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Snitch

By pluginkollektiv

Security & Privacy / Firewall & Brute Force Protection

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Snitch Review - In-Depth Analysis

Snitch is a network monitor for WordPress that tracks and controls outgoing data traffic. It logs all outbound connections and allows you to block unwanted requests.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.71/10

User Rating

4/5 (based on 27+ reviews)

Active Installations

700+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Snitch is a network monitor for WordPress that provides an overview of outgoing data traffic. It logs every outbound connection from your site, allowing administrators to monitor and control data flow.

This plugin not only logs connection requests but also enables users to block future requests by target URL or script. Once blocked, connections are visually highlighted, and you can easily unblock them with a click.

Snitch is an essential tool for monitoring outbound communication and can help identify malware or tracking software. It ensures compliance with GDPR by providing transparency over outgoing connections initiated by plugins, themes, or WordPress itself.

The interface is user-friendly, displaying target URLs and source files, and includes features for grouping, sorting, and searching logs. You can view POST variables with a click, delete all entries easily, and use the plugin free of charge without advertisements.

Comparing to Alternatives

Snitch currently has no close direct alternatives in its category, making it a unique tool for monitoring plugin callbacks and API calls.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Effectively blocks unwanted HTTP API calls from specific URLs.
Helps site owners identify plugins that phone home without permission.
Lightweight with an ultra-simple user interface.
Enables better decision-making regarding plugin usage and accountability.
Monitors callbacks automatically, reducing manual effort.

Weaknesses

Can cause site crashes in some environments, as reported by users.
Error logs may not always provide helpful information for troubleshooting.
Limited compatibility issues reported with certain WordPress versions and themes.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of 5-star ratings (74.1%) and some critical feedback, users generally appreciate Snitch's functionality but note stability concerns.

Positive highlights

"Exactly what I needed" – Rui Oliveira
"Critical tool that I have relied on for years" – Carike
"Lightweight, ultra simple UI" – mrwolfinformatica
"Great help monitoring callbacks automatically" – JimJam

Common complaints

Plugin caused site crashes shortly after activation, leading to WordPress error notifications.

Weaknesses

Stability issues causing site downtime for some users.
Lack of helpful error logs complicates troubleshooting.
Potential compatibility problems with certain WordPress versions and themes.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Site owners and developers who want to monitor and control plugin callbacks and API calls to improve site security and plugin accountability.

Not ideal for

Users who require a highly stable plugin without risk of site crashes or those unfamiliar with troubleshooting WordPress plugin conflicts.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers comprehensive monitoring of plugin callbacks and API calls with a simple interface, sufficient for most users.

Final Verdict

Snitch stands out as a unique and valuable tool for monitoring plugin behavior and API calls, with a strong positive reception from most users appreciating its simplicity and effectiveness. However, some users have experienced stability issues that can cause site crashes, which is a significant consideration for potential users.

Given the lack of direct alternatives and no known security vulnerabilities, Snitch is recommended for users who need its specific functionality and are comfortable managing potential compatibility challenges. The free version provides good value, but users should weigh the risk of instability in their environment before adoption.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Snitch plugin.

network monitor

outgoing data traffic

GDPR compliance

connection logging

firewall

Screenshots

FAQ

Snitch is designed to log any outgoing connection in WordPress. If the database fills fast, you should look up the cause. Why does your WordPress and plugins communicate so often to the outside that the database table fills? Is this communication really necessary?

As a reminder: Snitch is designed to help you improve your WordPress performance by detecting and displaying connections as bottleneck. The task for the blog administrator is to eliminate the source of the cause (plugin, theme, etc.).

Snitch automatically ensures that there are not more than 200 entries are kept in the database. If it is nevertheless necessary to remove Snitch entries from the database manually, two smart database commands could help:

sql DELETE FROM wp_postmeta` WHERE `post_id` IN ( SELECT `ID` FROM `wp_posts` WHERE `post_type` = 'snitch' )

DELETE FROM wp_posts WHERE post_type = ‘snitch’
`

WordPress calls internal Cronjobs via WordPress HTTP API – exactly this interface is monitored by Snitch and also records Cronjob accesses accordingly.

If cronjobs are listed too often, something possibly isn’t correct. Therefore, it is recommend to check the list of scheduled cronjob jobs.

The following code snippet in the WordPress configuration file wp-config.php switches off the logging of the internal WordPress queries:

php define('SNITCH_IGNORE_INTERNAL_REQUESTS', true);

Contributors and developers

“Snitch” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

pluginkollektiv

Free Version Docs

WPS

6.71

Average

Ratings

4 out of 5 | 27

Version

1.2.1

Last updated

7 months ago

Active installations

700+

WordPress version

6.9.10 or higher

PHP version

5.2.4 or higher

Languages

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Snitch Review - In-Depth Analysis

Performance Overview

What It Does

Comparing to Alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

Who Should Use This?

Pricing & Value

Final Verdict

Other Notable Features

Screenshots

FAQ

Contributors and developers

Ratings

Reviews (27)

Sort by:

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Security Status

Secure

No Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Known Vulnerabilities (0)

Previous Versions

WPS

6.71

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