XML-RPC service was disabled by default for the longest time mainly due to security reasons. In WordPress 3.5, this is about to change. XML-RPC will be enabled by default, and the ability to turn it off from your WordPress dashboard is going away. In this article, we will show you how to disable XML-RPC in WordPress and talk further about the decision of having it enabled by default.
What is XML-RPC?
According to Wikipedia, XML-RPC is a remote procedure call which uses XML to encode its calls and HTTP as a transport mechanism. In short, it is a system that allows you to post on your WordPress blog using popular weblog clients like Windows Live Writer. It is also needed if you are using the WordPress mobile app. It is also needed if you want to make connections to services like IFTTT.
If you want to access and publish to your blog remotely, then you need XML-RPC enabled.
In the past, there were security concerns with XML-RPC thus it was disabled by default. In his comment on trac ticket #21509, @nacin one of the core contributors of WordPress said:
Quite a bit has changed since we introduced off-by-default for XML-RPC. Their code has improved, and it is no longer considered a second-class citizen when it comes to API development, thanks to the work of a large team of awesome contributors. Security is no greater a concern than the rest of core.
There is no longer a compelling reason to disable this by default. It’s time we should remove the option entirely.
With the increasing use of mobile, this change was imminent. However some security cautious folks may say that while the XML-RPC’s security is not that big of an issue, it still provides an additional surface for attack if a vulnerability was ever found. Thus, keeping it disabled would make more sense.
To keep everyone happy, while the user interface option and the database option to turn off XML-RPC has been removed, there is a filter that you can use to turn it off if needed.
How to Disable XML-RPC in WordPress 3.5
All you have to do is paste the following code in a site-specific plugin:
add_filter('xmlrpc_enabled', '__return_false');
Alternatively, you can just install the plugin called Disable XML-RPC. All you have to do is activate it. It does the exact same thing as the code above.
How to Disable WordPress XML-RPC with .htaccess
While the above solution is sufficient for many, it can still be resource intensive for sites that are getting attacked.
In those cases, you may want to disable all xmlrpc.php requests from the .htaccess file before the request is even passed onto WordPress.
Simply paste the following code in your .htaccess file:
# Block WordPress xmlrpc.php requests <Files xmlrpc.php> order deny,allow deny from all allow from 123.123.123.123 </Files>
Because we do not use any mobile app or remote connections to publish on WPBeginner, we will be disabling XML-RPC by default. What are your thoughts on the issue?
Is there a difference between disabling and blocking?
Blocking would attempt to limit access to the feature while disabling would turn it off completely. If you disable it you wouldn’t need to worry about someone accessing it through a different method.
The recomnended plugin Disable XML-RPC has not been updated since last 2 years. It says the plugin has not been tested with the last 3 releases of wordpress.
For our stance on the not tested warning, you would want to take a look at our article below:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/opinion/should-you-install-plugins-not-tested-with-your-wordpress-version/
Hi,
Will disabling the xmlrpc.php access also disable the access to wordpress apis used for android/ios app development?
That would depend on the API being used by the apps themselves.
Found the solution:
Adding following information in nginx config:
# nginx block xmlrpc.php requests
location /xmlrpc.php {
deny all;
}
I use nginx instead of Apache. Can I still use .htaccess on my site?
And do I need to store this file in public_html directory, or one level above it?
If you’re using nginx then you would not be able to use htaccess
Thanks for the reply. So is there an alternative for nginx?
You would add the site-specific plugin or the plugin from earlier in the article.
hi, is it on the .htaccess file on the website root that i will paste the code?
Yes, the .htaccess in your site’s root folder is where you would add the .htaccess code
Thank you author.
You are welcome Mojtaba
How to use multiple ip or a ip range like 123.123.123.1, 2, 3, …… 100,101
why would we allow 123.123.123.123 ?
If we aren’t using the service at all, why not let “deny all” be absolute?
If i’m reading the code correctly;
order deny,allow – puts deny before allow, since deny is ‘all’ then allow isn’t processed
deny from all – does what it says
allow from 123.123.123.123 – is a place holder
I gather that if you have a fixed IP address you could change order to “allow,deny” and replace 123.123.123.123 with your IP address. That would allow your IP then deny all others.
Thanks WP-Beginner, I’m trying to be baddest WP boy in my neighbourhood and this is exactly why I keep coming back to you guys, each question I have you say; here is the easy way, and here is the RIGHT way
Me an my .htaccess are going to have a little chat about htpasswrd and this here XMLRPC thingy my clients will never need.
You all just made my corner of the net a little bit safer, as MailChimp would say: High Fives!
Hey David,
Thanks for the kind words. We are glad you find WPBeginner helpful
Ok, i will use this code but i want IFTTT to have work on my website what i need to add?
# Block WordPress xmlrpc.php requests
order deny,allow
deny from all
allow from 123.123.123.123
Hi,
I have followed the instructions to block the xmlrpc.php file using .htaccess but im not sure if it is working.
Im using wordfence security and in the live traffic view i can see the requests for the xmlrpc.php file have stopped, but if i check my access logs
tail -f /apache2/logs/access_log
I can still see the requests coming in, but the code at the end has changed from 500 to 403. Im concerned im getting a false report from my WordFence plugin and that im still being flooded with spam. Can anyone advise?
Thanks,
PhilB
Oh yeah! Thats working perfectly, your XMLRPC is FORBIDDEN!
HTTP Status Code 403: The server understood the request but refuses to authorize it.
I got a weird problem…
I’m using my wordpress blogs with IFTTT and all worked fine, until I integrated it with MaxCDN; IFTTT immediately stopped working. I did some research and the problem might be related to XML-RPC that was de-activated.
When I check my dashbord in “Settings” > “Writing” , I don’t see anything like XML-RPC, Remote Publishing, etc. I’ve checked database in options, also xml-rpc not available / missing.
I need to activate XML-RPC to keep my IFTTT working.
How do I re-activate XML-RPC; all I need is a script that I can add in .htaccess or functions.php to activate XML-RPC.
And why am I missing the XML-RPC funtionality in my dashboard.
Thank You!
I was searching for how to add this file xmlprc.php to my wordpress i am using 4.5.3 version and i came to this page. I need to add this php file because when i enable jetpack i got error of site_inaccessible. Please tell me hot to resolve this error my site is
Connect to your WordPress site using FTP client or File Manager in cPanel. In your website’s root directory look for xmlrpc.php file. If it is there, then try step 2. If it isn’t then download a fresh copy of WordPress. Unzip and extract it and upload xmlrpc.php file back to your site’s root directory.
Step 2: Check your WordPress theme’s functions file for the code that disables XML-RPC.
Step 3: Check your .htaccess and wp-config files.
Please,what can i do to enable xmlrpc on my site?because i can’t login using wordpess mobile app on my smartphone..
If you are using a security plugin on your WordPress site, then check its settings.
Booyah! This WP filter fixed the script kiddie attack. I still firewalled the person, but I don’t have to watch the logs like a hawk to add more IPs to the firewall. THANK YOU.
That’s why we use Sucuri.
Is that because Sucuri acts like the Disable XMLRPC plugin?
If so I can remove my Disable XMLRPC plugin,
Thanks
Alex
Sucuri acts like a firewall between your site and users. It blocks any suspicious activity before it could reach your website.
I’m totally onboard for disabling xmlrpc.php server wide in my /etc/httpd/conf/includes/pre_main_global.conf file. But I am left with this questions…is there a way to determine that a particular plugin “NEEDS” xmlrpc.php in order to work? I have concerns with blocking access to it and then having an issue 2 months down the road and not know that the issue is with the fact that I blocked xmlrpc.php previously.
Are there any common signs to look for in a log file or such which would point to a xmlrpc.php block as the cause?
Hi, I just installed the plugin , Disable XML-RPC
Lets see!
Hey am using WordPress app to post with my android smartphone. Now I can’t login and my login credentials are correct. The response I got was ” we can’t log you in couldn’t connect to the WordPress site”.Could you help me fix this WordPress app login error.
If you had disabled XML RPC then you may not be able to login using WordPress mobile app. Look in your theme’s functions.php file for this code
add_filter('xmlrpc_enabled', '__return_false');If it is there, then you need to remove it. You can also try deactivating plugins and turning them on one by one until you find the plugin that is stopping you from login using WordPress mobile app.
It’s worth noting, that “allow from 123.123.123.123” is optional, and if used should be updated to include your IP, or the IP of the device that needs access to xmlrpc.php (it would be good to cite examples in this article).
I am using GoodbyeCaptcha plugin to turn off the XML-RPC and works with no problem while Jetpack is activated.
Hope it helps
Sorry, I’ve tried this method many times. It didn’t work for me – in fact it brought the front end down (blocking visitors read access to the web page) after adding these codes to the .htaccess file.
Does disabling it this way prevent this issue? http://theaffluentblogger.com/operating-a-website/wordpress-xmlrpc-php-vulnerability-affects-shared-hosting-sites/ I have a friend whose site is continually crashing because of her xmlrpc file being attacked.
Yes it will prevent the attack to an extent.
Keith, there’s a trend in WordPress to move non-theme related functions out of the functions.php file and into a “site specific plugin”, basically a plugin that you only activate on one unique website and it stores the non-theme related functions for that site.
You can accomplish the same thing by placing the code in your functions.php file.
Thanks Chris
Looks like you guys have already covered it.
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/what-why-and-how-tos-of-creating-a-site-specific-wordpress-plugin/
BTW – what’s happened to your comments system?
Was Livefyre then something related to twitter and facebook and now ?
Hi Guys
Sorry to be a bit thick but could you expand on… “All you have to do is paste the following code in a site-specific plugin:”
Which plugins are site specific?