WP BASIC Auth
by wokamoto · Uncategorized
Also makes 7 other plugins · 11.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Enabling this plugin allows you to set up Basic authentication on your site using your WordPress's user name and password.
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
D 43/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Few reviews
Active installs
3K+
≈3.7K estimated
Momentum
-8%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “auth” and “basic auth” 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.
43 health vs 58 average across 25,756 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.4%
of downloads still active
At least 3K of 126.4K 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.
Removal-risk signals
53/100Maintenance 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 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
- Falling behind WordPress. Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16.
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.
Under-optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 1440 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.1.16; the current branch is 6.8
3.6★ over 7 reviews, smoothed to 4.04★ and held back under 25 reviews
2 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1440 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| auth your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| basic auth your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
0 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “auth” and “basic auth” 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 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 6.4K · 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
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
3.9y ago
latest release · v1.1.4 · 22 Nov 2022
5
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 “3K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 73% of the way through.
Install history since 23 Apr 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Rhand10.9y ago
Great plugin. Instead of setting up ht authentication yourself you can use this plugin and it will allow you to use an existing user and password to authenticate instead of adding one on top or for creating this type of authentication yourself connection it to the users in the admin. Only thing I missed was some more documentation so 4/5 starts. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Amber Hinds11.2y ago
All media files can still be accessed via direct paths.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ zangetsu111.8y ago
Does exactly what’s expected.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ gondoSVK11.9y ago
doesnt work with nginx and this is not mentiond anywhere in plugin description
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Vajaah13.4y ago
No need to add .htpasswd with the benefit of using user WP credentials.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ jim91213.5y ago
Can introduce the basic authentication very easily. nice!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ suna_p13.6y ago
easy to use, works well
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
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
2 of 8 pass · checked 31 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Enabling this plugin allows you to set up Basic authentication on your site using your WordPress's user nam..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 308 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 2 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-07-27 4K+ → 3K+ down after 186 days in tier
- 2026-01-22 5K+ → 4K+ down after 104 days in tier
- 2025-10-10 6K+ → 5K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-10-09 5K+ → 6K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-10-07 6K+ → 5K+ down after 187 days in tier
- 2025-04-03 7K+ → 6K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-04-02 6K+ → 7K+ up after 18 days in tier
- 2025-03-15 7K+ → 6K+ down after 5 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).
- H HTTP Basic Auth 200+ installs · 3.7★ · 2 shared tags D
-
VA Simple Basic Auth 60+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D -
WP Similar Basic Auth 10+ installs · 3.6★ · 2 shared tags -
VA Simple Enhanced Security 10+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags D - A authLdap 4K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
-
WP Basic Authentication 2K+ installs · 4.2★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP BASIC Auth into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-basic-auth" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP BASIC Auth — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP BASIC Auth: 3K+ active installs, 3.6★ (7 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-basic-auth
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