Jeff Starr

Does one thing: Completely disables the WordPress REST API for visitors who are not logged into WordPress. No configuration required.
Important: This plugin completely disables the WP REST API for visitors who are NOT logged in to WordPress. So not recommended if your site needs the WP REST API for any non-logged users.
👉 The fast, simple way to prevent abuse of your site’s REST/JSON API 
👉 Protects your site’s REST data from all non-logged users and bots 
👉 Uses only 4KB of code, so super lightweight, fast, and effective
🛠️ Pro version available! <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/rest-pro-tools/" rel="nofollow ugc">Check out REST Pro Tools »</a>
<h3>Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Disable REST/JSON for visitors (not logged in)</li>
<li>Disables REST header in HTTP response for all users</li>
<li>Disables REST links in HTML head for all users</li>
<li>100% plug-and-play, set-it-and-forget solution</li>
</ul>
How does it work?
This plugin completely disables the WP REST API unless the user is logged into WordPress.
<ul>
<li>For logged-in (authenticated) users, WP REST API works normally</li>
<li>For logged-out (unauthenticated) users, WP REST API is disabled</li>
</ul>
What happens if logged-out visitor makes a JSON/REST request? They will get only a simple message:
<pre><code>rest_login_required: REST API restricted to authenticated users.
</code></pre>
This message may customized via the filter hook, <code>disable_wp_rest_api_error</code>. Check out <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/topic/not-entirely-for-non-techies/#post-12014965" rel="ugc">this post</a> for an example of how to do it.
<h3>Pro Version</h3>
🛠️ Check out the Pro version, <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/rest-pro-tools/" rel="nofollow ugc">REST Pro Tools</a>, loaded with many awesome features:
<ul>
<li>One-click disable all routes</li>
<li>One-click disable all /users routes</li>
<li>Disable any specific user routes based on role</li>
<li>Whitelist any user IDs</li>
<li>Whitelist any IP addresses</li>
<li>Customize the REST error message</li>
<li>Customize the REST response code</li>
<li>Always require or force SSL/TLS</li>
<li>Disable all JSONP shenanigans</li>
<li>One-click disable any REST API headers</li>
<li>Add any post meta (custom field) to REST API</li>
<li>Add any user meta (custom field) to REST API</li>
<li>Add routes for site profile and author profile</li>
<li>Add routes for featured images and post categories</li>
<li>Add routes for post taxonomies and terms</li>
<li>At-a-glance check status of REST API</li>
</ul>
The free version does only one thing: disables REST API for unauthenticated users. The PRO version can do that and much more! Take full control of the REST API with <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/rest-pro-tools/" rel="nofollow ugc">REST Pro Tools »</a>
<h3>Privacy</h3>
This plugin does not collect or store any user data. It does not set any cookies, and it does not connect to any third-party locations. Thus, this plugin does not affect user privacy in any way. If anything it improves user privacy, as it protects potentially sensitive information from being displayed/accessed via REST API.
Disable WP REST API is developed and maintained by <a href="https://x.com/perishable" rel="nofollow ugc">Jeff Starr</a>, 15-year <a href="https://plugin-planet.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress developer</a> and <a href="https://books.perishablepress.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">book author</a>.
<h3>Support development of this plugin</h3>
I develop and maintain this free plugin with love for the WordPress community. To show support, you can <a href="https://monzillamedia.com/donate.html" rel="nofollow ugc">make a donation</a> or purchase one of my books:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://wp-tao.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">The Tao of WordPress</a></li>
<li><a href="https://digwp.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">Digging into WordPress</a></li>
<li><a href="https://htaccessbook.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">.htaccess made easy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://wp-tao.com/wordpress-themes-book/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress Themes In Depth</a></li>
<li><a href="https://books.perishablepress.com/downloads/wizards-collection-sql-recipes-wordpress/" rel="nofollow ugc">Wizard’s SQL Recipes for WordPress</a></li>
</ul>
And/or purchase one of my premium WordPress plugins:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/bbq-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">BBQ Pro</a> – Blazing fast WordPress firewall</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Blackhole Pro</a> – Automatically block bad bots</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/banhammer-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Banhammer Pro</a> – Monitor traffic and ban the bad guys</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/ga-google-analytics-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">GA Google Analytics Pro</a> – Connect WordPress to Google Analytics</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/head-meta-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Head Meta Pro</a> – Ultimate Meta Tags for WordPress</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/rest-pro-tools/" rel="nofollow ugc">REST Pro Tools</a> – Awesome tools for managing the WP REST API</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/simple-ajax-chat-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">Simple Ajax Chat Pro</a> – Unlimited chat rooms</li>
<li><a href="https://plugin-planet.com/usp-pro/" rel="nofollow ugc">USP Pro</a> – Unlimited front-end forms</li>
</ul>
Links, tweets and likes also appreciated. Thank you! 🙂

Disable WP REST API

while the plugin si deadsimple and very low resource impact, keep in mind that there are plugins that need the rest to work with no auth (ex. contact form 7).

dead simple and efficient, but be aware

Disables the WP REST API for visitors not logged into WordPress.

REST API Featured Image is a lightweight yet powerful plugin that simplifies how to retrieve featured images via the WordPress REST API. By introducing a top-level field called <code>featured_media_src_url</code>, this plugin embeds the direct URL of the featured image into your REST API responses. This eliminates the need for additional API calls to fetch featured images, resulting in faster load times and enhanced site performance.
Key Features:
– Direct Access to Featured Image URL: Adds <code>featured_media_src_url</code> to REST API responses, providing immediate access to the featured image URL. 
– Performance Optimization: Reduces the number of API requests, improving the speed and efficiency of your applications. 
– Custom Post Type Support: Fully supports custom post types, allowing you to enable or disable the featured image URL field for specific post types through the admin settings. 
– User-Friendly Configuration: Easy to install and configure without any coding.
Why Use REST API Featured Image?
When developing applications or themes that rely on the WordPress REST API, accessing the featured image typically requires an additional request for each post. This can be time-consuming and may negatively impact site performance. REST API Featured Image addresses this issue by including the featured image URL directly in the REST API response, saving you time and resources.
REST API Featured Image Field:
– <code>featured_media_src_url</code>

REST API Featured Image

Enhance your WordPress REST API by adding a featured image URL field directly to API responses, improving performance by eliminating extra requests.

Disable WP REST API vs REST API Featured Image