John K Mitchell's Misc Blog

A Complete Guide on xmlrpc.php in WordPress (What It Is, Security Risks, How to Disable It)
A Complete Guide on xmlrpc.php in WordPress (What It Is, Security Risks, How to Disable It)


Wondering what xmlrpc.php is in WordPress, or whether you should disable it? This guide walks you through everything—from what it does, through security risks, to how to turn it off safely. If it all sounds a bit technical, don’t worry—professionals can handle this work usually for a small fee.

This post is written especially for small UK businesses running WordPress sites. We’ll keep things in plain English, in an informal tone, but with enough detail so you understand the risks and actions. Let’s dive in.


1. What Exactly Is xmlrpc.php?


Every WordPress installation comes with a file named xmlrpc.php in the root of your site. By default, it enables a protocol called XML-RPC (extensible markup language – remote procedure call). But what does that actually mean for your website? https://www.forestsoftware.co.uk/blog/?p=2701