Enrico Sorcinelli

JSON REST API and XML-RPC API are powerful ways to remotely interact with WordPress.
If you don’t have external applications that need to communicate with your WordPress instance using JSON REST API or XML-RPC API you should disable access to them for external requests.
In the standard WordPress installation JSON REST API and XML-RPC API are enabled by default. 
In particular the REST API is turned on also for unlogged users. This means that your WordPress instance is potentially leaking data, for example anyone could be able to:
<ul>
<li>copy easily your published contents natively with the REST API (and not with a web crawler);</li>
<li>get the list of all users (with their ID, nickname and name);</li>
<li>retrieve other information that you didn’t want to be public (such as an unlisted published page or a saved media not yet used).</li>
</ul>
Even if you could do the stuff by writing your own code using native filters, this plugin aims to help you to control JSON REST API and XML-RPC API accesses from the administration panel or programmatically by a simple API filter.
<h3>Basic Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Disable REST API interface for unlogged users.</li>
<li>Disable JSONP support on REST API.</li>
<li>Add Basic Authentication to REST API.</li>
<li>Remove REST <code><link></code> tags, REST <code>Link</code> HTTP header and REST Really Simple Discovery (RSD) informations.</li>
<li>Setup trusted users, IP/Networks and endpoints for unlogged users REST requests.</li>
<li>Change REST endpoint prefix.</li>
<li>Disable XML-RPC API interface.</li>
<li>Remove <code><link></code> to the Really Simple Discovery (RDS) informations.</li>
<li>Remove <code>X-Pingback</code> HTTP header.</li>
<li>Setup trusted users, IP/Networks and methods for XML-RPC requests.</li>
<li>Show user’s access informations in users list administration screen.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Usage</h3>
Once the plugin is installed you can control settings in the following ways:
<ul>
<li>Using the Settings->REST XML-RPC Data Checker administration screen.</li>
<li>Programmatically, by using <code>rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_settings</code> filter (see below).</li>
</ul>
<h3>API</h3>
<h4>Hooks</h4>
<code>rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_settings</code>
Filters plugin settings values.
<pre><code>apply_filters( 'rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_settings', array $settings )
</code></pre>
<code>rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_admin_settings</code>
Filter allowing to display or not the plugin settings page in the administration.
<pre><code>apply_filters( 'rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_admin_settings', boolean $display )
</code></pre>
<code>rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_rest_error</code>
Filter JSON REST authentication error after plugin checks.
<pre><code>apply_filters( 'rest_xmlrpc_data_checker_rest_error', WP_Error|boolean $result )
</code></pre>
<code>xmlrpc_before_insert_post</code>
Filter XML-RPC post data to be inserted via XML-RPC before to insert post into database.
<pre><code>apply_filters( 'xmlrpc_before_insert_post', array|IXR_Error $content_struct, WP_User $user )
</code></pre>

REST XML-RPC Data Checker

REST XML-RPC Data Checker allow to check JSON REST and XML-RPC API requests and grant access permissions.

Max Cutler

This plugin brings XML-RPC API enhancements from the WordPress 3.4 release to previous versions 
of WordPress (3.3 and earlier). It also adds new user management methods.
It is derived from Prasath Nadarajah’s GSoC ’11 project to expand WordPress’ web services, 
although the exposed API methods are not compatible (different parameter names/types/orders).
<h4>Methods</h4>
New Methods:
<ul>
<li>wp.newUser – create a new user</li>
<li>wp.editUser – edit user information</li>
<li>wp.deleteUser – delete a specfic user</li>
</ul>
3.5 Methods for pre-3.5 sites:
<ul>
<li>wp.getUser – get information about a specific user</li>
<li>wp.getUsers – retrieve a list of users</li>
<li>wp.getProfile – retrieve information about the requesting user</li>
<li>wp.editProfile – edit the profile of the requesting user</li>
<li>wp.getRevisions – retrieve revisions for a specific post</li>
<li>wp.restoreRevision – restore a post revision</li>
</ul>
3.4 Methods for pre-3.4 sites:
<ul>
<li>wp.newPost – create a new post (of any post type)</li>
<li>wp.editPost – edit a post (of any post type)</li>
<li>wp.deletePost – delete a post (of any post type)</li>
<li>wp.getPost – get a specific post (of any post type)</li>
<li>wp.getPosts – get a list of posts</li>
<li>wp.getPostType – get information about a specific post type</li>
<li>wp.getPostTypes – get a list of registered post types</li>
<li>wp.getTaxonomy – get information about a specific taxonomy</li>
<li>wp.getTaxonomies – get a list of registered taxonomies</li>
<li>wp.newTerm – create a new term in a taxonomy</li>
<li>wp.editTerm – edit a term in a taxonomy</li>
<li>wp.deleteTerm – delete a term in a taxonomy</li>
<li>wp.getTerm – get information about a specific term in a taxonomy</li>
<li>wp.getTerms – get a list of term associated with a taxonomy</li>
</ul>

XML-RPC Modernization

excelent

This plugin updates the WordPress XML-RPC API to leverage the latest features of WordPress and move beyond the historical Blogger/metaWeblog/MT APIs.

REST XML-RPC Data Checker vs XML-RPC Modernization