Disable WP REST API is a WordPress app, with a 4.8 average rating from 36 reviews, as of Aug 31, 2026.
Disable WP REST API is a WordPress Plugin Directory app by Jeff Starr. With a rating of 4.8★ from 36 reviews.
AppRanks verdict
Generated from live marketplace data — refreshed daily
Disable WP REST API is a category-leading WordPress app with a limited review volume. Category data on the canonical marketplace listing is currently incomplete, so AppRanks falls back to platform-wide rather than category-relative comparison for this listing. 36 reviews put it in the early-traction tier — useful for early-stage stores willing to be on the leading edge. Early-traction review counts are sensitive to single launch periods or feature events, so a 30-day re-check before bigger commitments often resolves whether the trend is sustained. Paid-only pricing means evaluating fit on the marketplace listing or via the developer's documentation before installing. AppRanks tracks rating, review count, pricing tier, and category position daily — the figures on this page reflect the most recent scrape from the canonical WordPress Plugin Directory listing.
Pros
- +High average rating (4.8★) signals consistent merchant satisfaction
- +Published by Jeff Starr — established developer track record
Cons
- −Limited review base (36) — ratings can shift significantly with new feedback
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How Disable WP REST API works
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Does one thing: Completely disables the WordPress REST API for visitors who are not logged into WordPress. No configuration required.
Important: This plugin completely disables the WP REST API for visitors who are NOT logged in to WordPress. So not recommended if your site needs the WP REST API for any non-logged users.
👉 The fast, simple way to prevent abuse of your site’s REST/JSON API
👉 Protects your site’s REST data from all non-logged users and bots
👉 Uses only 4KB of code, so super lightweight, fast, and effective
🛠️ Pro version available! Check out REST Pro Tools »
Features
Disable REST/JSON for visitors (not logged in)
Disables REST header in HTTP response for all users
Disables REST links in HTML head for all users
100% plug-and-play, set-it-and-forget solution
How does it work?
This plugin completely disables the WP REST API unless the user is logged into WordPress.
For logged-in (authenticated) users, WP REST API works normally
For logged-out (unauthenticated) users, WP REST API is disabled
What happens if logged-out visitor makes a JSON/REST request? They will get only a simple message:
rest_login_required: REST API restricted to authenticated users.
This message may customized via the filter hook, disable_wp_rest_api_error. Check out this post for an example of how to do it.
Pro Version 🛠️ Check out the Pro version, REST Pro Tools, loaded with many awesome features:
One-click disable all routes
One-click disable all /users routes
Disable any specific user routes based on role
Whitelist any user IDs
Whitelist any IP addresses
Customize the REST error message
Customize the REST response code
Always require or force SSL/TLS
Disable all JSONP shenanigans
One-click disable any REST API headers
Add any post meta (custom field) to REST API
Add any user meta (custom field) to REST API
Add routes for site profile and author profile
Add routes for featured images and post categories
Add routes for post taxonomies and terms
At-a-glance check status of REST API
The free version does only one thing: disables REST API for unauthenticated users. The PRO version can do that and much more! Take full control of the REST API with REST Pro Tools »
Privacy This plugin does not collect or store any user data. It does not set any cookies, and it does not connect to any third-party locations. Thus, this plugin does not affect user privacy in any way. If anything it improves user privacy, as it protects potentially sensitive information from being displayed/accessed via REST API.
Disable WP REST API is developed and maintained by Jeff Starr, 15-year WordPress developer and book author.
Support development of this plugin I develop and maintain this free plugin with love for the WordPress community. To show support, you can make a donation or purchase one of my books:
The Tao of WordPress
Digging into WordPress
.htaccess made easy
WordPress Themes In Depth
Wizard’s SQL Recipes for WordPress
And/or purchase one of my premium WordPress plugins:
BBQ Pro – Blazing fast WordPress firewall
Blackhole Pro – Automatically block bad bots
Banhammer Pro – Monitor traffic and ban the bad guys
GA Google Analytics Pro – Connect WordPress to Google Analytics
Head Meta Pro – Ultimate Meta Tags for WordPress
REST Pro Tools – Awesome tools for managing the WP REST API
Simple Ajax Chat Pro – Unlimited chat rooms
USP Pro – Unlimited front-end forms
Links, tweets and likes also appreciated. Thank you! 🙂
Keyword rankings
Disable WP REST API ranks for 2 keywords across WordPress Plugin Directory. Here are the top 2:
- 1.chat botRank #53
- Rank #716
Competitors & alternatives
AppRanks tracks competitor sets per category. For Disable WP REST API, the independent listing audit includes a competitive context section, and the full WordPress app index shows the broader marketplace landscape this app competes in. Sign up free to surface a side-by-side competitor matrix customized to your tracked apps.
Frequently asked questions
What is Disable WP REST API?
Disable WP REST API is an app for WordPress. It currently holds a 4.8-star rating from 36 merchant reviews, and AppRanks has been tracking its public marketplace data on the refresh cadence published in our methodology. AppRanks tracks its category position, review-velocity trend, and the top alternatives in the same space. Developed by Jeff Starr.