GuestDock

GuestDock is an industry-standard WordPress plugin designed to allow guest users to post content with temporary, strictly limited, and completely isolated access to the WordPress backend.

Unlike standard contributor roles, GuestDock creates a “Sandbox” environment. Guests are completely siloed: they can only view, edit, and interact with their own posts and their own media uploads. They cannot see other users’ drafts, media files, or sensitive site configurations.

This plugin is perfect for multi-author blogs, news sites, and brands that want to accept guest contributions without compromising security or site performance.

Key Features:

• Strict Sandbox Isolation: Guests are restricted via pre_get_posts and ajax_query_attachments. They only see what they created.
• Time-Limited Access: Set exact expiration dates. Accounts automatically lose access once the time is up.
• Post Quantity Limits: Control exactly how many posts a guest can submit.
• Advanced Editorial Workflow: Return posts to “Draft” with inline feedback notes. Notify guests automatically upon approval.
• SEO & Spam Protection: Limit external links per post and automatically inject rel="nofollow sponsored" attributes to protected site SEO.
• Content QA Enforcement: Disable the “Submit” button until guests meet minimum word counts, upload a featured image, and provide an excerpt.
• Media Security: Strict MIME type validation, file size limits (e.g., 2MB), and double-extension checks to prevent server abuse.
• Frontend Request Form: Use the [guestdock_request_form] shortcode to let users apply for guest access directly from your site.
• Gutenberg Ready: Native integration with the block editor, providing dynamic “Post Requirements” notices to guide authors.
• Gutenberg Block Restriction: Prevent malicious layout breaking by restricting guests to only safe blocks (e.g., Paragraph, Image) and disabling Custom HTML/Code blocks.
• Category Locking: Restrict guest posts to specific pre-approved categories to keep your site organization clean.
• Custom Instruction Field: Add pre-filled writing guidelines that appear directly in the guest’s dashboard and post editor.
• Mail Customization: Fully customize the subject and body of all automated emails (Invites, Feedback, Approvals, Requests).
• API & XML-RPC Security: Completely disables XML-RPC access and tightly secures REST API endpoints for guest accounts.
• Easy Guest Management: Inline editing of expiration dates and post limits directly from the admin dashboard.
• Smart User Removal: Delete guests while safely reassigning their posts to an administrator to prevent content loss.
• Auto Username Generation: Automatically generate usernames from email prefixes during guest creation.
• In-Plugin Documentation: Built-in “Help” and “Shortcode Reference” tabs for instant admin guidance.

Documentation & Resources

For a complete step-by-step guide on how to use GuestDock, including setup and workflows for both administrators and guest authors, please read our GuestDock User Guide.

To learn more about the philosophy behind GuestDock and why it’s the ultimate solution for your WordPress site, check out our blog post: The Ultimate Way to Manage Guest Posts on WordPress.