What is MainWP
MainWP is a free, open-source, self-hosted solution for managing multiple WordPress sites. Whether maintaining personal blogs or client sites, MainWP provides centralized management. MainWP consists of two essential plugins:- MainWP Dashboard - Your control center, installed on a dedicated WordPress site
- MainWP Child - Deployed on each WordPress site you want to manage
MainWP is not designed for WordPress Multisite setups.
MainWP Dashboard
The Dashboard plugin operates as your control center for all managed sites. We highly recommend installing it on a clean, dedicated WordPress installation to avoid plugin conflicts.MainWP Child
The Child plugin enables secure communication between your Dashboard and managed sites, allowing remote management and automated actions.Is it Secure?
Encryption & Key Management
MainWP uses OpenSSL encryption (2048-bit) for all communication between your Dashboard and Child sites. During the initial connection, a public-private key pair is generated. The public key is stored on child sites, and the private key remains on the Dashboard. To disconnect a child site, you need access to that site’s WordPress admin credentials.Privacy Philosophy
Since MainWP operates entirely on your server with open-source, unencrypted code, you can audit the complete codebase via GitHub. We do not track or keep any information about your child sites.How it Works
Communication Protocol
MainWP communicates with your child sites using:- Ports: 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS)
- Encryption: OpenSSL when available
- User-Agent:
No Footprint
By default, MainWP leaves no server footprint, maintaining complete privacy on your installation.Next Step: Get Started with MainWP →