“FAQ” post for Frequently Asked (and presales) Questions about BBQ Pro.

Also check out Reasons to Get BBQ Pro »

Do I need to do anything else for BBQ to work?

Nope, just install and relax knowing that BBQ is protecting your site from bad URL requests.

Do I need any coding skills to use BBQ Pro?

As with the free version of the plugin, everything is plug-n-play with no configuration required. Once you activate the plugin and license, BBQ protection is enabled. So you can just “set it and forget it”, or visit the BBQ Pro admin to customize settings and patterns exactly as desired.

Can I upgrade my license after purchase?

Yes that can be done anytime after purchase. The price will be the difference between the two licenses. To upgrade, send us an email with your username, current license, and desired license.

What is the meaning of the different license names?

We offer plugin licenses with names like “Personal”, “Business”, “Advanced”, and “Developer”. These names are arbitrary and have nothing to do with the type of website that the license may be used on. For example, the Personal (1-site) license can be activated on any site, whether personal, business, or otherwise. Likewise, the Business (3-site) license can be activated on any site, whether personal, business, etc. So they’re just names for the licenses, not any sort of limitation.

Does BBQ Pro work with WP Multisite?

Due to licensing restrictions, BBQ Pro works on an individual, per-site basis. That means the plugin can be activated on any given site on a Multisite network, but network-wide activation is not supported at this time.

What other security plugins do you provide?

My security plugins are:

For each of those plugins, there are both free and pro versions. You can check out the pro versions here at Plugin Planet. Additionally for security, I develop the nG Firewall (currently at version 7G) for both Apache and Nginx servers. Powerful stuff!

How do I customize the default plugin settings?

Visit the Settings screen. Click the “Help” tab in the upper-right corner at any time for complete documentation.

How do I customize the default patterns that are used by BBQ to block bad requests?

Visit the Patterns screen. Click the “Help” tab in the upper-right corner at any time for complete documentation.

Does BBQ Pro affect/use .htaccess?

No, BBQ Pro does not modify any files whatsoever. It definitely does not do anything to/with .htaccess. BBQ Pro does not affect, use, or have anything to do with any .htaccess file, anywhere.

Can I use BBQ and 6G/7G Firewall at the same time?

It’s fine to run both BBQ and 6G/7G Firewall 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.

Can I use BBQ Pro and WordFence Firewall together at the same time?

Yes absolutely, many people use both plugins. The plugins focus on different aspects of security, and the firewalls are blocking different things, so yes it’s fine to use both together on any WordPress site.

Can we disable the plugin called “SpamReferrerBlock” if we are running BBQ Pro?

Yes, basically the plugins are aimed at two different things:

So yes you can disable the other plugin when you are running BBQ Pro. Then if you notice any weird/unwanted requests making it through, you can easily block them.

How can I log blocked requests?

Out of the box, BBQ Pro provides basic statistics, so you can tell which patterns are most effective and fine-tune your firewall. To go further, you can log blocked requests by installing a free plugin.

Can I block user-enumeration scans with BBQ Pro?

Yes, quite easily. Just follow this tutorial.

Does BBQ block malicious strings included in arrays?

Yes, BBQ Pro scans any arrays that are included in the URI request. If any matching patterns are found, the request is blocked.

Does BBQ scan for *existing* hacks and exploits?

BBQ Pro detects bad requests for non-existent resources; it assumes that, if a resource exists, then any request for it is legit. If you need to protect an existing resource against access, there are plenty of methods available (e.g., password-protection). Or, if you want to scan your site for existing payloads, try a virus scanner.

Which is faster, BBQ Pro or 6G/7G via .htaccess?

There is no significant performance difference between using 6G/7G Firewall and BBQ Pro. There is a theoretical difference because Apache handles requests at the server layer, but for most cases the measurable difference is negligible. BBQ Pro is super fast and specifically focused on performance. Of course, there are many other factors that may come into play, but strictly comparing 6G/7G and BBQ Pro, they’re pretty much equally fast.

Do I need to install 6G/7G Firewall if I am using BBQ Pro?

No you do not need both. BBQ Pro includes many rules from both 6G and 7G Firewall. For more information, check out the 6G FAQs (which also apply to 7G).

Is it possible to block user agents with wildcards like “*.ru”?

Yes, you can simply add .ru to block all referrers that contain those characters. No need to add any wildcard characters (the strings are treated as literal but matched anywhere in the referrer).

Is it safe to block “127.0.0.1”?

Yes, that string is blocked by default under BBQ Pro’s Basic Patterns. The string refers to the loopback/localhost IP address, and is used by bad guys in a variety of attacks. The only time you would need to disable the pattern would be if you get blocked while working locally. You can always re-enable the pattern once your site goes live.

Could you tell me the difference between BBQ Pro and Jetpack Protect?

They secure different aspects of your site. Specifically, Jetpack Protect focuses on login protection (brute force attacks), while BBQ Pro provides strong firewall security, which helps protect against malicious attacks in general. So running both plugins is 100% fine to give you strong firewall protection (BBQ) and solid brute-force protection (Jetpack).

Where can I find more information about BBQ Pro?

Check out the Help tab (upper-right corner) on any of the plugin screens for complete documentation.

Also check out the following resources:

Additionally, tutorials for BBQ Pro will be posted in the Tuts category.

Do you offer any other security plugins?

Yes, check out Blackhole Pro for advanced protection against bad bots, and Banhammer Pro to keep an eye on traffic. I also have a video course on WordPress security, which provides more plugin recommendations and tons of tips and tricks.

How do I ask a question about BBQ Pro?

To ask a question, log in to your account at Plugin Planet and then visit the Support Forum to post a new topic. Alternately, you may send an email via the contact form.