Blackhole Pro v3.6.1

Requires PHP: 5.6.20 Text Domain: blackhole-pro Domain Path: /languages License: The Blackhole Pro license comprises two parts (see "License" section below) Blackhole Pro is a WordPress security plugin that detects and traps bad bots in a virtual black hole, where they are denied access to your site. == Description == > ✨ Trap bad bots in a virtual black hole __Important:__ Do NOT use this plugin on sites with caching. [Learn more »](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/important-do-not-use-on-sites-with-caching/) ### Bye bye bad bots.. ### Bad bots are the worst. They do all sorts of nasty stuff and waste server resources. Blackhole Pro helps to stop bad bots and save precious resources for legit visitors. ### How does it work? ### First the plugin adds a hidden trigger link to the footer of your pages. You then add a line to your robots.txt file that forbids all bots from following the hidden link. Bots that then ignore or disobey your robots rules will crawl the link and fall into the trap. Once trapped, bad bots are denied further access to your entire site. I call it the "one-strike" rule: bots have one chance to obey your site's robots.txt rules. Failure to comply results in immediate banishment. And if that seems too harsh, you can adjust the number of allowed "strikes" via the plugin's Threshold setting. The best part is that the Blackhole only affects bad bots: human users never see the hidden link, and good bots obey the robots rules in the first place. Win-win! :) ### Features ### Visit the [Blackhole Pro homepage](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro/) for features, screenshots, and details. ### Getting Started ### For help getting started, visit the [Quick Start Guide](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-quick-start/). ### Documentation ### Explore the Blackhole Pro documentation: * [Blackhole Pro Docs](https://plugin-planet.com/category/docs+blackhole-pro/) * [Blackhole Pro Tutorials](https://plugin-planet.com/category/tuts+blackhole-pro/) * [Blackhole Pro FAQs](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-faqs/) For complete documentation, visit the Help tab on any Blackhole screen in the WP Admin Area. ### Stay Current ### Stay current with Blackhole Pro: * [Blackhole Pro News](https://plugin-planet.com/category/news+blackhole-pro/) * [Grab the News Feed](https://plugin-planet.com/category/news+blackhole-pro/feed/) * [Grab the Tutorials Feed](https://plugin-planet.com/category/tuts+blackhole-pro/feed/) ### Downloads ### Learn how to [download your pro plugin](https://plugin-planet.com/download-purchased-plugin/). ### Account & License ### Check out [plugin license documentation](https://plugin-planet.com/documentation-plugin-licenses/). ### Privacy ### Check out [privacy and GDPR documentation](https://plugin-planet.com/gdpr-support/#plugin-blackhole-pro) for each of our pro plugins. ### Getting Help ### There are two channels for getting help: * [Ask a question in the Blackhole Pro Forum](https://plugin-planet.com/category/forum+blackhole-pro/) ([login required](https://plugin-planet.com/wp/wp-login.php)) * [Send an email via the contact form](https://plugin-planet.com/support/#contact) The contact form is best for direct support, bug reports, and feedback. ### Developer ### Blackhole Pro is developed and maintained by [Jeff Starr](https://x.com/perishable), 15-year [WordPress developer](https://plugin-planet.com/) and [book author](https://books.perishablepress.com/). == Installation == ### Installing Blackhole Pro ### 1. Deactivate free version of the plugin 2. Make sure your site is not running any cache plugin 3. Upload the plugin and activate via the WP Plugins screen 4. Visit Blackhole Pro > License to enter your license key Once Blackhole Pro is installed and active: * If your site is using the default robots.txt file that is automatically generated by WordPress, then you are done. No further steps are required. * __OR__ if your site is using a custom robots.txt file, visit the plugin settings > "Robots Rules", copy the provided rules, and paste them into your robots.txt file. Congrats! The plugin now is active, the [robots.txt rules](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-robots-txt/) are in place, and Blackhole Pro is protecting your site against bad bots. For more information on getting started, check out the [Quick Start Guide](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro-quick-start/). For complete documentation, visit the Help tab on any Blackhole screen in the WP Admin Area. [More info on installing WP plugins](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/manage-plugins/#installing-plugins-1) ### How to use Blackhole Pro ### To use Blackhole Pro: 1. Install and activate the plugin as described above 2. Add the robots.txt rules to your site's robots.txt 3. To configure the plugin, visit the plugin Settings 4. To view and manage blocked bots, visit Bad Bots Links to reset the plugin options and Bad Bots Log are available in the plugin settings. Also check out the [Quick Start Guide](https://plugin-planet.com/blackhole-pro