Title: Block External Requests
Author: ingobaab
Published: <strong>May 9, 2026</strong>
Last modified: May 9, 2026

---

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# Block External Requests

 By [ingobaab](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ingobaab/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/block-external-requests.3.2.2.zip)

 * [Details](https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-external-requests/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-external-requests/#reviews)
 *  [Installation](https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-external-requests/#installation)
 * [Development](https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-external-requests/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/block-external-requests/)

## Description

**Block External Requests** is a WordPress plugin designed to speed up your WordPress
administration by blocking unwanted external HTTP requests.

Features:
 * Block external requests by host, domain, or URL fragment. * Hosts list
is fully editable via Settings  Blocked Requests. * Supports regular expressions
for flexible host matching.

### License

GPLv2 or later. See [https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html)

## Screenshots

 * [[
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## Installation

 1. Upload the plugin folder to the `/wp-content/plugins/` directory, or install via
    WordPress plugin uploader.
 2. Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
 3. Navigate to **Settings  Blocked Requests** to edit the host list.

## FAQ

### Can this plugin break other plugins?

Yes, blocking certain external requests may interfere with plugins that require 
API access, updates, or check-ins. Review your blocked hosts list if another plugin
stops communicating with an external service.

### How do I use regular expressions?

Any line in the blocked hosts list that starts and ends with a slash (`/pattern/`)
is treated as a regex pattern. Example: `/example\.com/i`.

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“Block External Requests” is open source software. The following people have contributed
to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ ingobaab ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ingobaab/)

[Translate “Block External Requests” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/block-external-requests)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/block-external-requests/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/block-external-requests/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/block-external-requests/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/block-external-requests/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 3.2.2

 * Improved WordPress.org plugin review readiness.
 * Removed the Domain Path header because no language files are bundled.
 * Improved permission error text for better clarity and translation.
 * Added uninstall cleanup for the stored blocked host rules option.
 * Confirmed WordPress Coding Standards, PHP compatibility, and i18n checks.

#### 3.2.1

fixed texts (typos)
 plugin review changes * Removed logging, stats, auto-blocking,
and upload-directory file storage. * Stores blocked host rules in a WordPress option.

#### 3.0.8

 * Nonce verified before touching any user input.n
 * All forms are routed via admin-post.php with explicit actions.
 * Added direct link to ‘Settings’ of the plugin.

#### 3.0.6

 * Fixed typos in readme.txt and added media files for the repository.

#### 3.0.4

 * Added regex support.

#### 3.0.2

 * Added auto-blocking, stats.

#### 3.0.0

 * Complete rewrite with logging.

#### 1.0.4

 * Initial version: hardcodend host blocking using pre_http_request.

## Meta

 *  Version **3.2.2**
 *  Last updated **5 days ago**
 *  Active installations **Fewer than 10**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.6 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **6.9.4**
 *  PHP version ** 8.0 or higher **
 * Tags
 * [external requests](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/external-requests/)[performance](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/performance/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://wordpress.org/plugins/block-external-requests/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/block-external-requests/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/block-external-requests/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ ingobaab ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/ingobaab/)

## Support

Got something to say? Need help?

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/block-external-requests/)