🧩 Rank Math REST API Enabler

Author: Valandi Angelidis
Email: info@valandiangelidis.com
GitHub: github.com/ValandiAngelidis
Version: 1.0.0

---

📖 Overview

Rank Math REST API Enabler is a professional WordPress plugin that automatically deploys a Must-Use (MU) plugin to expose Rank Math SEO meta fields via a secure REST API. It provides complete control over your Rank Math data through RESTful endpoints.

The plugin features a modern, professional admin interface (under Settings → Rank Math API) to manage the MU plugin, view API documentation, and access usage examples — all without touching code.

Perfect for:

• Developers building headless WordPress solutions
• Automation engineers using n8n, Make.com, or Zapier
• SEO agencies managing multiple sites
• Teams requiring programmatic access to Rank Math data

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⚙️ Quick Installation

1. Copy the Rank Math REST API Enabler folder into your wp-content/plugins/ directory.
2. Activate the plugin via Plugins → Installed Plugins.
3. Automatic setup — on activation, the plugin will:
   • Create the wp-content/mu-plugins/ directory if it doesn't exist
   • Generate the rankmath-rest-api.php MU plugin file automatically
   • Configure default settings for immediate use
4. Visit Settings → Rank Math API to view status and documentation.

Multisite Support: When network-activated, the MU plugin is automatically created for all sites in the network, including newly added sites.

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✨ Key Features

• 🚀 Automatic Installation
  MU plugin auto-generates on activation — no manual setup required

• 🌐 Full Multisite Support
  Network activation creates MU plugin for all sites; auto-installs on new sites

• 🔄 Smart Version Management
  Automatically updates MU plugin when plugin version changes

• 💾 Safe Backups
  Creates timestamped backups before overwriting existing files

• 🧹 Clean Uninstall
  Safely removes MU plugin and all settings on uninstallation

• 🎨 Modern Admin Interface
  Professional, card-based design with intuitive navigation

• 📚 Built-in Documentation
  Complete API reference, examples, and authentication guides

• 🔒 Security-First Design
  WordPress capability checks, nonce verification, and input sanitization

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🔌 Available API Fields

The plugin exposes the following Rank Math meta fields:

Field Name (API)	Meta Key	Description
title	rank_math_title	SEO Title
description	rank_math_description	SEO Meta Description
focus	rank_math_focus_keyword	Focus Keyword(s)
slug	rank_math_permalink	SEO Slug (Permalink)

Note: Underscored fields (_rank_math_description, _rank_math_focus_keyword) are also synced for compatibility.

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🧠 REST API Endpoints

GET Endpoint

Retrieve Rank Math meta fields for a post:

GET /wp-json/rankmath/v1/meta/{post_id}

Example Response:

{
  "rank_math_title": "Best SEO Practices 2025",
  "rank_math_description": "Complete guide to SEO optimization",
  "rank_math_focus_keyword": "SEO practices",
  "rank_math_permalink": "best-seo-practices-2025",
  "_rank_math_description": "Complete guide to SEO optimization",
  "_rank_math_focus_keyword": "SEO practices"
}

POST Endpoint

Update Rank Math meta fields:

POST /wp-json/rankmath/v1/meta/{post_id}
Content-Type: application/json

Example Request Body:

{
  "title": "Updated SEO Title",
  "description": "Updated meta description for better SEO",
  "focus": "primary keyword, secondary keyword",
  "slug": "updated-custom-slug"
}

Example Response:

{
  "post_id": 123,
  "updated": {
    "rank_math_title": "Updated SEO Title",
    "rank_math_description": "Updated meta description for better SEO",
    "rank_math_focus_keyword": "primary keyword, secondary keyword",
    "rank_math_permalink": "updated-custom-slug"
  }
}

Permissions: Users must have edit_post capability for the specified post.

---

🔐 Authentication

Application Passwords (Recommended)

Create an Application Password under Users → Your Profile → Application Passwords.

cURL Example:

curl -u "username:application-password" \
  "https://example.com/wp-json/rankmath/v1/meta/123"

PowerShell Example:

$cred = Get-Credential
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri 'https://example.com/wp-json/rankmath/v1/meta/123' `
  -Method Get -Credential $cred

POST Request Example:

curl -u "username:application-password" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"New Title","description":"New description"}' \
  "https://example.com/wp-json/rankmath/v1/meta/123"

---

📋 Requirements

• WordPress 5.9 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• Rank Math SEO plugin (active)
• Write permissions to wp-content/mu-plugins/ directory

---

🧰 Admin Interface Features

The plugin provides a comprehensive settings page with:

1. MU Plugin Status Card

   • Visual status indicators (✓/✗)
   • File location and last modified time
   • One-click reinstall button

2. API Documentation Card

   • Complete field reference table
   • REST endpoint URLs
   • Available meta fields

3. Authentication Guide Card

   • Ready-to-use cURL examples
   • PowerShell examples
   • Authentication best practices

4. Example Requests Card

   • GET and POST examples
   • Request/response samples
   • JSON formatting

5. Support Information Card

   • Author contact details
   • Plugin version badge
   • Helpful links

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🧪 Testing

Verify Installation

1. ✅ Activate plugin → check /wp-content/mu-plugins/rankmath-rest-api.php exists
2. ✅ Visit Settings → Rank Math API → verify green checkmarks
3. ✅ Test GET endpoint with cURL or Postman
4. ✅ Test POST endpoint with sample data

Multisite Testing

1. ✅ Network activate on multisite
2. ✅ Verify MU plugin created for all sites
3. ✅ Add new site → verify auto-installation
4. ✅ Test endpoints on different sites

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🔒 Security Features

• ✅ WordPress capability checks (edit_post)
• ✅ Nonce verification on admin actions
• ✅ Input sanitization (sanitize_title, wp_kses_post, etc.)
• ✅ Path validation (ensures files written only to wp-content)
• ✅ Atomic file writes with temporary files
• ✅ Proper escaping of all output

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🧑‍💻 Developer Notes

• The MU plugin is not removed on deactivation (by design) to prevent breaking active integrations
• MU plugin is fully removed on uninstallation for clean site cleanup
• Compatible with headless WordPress setups
• Works with WordPress REST API authentication plugins
• All strings are internationalization-ready (.pot file included)

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📜 License

Licensed under GNU General Public License v2.0+ (GPL-2.0+).
You are free to use, modify, and distribute this software under the same license.

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🧑‍💻 Credits

Developed by Valandi Angelidis
Multidisciplinary creator & full-stack developer specializing in digital ecosystems, automation, and medical marketing technologies.

🌐 Website: valandiangelidis.com
💌 Email: info@valandiangelidis.com
💾 GitHub: github.com/ValandiAngelidis

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🚀 Future Enhancements

• [ ] Inline API endpoint tester in admin UI
• [ ] Batch operations for multiple posts
• [ ] Webhook notifications on meta changes
• [ ] Enhanced logging and debugging tools
• [ ] REST schema documentation
• [ ] WP-CLI commands

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⭐ Support & Contribute

Found this plugin helpful? Star the repository!
Want to contribute? Pull requests are welcome at:

👉 github.com/ValandiAngelidis/rankmath-rest-api-enabler

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Made with ❤️ for the WordPress community

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📖 Overview

Rank Math REST API Enabler is an installable WordPress plugin that automatically deploys a Must-Use (MU) plugin to expose Rank Math SEO meta fields (rank_math_title, rank_math_description, rank_math_focus_keyword, etc.) via a secure REST API.

It also provides a Settings page inside WordPress (under Settings → Rank Math API) to control endpoints, verify the MU plugin status, and reinstall or debug it — all without touching code.

Designed for developers, automation engineers, and SEO agencies who integrate Rank Math data with tools like n8n, Make.com, or Zapier.

---

⚙️ Quick Installation

1. Copy the folder rankmath-rest-api-enabler into your wp-content/plugins/ directory.
2. Activate the plugin via Plugins → Installed Plugins.
3. On activation, it will:
   • Ensure the directory wp-content/mu-plugins/ exists (create it if not).
   • Write a file named rankmath-rest-api.php inside that directory.
4. Visit Settings → Rank Math API to:
   • Enable/disable endpoints,
   • View MU plugin status,
   • Reinstall or inspect the MU plugin code.

If file creation fails, an admin notice will inform you.

---

✨ Key Features

• 🔧 Automatic MU plugin installation on activation
  Creates /wp-content/mu-plugins/rankmath-rest-api.php automatically.
• ♻️ Version-based overwrite
  MU plugin is updated when the main plugin version changes.
• 💾 Automatic backup
  Existing MU plugin is renamed to *-bak-YYYYmmdd-HHMMSS.php before overwrite.
• 🧠 Admin UI controls
  Enable/disable GET or POST endpoints, toggle meta synchronization, and manage admin notices.
• 🧩 Live code viewer
  Displays the current MU plugin code on the settings page for transparency/debugging.
• 🧪 Syntax test utilities
  Includes PowerShell and PHP CLI scripts for linting and syntax checking.

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⚙️ Settings Structure

Plugin options are stored in the WordPress option key
rankmath_rest_api_enabler_settings
with the following structure:

[
  'enable_get'    => true,
  'enable_post'   => true,
  'sync_fields'   => true,
  'show_notices'  => true,
]
🔐 Authentication for API Testing
You can authenticate using WordPress Application Passwords (recommended).
Create one under Users → Profile → Application Passwords, then use it with your username.

Example — cURL:

bash
Copy code
curl -u "username:application-password" "https://example.com/wp-json/rankmath/v1/meta/123"
Example — PowerShell:

powershell
Copy code
$cred = Get-Credential
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri 'https://example.com/wp-json/rankmath/v1/meta/123' -Method Get -Credential $cred
🧠 Endpoints
Method  Endpoint    Description
GET /wp-json/rankmath/v1/meta/{post_id} Retrieve Rank Math meta fields for the post
POST    /wp-json/rankmath/v1/meta/{post_id} Update Rank Math meta fields (title, description, focus)

Example POST JSON body:

json
Copy code
{
  "title": "Gynecologist in Thessaloniki | Dr. Example",
  "description": "Trusted specialist in fertility and pregnancy care.",
  "focus": "fertility doctor Thessaloniki"
}
Permission is limited to users with capability edit_post on the given post.

✅ Testing Checklist
 Activate the plugin → verify that /wp-content/mu-plugins/rankmath-rest-api.php is created.

 Visit Settings → Rank Math API → verify MU plugin status indicators.

 Toggle endpoint checkboxes → save settings → confirm persistence.

 Use “Reinstall MU Plugin” button → confirm backup file creation.

 Test REST endpoints using cURL or Postman.

 Run lint checks:

PowerShell
powershell
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.\tests\run-lint.ps1 -MuFile "C:\path\to\wordpress\wp-content\mu-plugins\rankmath-rest-api.php"
PHP CLI
bash
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php tests/check_mu_syntax.php C:\path\to\wordpress\wp-content\mu-plugins\rankmath-rest-api.php
🧰 Developer Notes
The MU plugin is not removed on deactivation — by design, so automation workflows don’t break.

Security uses native WordPress capabilities and REST permissions.

Rank Math SEO plugin must be active for these meta keys to exist.

Works with WordPress 6.4+ and Rank Math 1.0.213+.

🧑‍💻 Credits
Developed by:
🧠 Valandi Angelidis
Multidisciplinary creator & full-stack developer specializing in digital ecosystems, automation, and medical marketing technologies.

🌐 Website: valandiangelidis.com

💌 Email: info@valandiangelidis.com

💾 GitHub: github.com/ValandiAngelidis

📜 License
Licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 (GPL-2.0+).
You are free to use, modify, and distribute this software under the same license.

🚀 Future Enhancements (Planned)
Automatic Application Password generator for easier API setup.

Inline endpoint tester within the Settings page.

REST schema documentation in the WordPress REST API index.

Unit tests via WP-CLI or WordPress Test Harness.

⭐ Contribute
If you’d like to improve or extend this plugin, feel free to fork the repository and submit a pull request at:

👉 https://github.com/ValandiAngelidis/rankmath-rest-api-enabler



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