WP Basic Authentication
Protect development, staging, and demo WordPress sites with HTTP Basic Auth — no .htpasswd file required. Works with Docker & Kubernetes.
- Free
- GPLv2
- Docker & K8s
Zero-config setup
Turn on Basic Authentication from a single admin screen — no server config to touch.
.htpasswd-style gate
The same password prompt as .htpasswd, managed entirely from WordPress.
No .htpasswd file
Protect demo and staging sites without editing Apache or Nginx config.
Docker & Kubernetes ready
Built for containerized environments where an .htpasswd file is impractical.
Lightweight
Minimal resource footprint — it does one job and does it well.
Requirements
- WordPress5.7+
- PHP7.4+
- Tested up toWP 6.9
Install
- Install and activate from the WordPress plugin directory.
- Open “Authentication” in the left-hand admin menu.
- Set a username and password to gate the whole site.
Locked out or forgot the credentials?
Rename or delete the plugin directory over FTP or the command line to disable it instantly.
Are passwords stored securely?
Since v1.1.0 existing passwords are auto-migrated to WordPress’s hashed format via wp_hash_password().
GET WP BASIC AUTHENTICATION
Protect development, staging, and demo WordPress sites with HTTP Basic Auth — no .htpasswd file required. Works with Docker & Kubernetes. Free and open source — install from the WordPress plugin directory or grab the code on GitHub.