{"id":235266,"date":"2025-07-01T19:43:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T19:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/vpn-guard\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T22:10:01","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T22:10:01","slug":"vpn-guard","status":"publish","type":"plugin","link":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/vpn-guard\/","author":23298092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","version":"1.0.5","stable_tag":"trunk","tested":"6.9.4","requires":"5.5","requires_php":"7.4","requires_plugins":null,"header_name":"VPN Guard","header_author":"VPNDeals","header_description":"Secure your WordPress site with VPN Guard. This plugin helps you block unwanted access by checking IP addresses against the vpnapi.io detection service.","assets_banners_color":"314d75","last_updated":"2026-02-03 22:10:01","external_support_url":"","external_repository_url":"","donate_link":"https:\/\/vpndeals.com\/","header_plugin_uri":"https:\/\/vpndeals.com\/wordpress-plugins\/vpn-guard\/","header_author_uri":"https:\/\/vpndeals.com\/","rating":5,"author_block_rating":0,"active_installs":300,"downloads":1151,"num_ratings":8,"support_threads":0,"support_threads_resolved":0,"author_block_count":0,"sections":["description","installation","faq"],"tags":[],"upgrade_notice":{"1.0.5":"<ul>\n<li>Compatibility: Full support verified for WordPress 6.9.1 and PHP 8.3+.<\/li>\n<li>Security: Hardened internal access checks to prevent unauthorized settings modifications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","1.0.4":"<p>Important update addressing WordPress.org review: enhanced compatibility via prefixing, stricter security (nonces, sanitization), improved coding standards (asset loading, i18n), and updated docs.<\/p>","1.0.3":"<p>This is a significant update with crucial bug fixes for admin functionality (Targeting tab, Log actions, Feedback form), important security enhancements (nonce handling, sanitization, IP validation), and overall stability improvements. Update highly recommended for all users.<\/p>","1.0.2":"<p>Recommended update for improved API error handling and admin badge accuracy. Includes minor performance tweaks.<\/p>"},"ratings":{"1":0,"2":0,"3":0,"4":0,"5":8},"assets_icons":{"icon-128x128.png":{"filename":"icon-128x128.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"128x128","location":"assets","locale":""},"icon-256x256.png":{"filename":"icon-256x256.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"256x256","location":"assets","locale":""}},"assets_banners":{"banner-772x250.png":{"filename":"banner-772x250.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"772x250","location":"assets","locale":""}},"assets_blueprints":{},"all_blocks":[],"tagged_versions":[],"block_files":[],"assets_screenshots":{"screenshot-1.png":{"filename":"screenshot-1.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"1","location":"assets","locale":""},"screenshot-2.png":{"filename":"screenshot-2.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"2","location":"assets","locale":""},"screenshot-3.png":{"filename":"screenshot-3.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"3","location":"assets","locale":""},"screenshot-4.png":{"filename":"screenshot-4.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"4","location":"assets","locale":""},"screenshot-5.png":{"filename":"screenshot-5.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"5","location":"assets","locale":""},"screenshot-6.png":{"filename":"screenshot-6.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"6","location":"assets","locale":""},"screenshot-7.png":{"filename":"screenshot-7.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"7","location":"assets","locale":""},"screenshot-8.png":{"filename":"screenshot-8.png","revision":3320814,"resolution":"8","location":"assets","locale":""}},"screenshots":{"1":"<strong>Main Settings:<\/strong> Configure core plugin status, API key, IP whitelist, allowed user roles, and admin notice display.","2":"<strong>Targeting Rules:<\/strong> Define precisely where VPN protection applies \u2013 entire site or specific areas using various rule types.","3":"<strong>Preview &amp; Test Tab:<\/strong> Live preview your block page and find guidance for testing your VPN Guard setup.","4":"<strong>Extra Settings:<\/strong> Manage miscellaneous options like the footer badge and data deletion on uninstall.","5":"<strong>Scheduler:<\/strong> Set up specific days and hours for when VPN blocking should be active.","6":"<strong>Logs Viewer:<\/strong> Review recently blocked IPs, including details like time, reason, URL, and perform actions like whitelisting.","7":"<strong>Stats Panel:<\/strong> View statistics of blocked IPs over different time periods (Today, Yesterday, This Week, etc.)."},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"plugin_section":[],"plugin_tags":[1220,2707,4866,7686,48992],"plugin_category":[],"plugin_contributors":[244351],"plugin_business_model":[],"class_list":["post-235266","plugin","type-plugin","status-publish","hentry","plugin_tags-block","plugin_tags-blocker","plugin_tags-bots","plugin_tags-proxy","plugin_tags-vpn","plugin_contributors-vpndeals","plugin_committers-vpndeals"],"banners":{"banner":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/banner-772x250.png?rev=3320814","banner_2x":false,"banner_rtl":false,"banner_2x_rtl":false},"icons":{"svg":false,"icon":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/icon-128x128.png?rev=3320814","icon_2x":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/icon-256x256.png?rev=3320814","generated":false},"screenshots":[{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/screenshot-1.png?rev=3320814","caption":"<strong>Main Settings:<\/strong> Configure core plugin status, API key, IP whitelist, allowed user roles, and admin notice display."},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/screenshot-2.png?rev=3320814","caption":"<strong>Targeting Rules:<\/strong> Define precisely where VPN protection applies \u2013 entire site or specific areas using various rule types."},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/screenshot-3.png?rev=3320814","caption":"<strong>Preview &amp; Test Tab:<\/strong> Live preview your block page and find guidance for testing your VPN Guard setup."},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/screenshot-4.png?rev=3320814","caption":"<strong>Extra Settings:<\/strong> Manage miscellaneous options like the footer badge and data deletion on uninstall."},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/screenshot-5.png?rev=3320814","caption":"<strong>Scheduler:<\/strong> Set up specific days and hours for when VPN blocking should be active."},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/screenshot-6.png?rev=3320814","caption":"<strong>Logs Viewer:<\/strong> Review recently blocked IPs, including details like time, reason, URL, and perform actions like whitelisting."},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/screenshot-7.png?rev=3320814","caption":"<strong>Stats Panel:<\/strong> View statistics of blocked IPs over different time periods (Today, Yesterday, This Week, etc.)."},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/vpn-guard\/assets\/screenshot-8.png?rev=3320814","caption":""}],"raw_content":"<!--section=description-->\n<p><strong>VPN Guard<\/strong> is the ultimate freemium WordPress plugin to help you block VPNs, proxies, and other anonymizing networks frequently leveraged by unwanted bots and suspicious traffic in real-time \u2014 no subscription required.<\/p>\n\n<p>It uses the powerful <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vpnapi.io\">vpnapi.io<\/a><\/strong> engine to scan visitors' IP addresses and instantly block connections flagged as VPN, Proxy, Tor, or Relay\u2014and your free account includes <strong>1,000 API requests per day!<\/strong> This helps protect your site from various threats that hide behind these anonymization layers.<\/p>\n\n<p>And here's the game-changer: <strong>YOU decide the battlefield!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>Want to shield your entire site? Done.<\/p>\n\n<p>Need to protect just your login page, WooCommerce checkout, specific posts, or even the entire <code>\/wp-admin\/<\/code> area?<\/p>\n\n<p>VPN Guard gives you <strong>pinpoint control<\/strong> with its advanced targeting rules.<\/p>\n\n&gt; \ud83d\udca1 <strong>Premium-grade features, no premium price.<\/strong> Unlock serious protection with granular control, without spending a dime.\n\n<h3>\u2705 Features You\u2019ll Love<\/h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li>\u2728 <strong>NEW! Block Page Preview &amp; Test Tab<\/strong> - See exactly what your blocked users see and get tips for testing your setup!<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>NEW! LASER-FOCUSED TARGETING!<\/strong> \u2013 Why block everything when you can block SMARTER?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Full Site Protection:<\/strong> Shield your entire WordPress site with one click.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Specific Areas Only:<\/strong> Create custom rules to protect:\n    - Individual <strong>Post \/ Page ID(s)<\/strong>\n    - Entire <strong>Post Types<\/strong> (e.g., all \"products\", all \"articles\", or your <strong>custom post types<\/strong>)\n    - URLs based on <strong>Contains<\/strong>, <strong>Starts With<\/strong>, or <strong>Exact Match<\/strong>\n    - Critical <strong>WooCommerce Pages<\/strong> (Cart, Checkout, My Account)\n    - Essential <strong>WordPress Pages<\/strong> (Login Page, Registration Page)\n    - The entire <strong>WordPress Admin Area (<code>\/wp-admin\/<\/code>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>VPN &amp; Proxy Detection<\/strong> \u2013 Block anonymized traffic (VPN, Proxy, Tor, Relay) using trusted IP intelligence. Enhanced IP validation logic.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f <strong>Mitigate Unwanted Traffic<\/strong> \u2013 Helps reduce access from scrapers and unwanted bots that often operate through the types of anonymizing networks detected by the API.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udd10 <strong>WordPress Login Security<\/strong> \u2013 Harden your admin and login endpoints (now even more precise with targeting!)<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\uded2 <strong>WooCommerce Checkout Protection<\/strong> \u2013 Reduce fraud and suspicious orders by blocking high-risk anonymized connections.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83e\udde0 <strong>Smart Role Bypasses<\/strong> \u2013 Let trusted roles skip blocking rules.<\/li>\n<li>\u23f0 <strong>Scheduled Blocking<\/strong> \u2013 Only apply blocking rules at certain hours or days. Improved scheduler logic.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udccb <strong>View Blocked Logs<\/strong> \u2013 Review recent blocked IPs, URLs, and detection reasons. User Agent and Referer now included in CSV export.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udce4 <strong>Export to CSV<\/strong> \u2013 One-click export for audit logs or compliance. Log export functionality restored and improved.<\/li>\n<li>\u2705 <strong>IP Whitelist<\/strong> \u2013 Allow specific IPs even if flagged by the detection service.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n- \ud83d\udee1\ufe0f <strong>Admin Panel Status Notice<\/strong> \u2013 Optional notice in your dashboard, with refined styling and more robust status display.\n\n<h3>\ud83e\udde0 Ideal For<\/h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Bloggers looking to protect login and admin access <strong>with precision<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>WooCommerce stores wanting to secure checkout or specific product categories from risky traffic.<\/li>\n<li>Membership sites and online courses needing to protect premium content areas.<\/li>\n<li>Publishers battling fake traffic or content scrapers on high-value articles or sections.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Any WordPress site that needs smarter, targeted access control against anonymized and potentially malicious traffic.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>\ud83d\ude80 Why Choose VPN Guard?<\/h3>\n\n<p>While other security or VPN-blocking plugins lock core features or charge extra for flexibility, <strong>VPN Guard gives you true freemium access with unparalleled control<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>\u2705 100% free with generous API usage for detecting VPNs, Proxies, Tor, and Relays.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Powerful targeting rules at no extra cost!<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udd13 Key features without nagging upsells.<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udcc8 Designed for performance, speed, and SEO safety. Enhanced stability and security in the latest update.\n&gt; \ud83d\udca5 Use it standalone or alongside other security tools like Wordfence, iThemes Security, All In One WP Security, and more! VPN Guard's targeting complements them perfectly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>\ud83d\udd0c Integrations &amp; Compatibility<\/h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li>\u2705 Fully compatible with <strong>WooCommerce<\/strong> (target cart, checkout, account pages)<\/li>\n<li>\u2705 Works with <strong>popular caching plugins<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u2705 Integrates with <strong>any WordPress theme or builder<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\u2705 Safe for use with <strong>CDNs and Cloudflare<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>\ud83d\udce6 API Details<\/h3>\n\n<p>VPN Guard uses <a href=\"https:\/\/vpnapi.io\">vpnapi.io<\/a> \u2014 a modern and reliable IP intelligence service.\nThe API response includes flags for:\n- <strong>VPN:<\/strong> Is the IP a VPN?\n- <strong>Proxy:<\/strong> Is the IP a Proxy?\n- <strong>Tor:<\/strong> Is the IP a Tor exit node?\n- <strong>Relay:<\/strong> Is the IP part of a relay network?\n<em>(The API may also provide a \"hosting\" flag indicating a datacenter\/hosting IP, which contributes to identifying non-residential traffic, though VPN Guard's primary blocking is based on the above explicit flags).<\/em><\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83c\udd93 Free plan includes <strong>1,000 requests per day<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\ude80 Easy upgrade options available (no commitment)<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udd10 GDPR compliant, fast response times, and global coverage<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\nYou\u2019ll be prompted to add your free API key inside the plugin settings.\n\n<h3>\ud83d\udcac Support<\/h3>\n\n<p>Got questions or feature requests? Reach out from the plugin\u2019s built-in feedback form or at <a href=\"https:\/\/vpndeals.com\/wordpress-plugins\/vpn-guard\/\">https:\/\/vpndeals.com\/wordpress-plugins\/vpn-guard\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>External Services<\/h3>\n\n<p>This plugin utilizes the <strong>vpnapi.io<\/strong> service to perform real-time IP address analysis. This is essential for the plugin's core functionality of detecting and blocking traffic from VPNs, proxies, Tor networks, and relays.<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Service Provider:<\/strong> vpnapi.io<\/li>\n<li><strong>Purpose:<\/strong> To identify the nature of a visitor's IP address (VPN, proxy, Tor, relay) to enable blocking or restriction based on your plugin settings, thereby enhancing website security and integrity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data Sent:<\/strong> When a visitor accesses a page or area of your site that is actively protected by VPN Guard (and the result for their IP is not already cached locally or if the IP is not whitelisted), the visitor's <strong>IP address<\/strong> is sent to the vpnapi.io service for analysis.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Service Terms of Use:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/vpnapi.io\/terms\">https:\/\/vpnapi.io\/terms<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Service Privacy Policy:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/vpnapi.io\/privacy\">https:\/\/vpnapi.io\/privacy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>Privacy Considerations<\/h3>\n\n<p>VPN Guard is designed with user and site visitor privacy in mind. Here's how we handle data:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Visitor IP Addresses:<\/strong> To protect your site, VPN Guard processes the IP addresses of your site visitors. As detailed in the \"External Services\" section, visitor IP addresses may be sent to the <code>vpnapi.io<\/code> service for analysis.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Data Logging:<\/strong> If a visitor's IP address is blocked, VPN Guard will store the following information in your local WordPress database: the visitor's IP address, the date and time of the block, the detection reason (e.g., \"VPN\"), the URL the visitor attempted to access, their browser user agent, and the HTTP referer. This data is for your security logging and review purposes. You have an option in the plugin settings to delete all plugin data, including these logs, upon uninstallation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cookies:<\/strong> VPN Guard's core IP blocking functionality does not set any cookies on your website visitors' browsers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Site Administrator Data (Feedback Form):<\/strong> If you choose to send feedback to us via the plugin's built-in feedback form, it will include your WordPress admin email, site URL, and technical details (plugin version, WP version, PHP version) to help us provide support. This is explicitly stated on the feedback form itself.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n* <strong>Your Website's Privacy Policy:<\/strong> We recommend that you update your website's privacy policy to inform your users about the data processing activities performed by VPN Guard, including the use of the <code>vpnapi.io<\/code> service and the local logging of blocked IP addresses.\n\n<!--section=installation-->\n<ol>\n<li>Upload the <code>vpn-guard<\/code> (or your plugin folder name) directory to <code>\/wp-content\/plugins\/<\/code> or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly.<\/li>\n<li>Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' screen in WordPress.<\/li>\n<li>Go to <strong>VPN Guard<\/strong> in the WP Admin sidebar (the menu slug will be <code>vpngd_main_settings<\/code> or similar after prefixing).<\/li>\n<li>Enter your free API key from <a href=\"https:\/\/vpnapi.io\">vpnapi.io<\/a> in the \"Main Settings\" tab.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Head to the \"Targeting\" tab to set up your protection rules!<\/strong> Choose \"Entire Site\" or \"Specific Areas Only\" and define your rules.<\/li>\n<li>Configure other settings like schedule and whitelist as needed.<\/li>\n<li>Save and protect \ud83d\ude80<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<!--section=faq-->\n<dl>\n<dt id=\"is%20vpn%20guard%20really%20free%3F\"><h3>Is VPN Guard really free?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>Yes. You can use VPN Guard for free with up to 1,000 API requests per day via vpnapi.io to detect VPNs, Proxies, Tor, and Relays, including all its powerful targeting features. If you need more API calls, upgrades are available.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"will%20this%20slow%20down%20my%20site%3F\"><h3>Will this slow down my site?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>No. VPN Guard is lightweight. When using targeted protection, it only performs checks on the specific areas you define, making it even more efficient. Compatible with caching plugins and CDNs.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"can%20i%20whitelist%20specific%20ips%20or%20users%3F\"><h3>Can I whitelist specific IPs or users?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>Yes. You can add IP addresses to the whitelist or allow certain WordPress user roles to bypass checks, regardless of your targeting rules.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"does%20this%20work%20with%20woocommerce%3F\"><h3>Does this work with WooCommerce?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>Absolutely. You can specifically target your WooCommerce cart, checkout, and account pages, or even individual product post types if needed. VPN Guard helps protect store owners from transactions originating from high-risk anonymized networks.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"can%20i%20see%20what%E2%80%99s%20being%20blocked%3F\"><h3>Can I see what\u2019s being blocked?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>Yes. The Logs tab shows the latest blocked IPs with full details, including the reason (e.g., VPN, Proxy). You can export them as CSV (now including User Agent and Referer).<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"does%20it%20work%20with%20other%20security%20plugins%3F\"><h3>Does it work with other security plugins?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>Yes! VPN Guard plays well with plugins like Wordfence, iThemes Security, and others. Its targeting can add a focused layer of protection against anonymized traffic.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"how%20do%20the%20targeting%20rules%20work%3F\"><h3>How do the targeting rules work?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>In the \"Targeting\" tab, you can choose to protect your entire site or only specific areas. If you choose \"Specific Areas,\" you can add multiple rules. For example, you can protect all posts of type \"Product\" AND the specific page with ID \"123\" AND any URL containing \"\/members-only\/\". The plugin checks if the current page matches <em>any<\/em> of your defined rules for \"Specific Areas\" mode.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"what%20is%20the%20shortcode%20for%20displaying%20stats%3F\"><h3>What is the shortcode for displaying stats?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>You can display blocking statistics on your site using the <code>[vpngd_blocker_stats]<\/code> shortcode. Attributes include <code>period<\/code> (today, week, month) and <code>show_icon<\/code> (true\/false).<\/p>\n\n<\/dd>\n\n<\/dl>","raw_excerpt":"Ultimate VPN\/Proxy Shield Blocker! Real-time IP defense. Target Anything: Logins, Checkout, Post Types, URLs &amp; more!. 1000 Free Daily API Checks!","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin\/235266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/plugin"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235266"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wporg\/v1\/users\/vpndeals"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"plugin_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_section?post=235266"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_tags?post=235266"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_category?post=235266"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_contributors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_contributors?post=235266"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_business_model","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/szl.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_business_model?post=235266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}