WP Basic Authentication
by nutttaro · Uncategorized
Also makes 4 other plugins · 5.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
Basic Authentication for protected your development WordPress site like .htpasswd
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 82/100
Few reviews
Active installs
2K+
≈2.9K estimated
Momentum
+27%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “auth” to your wp.org tags. You rank #12 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed it's a slot worth spending.
82 health vs 58 average across 25,734 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.7%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 54.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,766 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 5 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 159 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
5.0★ over 5 reviews, smoothed to 4.18★ and held back under 25 reviews
3 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.
41
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
24%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| basic | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| basic auth your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| htpasswd | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| authentication your tag | #7 | #15 | up 3 |
| basic plugin | #3 | #9 | up 1 |
| protected your tag | #17 | #22 | up 1 |
| auth | #12 | #19 | 0 |
| wordpress authentication | #10 | #19 | up 1 |
18 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 8 listed. 10 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words).
What to do about it
- Add “auth” to your wp.org tags. You rank #12 for it without listing it, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 3 listed it's a slot worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 4.3K · 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
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
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
5
releases in the last 12 months
5mo ago
latest release · v1.2.1 · 25 May 2026
5
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 42% 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 “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.6 years ago; the previous band took 19 months to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 17 Aug 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ WimScholtes2.4y ago
Like the title says, a very useful and easy to use plugin. This was exactly what I needed to make my blog only visible for some next to kin followers. Great job! 🙂
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Sea Jay3.1y ago
This plugin is still working perfectly, just as described.(Can you update the compatibility version? It shows this on install: “Warning: This plugin has not been tested with your current version of WordPress.”) This topic was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by Sea Jay. Reason: Added suggestion to remove warning
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ lighthaus2054.1y ago
Works just as expected. Thanks a lot!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ brokercarrier5.3y ago
This plugin perfectly reproduces the functionality of .htpasswd on Apache. We needed a solution like this for a website that is running on OpenLiteSpeed, and it works perfectly. Thank you! This topic was modified 5 years ago by brokercarrier.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Adam Blodgett5.4y ago
Plugin does what it promises: easy and quick HTTP-like authentication. Easy to install and use.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.2.1 Tested up to WordPress 7.0 Use CSS custom properties for admin color scheme compatibility 1.2.1
- — Version 1.2.0 Add REST API (/wp-json/) authentication toggle Add path exclusion list for health checks, webhooks, and other endpoints Add IP allowlist to bypass authentication for trusted addresses Add production environment warning w 1.2.0
- — Version 1.1.2 Fix password authentication failure caused by double-hashing during save Fix hash detection to support all WordPress password hash formats Fix warning message HTML on settings page 1.1.2
- — Version 1.1.1 Fix small issue on setting page 1.1.1
- — Version 1.1.0 Hash password with automatic migration from older versions Automatic password migration for users updating from pre-1.1.0 versions Tested up to WordPress 6.9 1.1.0
- — Version 1.0.3 Tested up to WordPress 6.5 Separate protected frontend and wp-login page 1.0.3
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0.1
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 3 languages, 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
3 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 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 2 of 3 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 Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 353 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 3 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-03-13 1K+ → 2K+ up after 580 days in tier
- 2022-08-11 200+ → 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).
- L Limit Login Attempts 300K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag C
-
WPS Limit Login 100K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Two Factor 100K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag B -
Force Login 30K+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
Google Authenticator 20K+ installs · 4.3★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Basic Authentication into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-basic-authentication" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Basic Authentication — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Basic Authentication: 2K+ active installs, 5.0★ (5 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-basic-authentication
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