Need help with Restricted Site Access plugin conflict

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  artsongtranspositions · Member · Jul 31, 2025 at 5:11 pm

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  Hiya, I’ve installed the Restricted Site Access plugin which I’ve used successfully in the past on other WP sites. However, my site is still wide open. I’ve deactivated all the plugins I can (except Jetpack or Akismet). No one seems to be answering over there at RSA support…

  Here’s what their FAQ says:

  Most commonly, Restricted Site Access is not compatible with some page caching solutions. While the plugin hooks in as early as it can to check visitor permissions, its important to understand that some page caching plugins generate static output that prevents plugins like Restricted Site Access from ever checking individual visitors.

  To the extent that sites blocked by this plugin should not need to concern themselves with high scale front end performance, we strongly recommend disabling any page caching solutions while restricting access to your site. Keep in mind that most page caching plugins do not cache the “logged in” experience, anyhow. Also note that the plugin is fully compatible with other caching layers, like the WordPress object cache.

  What does that mean? Thanks,

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  josefhtest · Member · Jul 31, 2025 at 7:10 pm

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  Hi,
  
  It looks like the Restricted Site Access plugin may block all traffic by default if no IPs are whitelisted — that can include Jetpack and even your own access in some cases.

  To test it properly:

  • Add your own IP to the whitelist.
  • Also whitelist Jetpack’s IPs to avoid issues with backups, site connection, and other services:
    How to add Jetpack IPs

  If you’re logged in, you may still be able to view the site — try checking it:

  • In an incognito/private window
  • On a device using mobile data
  • While logged out of your admin account

  Also, make sure no other plugins or visibility settings are interfering.

  If it’s still not working as expected, you can reach out to the plugin developers directly here, as this is out of our support scope:
  Plugin Support Forum

  Let me know if that helps.
  

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  artsongtranspositions · Member · Jul 31, 2025 at 11:23 pm

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  Thanks. The site is open, but I haven’t whitelisted my IP address, so I shouldn’t be able to see the site. This is true for incognito browsers as well as other computers in the house.

  >Also, make sure no other plugins or visibility settings are interfering

  I’ve disabled all plugins except Jetpack and Akismet. I’ll try to contact them directly again…thanks.

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  avydun · Staff · Aug 1, 2025 at 8:09 am

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  Contacting the plugin developers to understand why the plugin isn’t functioning as expected out of the box is definitely a good idea.

  Since you’re looking to make the site private and only accessible to you and people you invite to manage it, WordPress.com actually has a built-in privacy setting that might work better than a plugin:

  https://wordpress.com/support/privacy-settings/make-your-website-private/

  Have you had a chance to try that so far?

  Also – since you’re on a premium plan, you can reach us directly at https://wordpress.com/help for live chat and email support rather than going through the forums – we’d be happy to help you get this sorted out! I’ve sent an email to that effect, so you can just respond to it and we can keep going.