Wordfence Integration
Run Wordfence scans, view live traffic and sync Wordfence settings across client sites from MainWP.
Run Wordfence scans and sync Wordfence settings on all your child sites from your MainWP Dashboard
The Wordfence Integration is a Pro MainWP add-on that lets you scan your child sites with Wordfence Security, watch their live traffic, and keep their Wordfence settings in sync from your MainWP Dashboard. You save network defaults once and give a site its own settings where it needs something different.
What the Wordfence Integration replaces
Wordfence Security runs and stores its settings on each site. Without the integration, you log in to every site’s WP Admin to start a scan, check live traffic, or change a firewall or scan option. With the Wordfence Integration, you save network defaults once and they sync to your child sites, and every site’s Wordfence status shows in one table.
Wordfence Integration features
| Feature | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Wordfence Overview | See every child site with Wordfence Security installed, with plugin status, version, visibility, last scan and update availability. Activate Plugin and Update Plugin actions appear in the row when they apply. |
| Site actions and bulk actions | From a site’s row menu, run Scan Site, open Live Traffic, Blocking or Scan Results, open Wordfence on the site, hide or unhide the plugin, or deactivate it. Activate or deactivate Wordfence Security on several sites at once with Bulk Actions. |
| Scans from your Dashboard | Start a Wordfence scan on any child site from the Wordfence Overview and open its scan results from the same menu. |
| Live traffic | Open live traffic for one site from its row, or use the Live Traffic tab to see traffic from all active child sites in one place. |
| Network settings | Set defaults on the Options, Live Traffic, Blocking, Firewall, Scan and Diagnostics tabs. Saving a section syncs it to every child site that doesn’t use individual overrides. |
| Per-site overrides | Turn on Override general settings for a site and give it its own Wordfence options, live traffic, blocking, firewall, scan and diagnostics settings. |
| Settings added in 5.2 | Show the Wordfence Audit Log menu item, pick a Trusted Proxy Preset (None, Amazon CloudFront, Ezoic or Quic.cloud), look up visitor IP locations through Wordfence servers, monitor Web Application Firewall status in scans, start scans over IPv4 only, and set scan resume attempts from 0 to 5. |
| Wordfence scans in Pro Reports | Add scan data to client reports built with Pro Reports. List scans with [section.wordfence.scan][/section.wordfence.scan], and show totals with [wordfence.scan.count], [wordfence.issue.count] and [wordfence.blocked.count]. |
Wordfence Integration requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| License | MainWP Pro (included in the Pro Bundle) |
| MainWP Dashboard | The Wordfence Integration installed, activated and enabled on your Dashboard site, not on a child site |
| Child sites | Wordfence Security installed and activated on each child site you want to manage |
| Wordfence paid features (optional) | Paid Wordfence features may need a license from Wordfence. |
| Pro Reports (optional) | The Pro Reports Extension, for Wordfence scan data in client reports |
How to set up the Wordfence Integration
Install the integration on your Dashboard
- On your MainWP Dashboard site, go to WP Admin > Plugins > Add Plugin and click Upload Plugin.
- Click Choose File, select mainwp-wordfence-extension.zip, and click Install Now.
- Click Activate Plugin.
- Go to Add-ons > Manage Add-ons, find Wordfence Integration, and click Enable.
Install Wordfence Security on your child sites
- On each child site, go to WP Admin > Plugins > Add Plugin and search for Wordfence.
- Find Wordfence Security, click Install Now, then click Activate Plugin.
- Sync the child site with your MainWP Dashboard.
Set network defaults
- Go to Add-ons > Security > Wordfence.
- Open a settings tab: Options, Live Traffic, Blocking, Firewall, Scan or Diagnostics.
- Set your defaults and save. The section syncs to child sites that don’t use individual overrides.
- After you add Wordfence Security to more child sites, sync them and save each relevant tab again.
Give one site its own settings
- Go to Sites > Manage Sites, select the child site, and open Wordfence in the site navigation.
- Open the Wordfence Options tab and enable Override general settings.
- Configure the tabs you need and click Save Settings.
Full instructions for settings, scans and live traffic: Wordfence Integration documentation.
How the Wordfence Integration works
The Wordfence Integration runs on your MainWP Dashboard and controls the Wordfence Security plugin on each child site. Wordfence Security on the child site runs the scans and the firewall, and the integration starts scans, shows results and live traffic, and sends your settings to the sites. Sites with Override general settings enabled keep their own settings when you save network defaults. MainWP also has security integrations for Solid Security, Sucuri, Virusdie, Patchstack, Jetpack Protect, Jetpack Scan and Security Ninja, plus the Vulnerability Checker Extension.
Wordfence Integration FAQ
Do I need to install Wordfence Security on my child sites?
Wordfence Security must be installed and activated on each child site you want to manage, and the integration itself goes on your Dashboard site. After you install the plugin on a site, sync that site with your MainWP Dashboard.
How do I run a Wordfence scan on a child site from MainWP?
Use the Scan Site action. Go to Add-ons > Security > Wordfence, find the site on the Wordfence Overview tab, and click Scan Site in its row action menu.
Why don’t I see live traffic for a child site?
Live traffic shows only when live traffic logging is enabled. Open the network-level Live Traffic tab, set Enable live traffic logging to All Traffic, and click Save Settings. If the site uses individual overrides, set the same option on that site’s Wordfence Live traffic tab instead.
A child site with Wordfence installed is missing from the Wordfence Overview. What should I check?
Sync your sites again. The integration detects Wordfence Security on a child site after that site syncs with your MainWP Dashboard.
What do I need to pay for?
The Wordfence Integration is part of MainWP Pro (included in the Pro Bundle). Any paid Wordfence features you use may need a license bought from Wordfence.
Where does the Wordfence Integration keep Wordfence data?
Wordfence Security runs on each child site, and the integration loads scan issues and live traffic from that site through the MainWP Child plugin when you open them. Your MainWP Dashboard stores each site’s Wordfence settings, last scan time and blocked attack counts. Wordfence Security is owned by Defiant, Inc.; see the Wordfence privacy policy.
Where do I get support?
The Wordfence team handles issues with the Wordfence Security plugin itself. See wordfence.com. MainWP support handles issues with the integration.