{"id":256115,"date":"2025-10-15T08:50:59","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T08:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/bot-traffic-shield\/"},"modified":"2025-11-26T04:55:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T04:55:49","slug":"bot-traffic-shield","status":"publish","type":"plugin","link":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/bot-traffic-shield\/","author":16474034,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","version":"1.0.4","stable_tag":"1.0.4","tested":"6.8.5","requires":"6.0","requires_php":"7.4","requires_plugins":null,"header_name":"Bot Traffic Shield","header_author":"MonarchWP","header_description":"A powerful and user-friendly plugin to block AI crawlers and malicious data scraper bots, protecting your content and server resources.","assets_banners_color":"f2f2f3","last_updated":"2025-11-26 04:55:49","external_support_url":"","external_repository_url":"","donate_link":"https:\/\/monarchwp.com\/","header_plugin_uri":"https:\/\/monarchwp.com\/bot-traffic-shield","header_author_uri":"https:\/\/monarchwp.com\/","rating":5,"author_block_rating":0,"active_installs":300,"downloads":1218,"num_ratings":1,"support_threads":0,"support_threads_resolved":0,"author_block_count":0,"sections":["description","installation","faq","changelog"],"tags":{"1.0.0":{"tag":"1.0.0","author":"wpdelower","date":"2025-10-15 08:50:47"},"1.0.1":{"tag":"1.0.1","author":"wpdelower","date":"2025-10-23 03:31:27"},"1.0.2":{"tag":"1.0.2","author":"wpdelower","date":"2025-10-25 06:53:03"},"1.0.3":{"tag":"1.0.3","author":"wpdelower","date":"2025-11-04 08:24:52"},"1.0.4":{"tag":"1.0.4","author":"wpdelower","date":"2025-11-26 04:55:49"}},"upgrade_notice":{"1.0.4":"<p>Major update! Clear log button added. Recommended for all users.<\/p>","1.0.3":"<p>Major update! New pagination system for easier log browsing and CSV export feature for data analysis. Enhanced admin interface and improved performance. Recommended for all users.<\/p>","1.0.2":"<p>Improved interface and performance. Recommended update for all users.<\/p>","1.0.0":"<p>Initial release of Bot Traffic Shield.<\/p>"},"ratings":{"1":0,"2":0,"3":0,"4":0,"5":1},"assets_icons":{"icon-128x128.png":{"filename":"icon-128x128.png","revision":3384323,"resolution":"128x128","location":"assets","locale":""},"icon-256x256.png":{"filename":"icon-256x256.png","revision":3384323,"resolution":"256x256","location":"assets","locale":""}},"assets_banners":{"banner-1544x500.png":{"filename":"banner-1544x500.png","revision":3378732,"resolution":"1544x500","location":"assets","locale":""},"banner-772x250.png":{"filename":"banner-772x250.png","revision":3378732,"resolution":"772x250","location":"assets","locale":""}},"assets_blueprints":{},"all_blocks":[],"tagged_versions":["1.0.0","1.0.1","1.0.2","1.0.3","1.0.4"],"block_files":[],"assets_screenshots":{"screenshot-1.png":{"filename":"screenshot-1.png","revision":3402994,"resolution":"1","location":"assets","locale":""},"screenshot-2.png":{"filename":"screenshot-2.png","revision":3402994,"resolution":"2","location":"assets","locale":""},"screenshot-3.png":{"filename":"screenshot-3.png","revision":3402994,"resolution":"3","location":"assets","locale":""}},"screenshots":{"1":"Modern settings interface with toggle switches and custom bot configuration","2":"Block log and statistics dashboard showing paginated bot blocking history","3":"Default blocklist showing all pre-configured AI crawlers and scrapers","4":"CSV export feature with flexible date range options","5":"Real-time blocking statistics and detailed log entries"},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"plugin_section":[],"plugin_tags":[248667,12752,7663,9229,59143],"plugin_category":[],"plugin_contributors":[224260,223288],"plugin_business_model":[],"class_list":["post-256115","plugin","type-plugin","status-publish","hentry","plugin_tags-ai-spider","plugin_tags-bad-bots","plugin_tags-block-bots","plugin_tags-fail2ban","plugin_tags-stop-bots","plugin_contributors-monarchwp23","plugin_contributors-wpdelower","plugin_committers-wpdelower"],"banners":{"banner":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/bot-traffic-shield\/assets\/banner-772x250.png?rev=3378732","banner_2x":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/bot-traffic-shield\/assets\/banner-1544x500.png?rev=3378732","banner_rtl":false,"banner_2x_rtl":false},"icons":{"svg":false,"icon":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/bot-traffic-shield\/assets\/icon-128x128.png?rev=3384323","icon_2x":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/bot-traffic-shield\/assets\/icon-256x256.png?rev=3384323","generated":false},"screenshots":[{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/bot-traffic-shield\/assets\/screenshot-1.png?rev=3402994","caption":"Modern settings interface with toggle switches and custom bot configuration"},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/bot-traffic-shield\/assets\/screenshot-2.png?rev=3402994","caption":"Block log and statistics dashboard showing paginated bot blocking history"},{"src":"https:\/\/ps.w.org\/bot-traffic-shield\/assets\/screenshot-3.png?rev=3402994","caption":"Default blocklist showing all pre-configured AI crawlers and scrapers"}],"raw_content":"<!--section=description-->\n<p>In the age of AI, your valuable website content is a prime target for data crawlers from large tech companies. <strong>Bot Traffic Shield<\/strong> is your first line of defense against content theft and unauthorized scraping.<\/p>\n\n<p>This lightweight yet powerful plugin identifies and blocks a wide range of AI bots and data scrapers before they can access and harvest your content, protecting your intellectual property while reducing unnecessary server load.<\/p>\n\n<h3>\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f Why You Need Bot Traffic Shield<\/h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Protect Your Content<\/strong> - Stop AI companies from training their models on your hard work<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduce Server Load<\/strong> - Block unwanted traffic that wastes your bandwidth and resources<\/li>\n<li><strong>SEO-Safe Blocking<\/strong> - Only blocks harmful bots; legitimate search engines like Google and Bing remain unaffected<\/li>\n<li><strong>Take Control<\/strong> - Decide who can and cannot access your valuable content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h3>\u2728 Key Features<\/h3>\n\n<p><strong>Real-Time Bot Blocking<\/strong>\n*   Actively blocks bots by their User-Agent on every page request\n*   Immediate protection with zero configuration needed<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Comprehensive Default Blocklist<\/strong>\n*   Pre-configured list of 20+ known AI crawlers and scrapers\n*   Includes ChatGPT-User, Google-Extended, GPTBot, CCBot, Bytespider, Amazonbot, Applebot, and more\n*   Regularly updated with new bot signatures<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Advanced Logging &amp; Analytics<\/strong>\n*   Track every blocked bot attempt with detailed logs\n*   View bot name, IP address, user agent, and timestamp\n*   <strong>Pagination system<\/strong> - Browse through logs easily (20 entries per page)\n*   Running statistics showing total blocked requests<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>CSV Export Capability<\/strong>\n*   Export your block logs to CSV format\n*   Filter exports by date range (7 days, 30 days, or all time)\n*   Perfect for analysis, reporting, or compliance<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>robots.txt Integration<\/strong>\n*   Automatically adds <code>Disallow<\/code> rules to your virtual robots.txt\n*   Provides an additional layer of protection for well-behaved bots<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Fully Customizable<\/strong>\n*   Add your own custom User-Agent strings to block\n*   Simple textarea interface - one bot per line\n*   Enable\/disable logging with a single toggle\n*   Master on\/off switch for all blocking features<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Modern, Intuitive Interface<\/strong>\n*   Beautiful, clean admin UI with tabbed navigation\n*   Modern toggle switches and card-based design\n*   Mobile-responsive admin panel\n*   No learning curve - start protecting immediately<\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Lightweight &amp; Performance-Optimized<\/strong>\n*   Minimal impact on site speed\n*   Efficient code that runs before page load\n*   No external API calls or database queries on frontend<\/p>\n\n<h3>\ud83c\udfaf Who Is This Plugin For?<\/h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Content Creators<\/strong> - Protect your articles, tutorials, and creative work<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bloggers<\/strong> - Keep your unique content from being scraped<\/li>\n<li><strong>News Sites<\/strong> - Prevent unauthorized content aggregation<\/li>\n<li><strong>E-commerce<\/strong> - Protect product descriptions and pricing data<\/li>\n<li><strong>Any WordPress Site<\/strong> - That values their content and server resources<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h3>\ud83d\ude80 How It Works<\/h3>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Install and activate the plugin<\/li>\n<li>Bot Traffic Shield immediately starts blocking known bad bots<\/li>\n<li>Monitor blocked attempts in the logs<\/li>\n<li>Add custom bots to block as needed<\/li>\n<li>Export logs for analysis or record-keeping<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p><strong>No complicated setup. No API keys. No subscriptions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<h3>\ud83d\udd12 Privacy &amp; Security<\/h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li>All data stays on your server<\/li>\n<li>No external services or third-party dependencies<\/li>\n<li>GDPR compliant - you control all logged data<\/li>\n<li>Logs can be cleared at any time by disabling logging<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h3>\ud83d\udcca Perfect For<\/h3>\n\n<p>\u2705 Reducing bandwidth costs<br \/>\n\u2705 Protecting original content<br \/>\n\u2705 Improving server performance<br \/>\n\u2705 Maintaining competitive advantage<br \/>\n\u2705 Preventing AI training on your data<\/p>\n\n<p>Stop letting AI companies profit from your hard work. Install Bot Traffic Shield and take back control of your content today!<\/p>\n\n<h3>Privacy Policy<\/h3>\n\n<p>Bot Traffic Shield logs the following information when a bot is blocked (if logging is enabled):\n*   User-Agent string\n*   IP address\n*   Request timestamp\n*   Requested URL<\/p>\n\n<p>All data is stored locally in your WordPress database. No information is sent to external servers. You can disable logging or clear logs at any time from the plugin settings.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Support<\/h3>\n\n<p>For support, feature requests, or bug reports:\n*   Visit our website: <a href=\"https:\/\/monarchwp.com\/\">https:\/\/monarchwp.com\/<\/a>\n*   Email: info@monarchwp.com<\/p>\n\n<h3>Credits<\/h3>\n\n<p>Developed by <a href=\"https:\/\/monarchwp.com\/\">MonarchWP<\/a><\/p>\n\n<!--section=installation-->\n<h3>Automatic Installation<\/h3>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard<\/li>\n<li>Navigate to <strong>Plugins &gt; Add New<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Search for \"Bot Traffic Shield\"<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Install Now<\/strong> and then <strong>Activate<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Go to <strong>Settings &gt; Bot Traffic Shield<\/strong> to configure (optional)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<h3>Manual Installation<\/h3>\n\n<ol>\n<li>Download the plugin zip file<\/li>\n<li>Upload the <code>bot-traffic-shield<\/code> folder to <code>\/wp-content\/plugins\/<\/code><\/li>\n<li>Activate the plugin through the <strong>Plugins<\/strong> menu in WordPress<\/li>\n<li>Navigate to <strong>Settings &gt; Bot Traffic Shield<\/strong> to configure<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<h3>Post-Installation<\/h3>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Blocking is <strong>enabled by default<\/strong> upon activation<\/li>\n<li>Logging is <strong>enabled by default<\/strong> to track blocked bots<\/li>\n<li>Visit the settings page to customize your blocklist<\/li>\n<li>Check the <strong>Block Log &amp; Stats<\/strong> tab to see blocked bots in real-time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<!--section=faq-->\n<dl>\n<dt id='will%20this%20affect%20my%20seo%20or%20normal%20search%20engines%3F'><h3>Will this affect my SEO or normal search engines?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p><strong>No.<\/strong> Bot Traffic Shield specifically targets AI data crawlers and malicious scrapers. It does <strong>not<\/strong> block legitimate search engine crawlers like Googlebot, Bingbot, or other SEO-friendly bots. Your search rankings will remain completely unaffected.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='which%20bots%20does%20it%20block%20by%20default%3F'><h3>Which bots does it block by default?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>The plugin includes a comprehensive blocklist of 20+ known AI crawlers and scrapers, including:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>ChatGPT-User<\/li>\n<li>GPTBot<\/li>\n<li>Google-Extended<\/li>\n<li>CCBot<\/li>\n<li>Bytespider<\/li>\n<li>Amazonbot<\/li>\n<li>Applebot<\/li>\n<li>Claude-Web<\/li>\n<li>Anthropic-AI<\/li>\n<li>And many more...<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>You can view the complete default list in the <strong>Default Blocklist<\/strong> tab in settings.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='how%20do%20i%20add%20a%20custom%20bot%20to%20the%20blocklist%3F'><h3>How do I add a custom bot to the blocklist?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><ol>\n<li>Go to <strong>Settings &gt; Bot Traffic Shield<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Scroll to <strong>Custom User Agents to Block<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Enter the User-Agent string (one per line)<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Save Settings<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>Example: If you want to block \"BadBot\/1.0\", simply add that line to the textarea.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='how%20do%20i%20export%20my%20block%20logs%3F'><h3>How do I export my block logs?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><ol>\n<li>Go to <strong>Settings &gt; Bot Traffic Shield<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Click on the <strong>Block Log &amp; Stats<\/strong> tab<\/li>\n<li>Scroll to the <strong>Export Logs (CSV)<\/strong> section<\/li>\n<li>Choose your date range (7 days, 30 days, or all time)<\/li>\n<li>Click <strong>Export CSV<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>The CSV file will download automatically with all blocked bot details.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='can%20i%20see%20which%20bots%20have%20been%20blocked%3F'><h3>Can I see which bots have been blocked?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p><strong>Yes!<\/strong> The <strong>Block Log &amp; Stats<\/strong> tab shows:\n*   Date and time of each block\n*   Bot name\n*   Full User-Agent string\n*   IP address\n*   Total count of blocked requests<\/p>\n\n<p>Logs are paginated for easy browsing (20 entries per page).<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='what%27s%20the%20difference%20between%20user-agent%20blocking%20and%20robots.txt%3F'><h3>What's the difference between User-Agent blocking and robots.txt?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><ul>\n<li><strong>robots.txt<\/strong> - A polite request that well-behaved bots follow (but can be ignored)<\/li>\n<li><strong>User-Agent blocking<\/strong> - A hard block that forcibly denies access<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>This plugin uses <strong>both methods<\/strong> for maximum protection. The robots.txt is for compliant bots, while User-Agent blocking stops aggressive or malicious bots that ignore robots.txt.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='does%20this%20plugin%20slow%20down%20my%20website%3F'><h3>Does this plugin slow down my website?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p><strong>No.<\/strong> Bot Traffic Shield is designed to be extremely lightweight:\n*   Runs early in the WordPress load process\n*   Minimal database queries\n*   No external API calls\n*   Negligible performance impact<\/p>\n\n<p>In fact, by blocking unwanted bots, you'll likely see <strong>improved<\/strong> server performance.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='can%20i%20temporarily%20disable%20blocking%3F'><h3>Can I temporarily disable blocking?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p><strong>Yes.<\/strong> Simply toggle the <strong>Enable Bot Blocking<\/strong> switch to OFF in the settings. You can re-enable it at any time without losing your custom configuration.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='will%20i%20lose%20my%20logs%20if%20i%20disable%20logging%3F'><h3>Will I lose my logs if I disable logging?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p><strong>Yes.<\/strong> Disabling logging will clear all existing logs and stop recording new blocks. If you want to keep your logs, export them to CSV before disabling.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='is%20this%20plugin%20compatible%20with%20caching%20plugins%3F'><h3>Is this plugin compatible with caching plugins?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p><strong>Yes.<\/strong> Bot Traffic Shield works at a very early stage of WordPress, before most caching plugins, ensuring bots are blocked regardless of cache status.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id='can%20i%20use%20this%20with%20other%20security%20plugins%3F'><h3>Can I use this with other security plugins?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p><strong>Yes.<\/strong> Bot Traffic Shield focuses specifically on bot blocking and works seamlessly alongside other security plugins like Wordfence, Sucuri, or iThemes Security.<\/p><\/dd>\n\n<\/dl>\n\n<!--section=changelog-->\n<h4>1.0.4 (2025-11-26)<\/h4>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> Clear Log<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improved:<\/strong> Modern, redesigned admin interface<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4>1.0.3 (2025-11-05)<\/h4>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> Pagination system for block logs (20 entries per page)<\/li>\n<li><strong>New:<\/strong> CSV export with date range filtering (7 days, 30 days, all time)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improved:<\/strong> Modern, redesigned admin interface<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improved:<\/strong> Better mobile responsiveness<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enhanced:<\/strong> Code optimization and performance improvements<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fixed:<\/strong> WordPress coding standards compliance<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fixed:<\/strong> Proper escaping and sanitization throughout<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4>1.0.2 (2025-10-25)<\/h4>\n\n<ul>\n<li>New: Modern admin interface design<\/li>\n<li>New: Enhanced logging capabilities<\/li>\n<li>Improved: Overall performance optimizations<\/li>\n<li>Fixed: Various bug fixes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4>1.0.1 (2025-10-23)<\/h4>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Fixed: Bug fixes<\/li>\n<li>Improved: Performance updates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4>1.0.0 (2025-10-15)<\/h4>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Initial release<\/li>\n<li>Real-time bot blocking<\/li>\n<li>robots.txt integration<\/li>\n<li>Default blocklist of 20+ bots<\/li>\n<li>Logging and statistics<\/li>\n<li>Custom User-Agent blocking<\/li>\n<\/ul>","raw_excerpt":"A powerful and user-friendly plugin to block AI crawlers and malicious data scraper bots, protecting your content and server resources.","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin\/256115","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/plugin"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256115"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wporg\/v1\/users\/wpdelower"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"plugin_section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_section?post=256115"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_tags?post=256115"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_category?post=256115"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_contributors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_contributors?post=256115"},{"taxonomy":"plugin_business_model","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/da.wordpress.org\/plugins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/plugin_business_model?post=256115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}