by Jeff Starr
4.9 (157 reviews)
BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security
The fastest firewall plugin for WordPress. Protect against a wide range of threats with minimal performance impact.
Compatible with WP 7.0
v20260419
Current Version v20260419
Updated 4 weeks ago
Last Update on 20 Apr, 2026
Refreshed 21 hours ago
Last Refreshed on
Rank
#340
—
No change
Active Installs
100K+
—
No change
KW Avg Position
83.5
—
No change
Downloads
3.4M
+553 today
Support Resolved
100%
—
No change
Rating
98%
Review 4.9 out of 5
4.9
(157 reviews)
Next Milestone 200K
100K+
200K+
55
Ranks to Climb
-
Growth Needed
8,000,000
Active Installs
Pro
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Need 29,570 more installs to reach 200K+
Rank Changes
Current
#340
Change
Best
#
Downloads Growth
Downloads
Growth
Peak
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Upgrade NowReviews & Ratings
4.9
157 reviews
Overall
98%
5
154
(98%)
4
1
(1%)
3
0
(0%)
2
0
(0%)
1
2
(1%)
Tracked Keywords
Showing 2 of 2| Keyword | Position | Change | Type | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| web application firewall | 35 | — | Tag | 22 hours ago |
| firewall | 132 | — | Tag | 22 hours ago |
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Support Threads Overview
Resolved
Unresolved
2
Total Threads
2
Resolved
0
Unresolved
100%
Resolution Rate
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Start Tracking FreePlugin Details
- Version
- 20260419
- Last Updated
- Apr 20, 2026
- Requires WP
- 4.7+
- Tested Up To
- 7.0
- PHP Version
- 5.6.20 or higher
- Author
- Jeff Starr
Support & Rating
- Rating
- ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.9
- Reviews
- 157
- Support Threads
- 2
- Resolved
- 100%
Keywords
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Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security
Visit the plugin settings page and click the "Test Firewall" link.
Yes, three of them: BBQ Firewall for blazing-fast firewall security Blackhole for Bad Bots to protect your site against bad bots Banhammer to monitor and ban any user or IP address Pro versions with more features available at Plugin Planet.
Nope, just install and relax knowing that BBQ is protecting your site from bad URL requests.
No settings needed for BBQ! Everything is done automatically behind the scenes. Zero configuration required. The free version of BBQ is strictly plug-n-play, set-it-and-forget-it, with no settings to configure whatsoever. Just install, activate, and enjoy better security and robust protection against malicious requests. The Pro version is just as fast and simple to use, but is much more powerful and includes robust settings to customize and fine-tune your firewall.
Does it makes sense to use both? Yes BBQ free and BBQ Pro are both compatible with any plugin written according to WP APIs. And yes, there is benefit to using BBQ with any other security plugin, including Wordfence. They protect against different threats, so using both provides additional protection.
Absolutely not. Unlike other security/firewall plugins, neither BBQ (free version) nor BBQ Pro make any changes to any .htaccess file.
Only two tiny options are stored in the database; one option for the plugin version, and another option that stores an expiration date for the banner ad on the plugin settings page. Everything else happens at runtime. No other options are stored in the database. Also, both options are removed completely when the plugin is uninstalled via the WP Plugins screen.
Yes, BBQ scans any arrays that are included in the URI request. If any matching patterns are found, the request is blocked.
If some PHP scanner is reporting an error or bad string in BBQ, it's a false positive and safe to ignore. Why? Because the PHP checker is finding the static strings/patterns that BBQ uses to identify and block bad requests. In other words, the PHP scanner is finding a static string thinking it is live code. It's not. If possible, please take a moment to report this to the developers of your PHP scanner. They should be happy to improve the accuracy and quality of their plugin. More info.
Full question: "Except most of the rules overlapping, is it counter productive (site slowing down for example, potential conflicts, bugs) or is there any risks using 7G/8G Firewall + BBQ at the same time?" Answer: It's fine to run both BBQ and 7G/8G Firewall at the same time. Both firewalls are super fast, so they won't slow things down. In other words the two firewalls play well together. The only downside is that some of the rules will be redundant, but there should be no negative impact on performance. The upside is that you get extra protection when using both, as there are variations in the firewall rules and patterns, etc.