94 Cleanup: Reduced duplication via a logging hel 2.4.3

All 2 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (2.5.4). Sites still on an older version should update.

1. Patched Critical · 9.8 Shibboleth <= 2.5.3 - Unauthenticated Administrator Account Creation ↗
   2026-06-24 CVE-2026-12281 Missing Authorization Affects <= 2.5.3 Patched in 2.5.4
2. Patched Medium · 6.1 Shibboleth <= 1.6 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗
   2016-03-02 CVE-2017-14313 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.6 Patched in 1.7

Automated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0

Translated into 2 languages, 0 at 90% or more

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.

Growth timeline

Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow

1. 2024-07-13 4K+ → 3K+ down after 1 days in tier
2. 2024-07-12 3K+ → 4K+ up after 1022 days in tier
3. 2021-09-24 2K+ → 3K+ up after 998 days in tier
4. 2018-12-31 1K+ → 2K+ up after 948 days in tier
5. 2016-05-27 700+ → 1K+ 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).

Embed this report card

Drop a live Pulse card for Shibboleth into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.

Shibboleth: 3K+ active installs, 4.3★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/shibboleth