/wp-plugin-development

Security guardrails (plugin work)

Use this file when making security fixes or when handling any input/output.

Nonces + permissions

• Nonces help prevent CSRF, not authorization.
• Always pair nonces with capability checks (current_user_can() or a more specific capability).

Upstream reference:

• https://developer.wordpress.org/apis/security/nonces/

Sanitization and escaping

Golden rule:

• sanitize/validate on input, escape on output.

Practical rules:

• never process the entire $_POST / $_GET array; read explicit keys
• use wp_unslash() before sanitizing when needed
• use prepared statements for SQL; avoid interpolating user input into queries

Output escaping contexts

Escape at output, using the function that matches the context:

• HTML text: esc_html()
• HTML attribute: esc_attr()
• URL: esc_url()
• textarea: esc_textarea()
• JavaScript strings: esc_js()

For JSON data, prefer wp_json_encode() and pass data through WordPress script APIs such as wp_add_inline_script() or wp_localize_script().

For user-provided HTML, restrict allowed markup with wp_kses_post() or wp_kses() before output.

AJAX handlers

• For wp_ajax_*, verify nonce and check capabilities.
• For wp_ajax_nopriv_*, assume unauthenticated attacker-controlled traffic.
• Return JSON with wp_send_json_success() or wp_send_json_error().
• Do not expose private data from AJAX responses.

Common review guidance:

• https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/wordpress-org/detailed-plugin-guidelines/