Get to know IP Whitelisting in WordPress

As a WordPress site owner, have you ever encountered a situation where you needed to allow access to only certain IP addresses for various reasons? For example, you might have specific employees who should access the site from particular locations or customers who need access from specific IP addresses. In such cases, it becomes essential to whitelist their IP addresses to ensure optimal and uninterrupted access to your site.

What is IP Whitelisting?

IP Whitelisting is a security feature that enables defining and granting access to specific IP addresses or ranges of IP addresses. By whitelisting an IP address or a range, you are essentially saying that these addresses are reliable and should have access to your website while blocking all others. Whitelisting is both a security measure and a convenience feature that allows you to secure your site by only allowing trusted parties to access it while providing customized access to certain resources within your site.

Why Should You Whitelist IP Addresses in WordPress?

There are several reasons why you might opt to whitelist IPs in WordPress, depending on your use case. Some common scenarios where IP whitelisting can be useful include:

• Restricting access to the WordPress Admin Area
• Providing access to a specific feature or page on your site
• Securing your site from unauthorized access

How to Whitelist IP Addresses in WordPress?

Whitelisting IP addresses is a simple process when you have the necessary knowledge and tools. Below are the fundamental steps to follow:

Step 1: Find the IP Address You Want to Whitelist

The first step in IP whitelisting is finding the IP address that you’d like to whitelist. Several tools can help locate the IP address, including a search engine or an IP lookup tool.

Step 2: Create a Child Theme

Creating a child theme is the safest way to modify your site’s code without losing changes when upgrading WordPress or editing the theme in use.

Step 3: Access Your Functions.php File

To whitelist an IP address, add the code to your functions.php file, which is responsible for adding the necessary code to your WordPress site to whitelist the allowed IPs.

Step 4: Whitelist IP Address

The code block checks the visitor’s IP address against the allowed IP address specified within the code block. Visitors with IP addresses matching the allowed address will be able to access your site while those who don’t, will be denied access.

Whitelist a single IP address

“`
function ip_whitelist() {
if ($_SERVER[“REMOTE_ADDR”] != “123.123.123.123”) {
die(“You are not authorized to access this website.”);
}
}
add_action(“template_redirect”, “ip_whitelist”);
“`

Whitelist multiple IP addresses

“`
function ip_whitelist() {
$allowed = array( “123.123.123.123”, “456.456.456.456”, “789.789.789.789” );
if ( !in_array( $_SERVER[“REMOTE_ADDR”], $allowed ) ) {
die(“You are not authorized to access this website.”);
}
}
add_action(“template_redirect”, “ip_whitelist”);
“`

Step 5: Save and Testing Your IP Whitelist Code

Once you have added the IP addresses you want to whitelist, save the file to publish your changes. Test your changes by attempting to access your site using an IP address you did not whitelist. You should see the specified error message.

Tips on Using IP Whitelisting to Secure WordPress

While IP whitelisting is an excellent way to secure your WordPress site, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Below are additional tips to help you secure your site:

• Use a VPN to encrypt your connection and mask your IP address.
• Ensure your password is strong to prevent brute-force attacks.
• Regularly review and update your IP address lists to avoid outdated lists.
• Use two-factor authentication to improve your site’s security.

Conclusion

By whitelisting IP addresses, you can add an extra layer of security to your WordPress site and provide access to only specific users you trust. Adding the code is relatively easy, and you can modify or delete it according to your changing needs. With these tips, you can successfully secure your site and keep your data protected.