by BlackSwanDev 5 (1 reviews)

BlackSwan | Block External Request

Name: BlackSwan | Block External Request
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)
Author: BlackSwanDev

Block unwanted external HTTP requests in WordPress. Blacklist/whitelist management, resource blocking, and one-click pause.

BlackSwan ranks #22,778 among WordPress.org plugins with 40+ active installations, is #1,259 of 4,566 in the Security category, a 5/5 rating from 1 reviews, and was last updated Apr 13, 2026. Data from WordPress.org, refreshed twice daily — see methodology.

Tested up to WP 6.8 (Current: 7.1.2)

v2.9.3 Current Version v2.9.3

Updated 5 months ago Last Update on 13 Apr, 2026

Refreshed 7 hours ago Last Refreshed on

#1,259 of 4,566 in Security Top 50% by installs

View on WordPress.org

Rank

#22,778

-119 this week

Active Installs

40+

+14.3%

KW Avg Position

32.8

0.3 worse

Downloads

1.2K

+3 today

Support Resolved

— No change

Rating

100%

Review 5 out of 5

5 (1 reviews)

Next Milestone 50

Total Progress 40%

40+ 50+

1,859

Ranks to Climb

Growth Needed

8,000,000

Active Installs

Pro

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Rank Changes

Current #22,778

Change

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Active Installs Growth

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Active Installs 0,000,000+

Growth +0.0%

Peak 0,000,000

Downloads Growth

Downloads

Growth

Peak

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Reviews & Ratings

5.0

1 reviews

Overall 100%

1 (100%)

0 (0%)

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Plugin Details

Version: 2.9.3
Last Updated: Apr 13, 2026
Requires WP: 5.0+
Tested Up To: 6.8
PHP Version: 5.4 or higher
Author: BlackSwanDev

Support & Rating

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
Reviews: 1
Support Threads: 0
Resolved: 0%

Keywords

blacklist block http requests external requests performance whitelist

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about BlackSwan | Block External Request

It depends on what you block. The default blacklist blocks common domains that slow down the admin panel (wordpress.org, google.com, yoast.com, etc.). The default whitelist ensures plugin update API calls still work. If something breaks, use the Pause button or Safe Mode to quickly restore access.

Server-side HTTP (PHP) — Blocks background requests made by WordPress via PHP. These are invisible to the browser (update checks, API calls, license pings). Browser-side by Domain — Dequeues JS/CSS files loaded from blacklisted external domains (e.g. Google Fonts, CDN libraries). Block Specific Resources — Dequeues individual JS/CSS files by matching any part of their URL. Works for local files too. I blocked something and now I can't access wp-admin Add ?bswan-safe=1 to any admin URL (e.g. yoursite.com/wp-admin/?bswan-safe=1). This bypasses all blocking for that page load. The plugin settings page also automatically skips resource blocking.

Server-side HTTP blocking applies everywhere. Browser-side resource blocking and specific resource blocking have separate toggles for backend and frontend — you control where each applies.

All settings are stored as a single JSON value in wp_options with autoload=no for optimal performance. No separate database tables.

Yes. The Export/Import panel in the sidebar lets you download all settings as a JSON file and import it on another site.

We welcome contributions! You can: Report bugs or suggest features on WordPress.org Support or GitHub Issues Submit pull requests on GitHub Translate the plugin via WordPress.org Translate Rate the plugin 5 stars if you find it useful