To find which outside domains a WordPress site contacts, first separate server-side requests made by WordPress/PHP from browser requests that load JavaScript, CSS, images, or fonts. Use Tools > Site Health to check whether WordPress is blocking HTTP requests, then use a logger that covers the suspected request path. The HTTP Requests Manager plugin can group supported WP_Http calls by domain, page, plugin, status, and timing, but it does not capture every PHP or browser request.
What counts as a third-party request?
“Third-party” means a hostname outside your own site, such as an API, analytics service, licensing server, CDN, or remote asset host. The observation point depends on who makes the connection.
| Traffic type | Typical origin | What can identify it |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress HTTP API request | PHP during a front-end, admin, cron, REST, or plugin action | WordPress/PHP HTTP instrumentation or a logger covering WP_Http |
| Other PHP networking | curl_exec, fsockopen, file_get_contents, or another library |
Instrumentation appropriate to that code path; a WP_Http-only logger will not see it |
| Browser asset or API request | A visitor’s browser after the page is delivered | The browser’s developer-tools Network panel or another client-side observability tool |
A page can therefore contact a domain in the browser even when WordPress made no server-side request, or contact a domain from PHP without the browser ever seeing that connection.
Start with WordPress Site Health
- Sign in to WordPress and open Tools > Site Health.
- Review the HTTP-request status and any notice that external requests are blocked by
WP_HTTP_BLOCK_EXTERNAL. - Check whether allowed hosts have been configured with
WP_ACCESSIBLE_HOSTS.
WordPress’s Site Health test is a configuration and connectivity diagnostic. The developer reference for WP_Site_Health::get_test_http_requests() does not describe a historical list of domains or identify the plugin and PHP call that initiated each request. Treat a passing or failing test as a starting point, not as a request log.
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Log server-side requests made through WP_Http
What HTTP Requests Manager reports
The HTTP Requests Manager listing on WordPress.org says it can log requests made through WordPress’s WP_Http class and group them by URL, domain, page, page type, plugin, response status, and other fields. The listing also describes request timing and management features. These are the plugin’s published feature claims, not an independent performance test.
Its stated scope is explicit: “Plugin only detects and manages requests made using WP_Http class.” That makes it useful when a plugin calls the WordPress HTTP API, but it is not a universal outbound-traffic recorder.
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Important blind spots
- The listing excludes requests made through
WP_Http_Curland direct PHP functions such ascurl_exec,fsockopen, andfile_get_contents. - It does not track browser loading of third-party JavaScript, CSS, images, fonts, or browser-initiated API calls.
- Coverage and compatibility can change as the plugin and WordPress change; the listing should be checked for the version you install.
Choose the observation method that matches the traffic
| Method | Coverage | Attribution | Timing | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Site Health HTTP-request test | Checks WordPress external-request behavior and blocking configuration | General status; no per-request caller history described | Not a request log | Find out whether a block setting is preventing remote communication |
| HTTP Requests Manager | WP_Http calls, according to its listing |
Domain, URL, page, page type, plugin, status, and other listed groupings | Request timing is listed as a feature | Investigate supported WordPress/PHP HTTP calls |
| Browser developer tools | Browser-loaded assets and browser API calls | Request URL and page context; server-side PHP caller is not shown | Browser network timing | Find scripts, fonts, images, or client-side services loaded by a page |
| External uptime or heartbeat monitor | Availability of a site or endpoint from outside | Does not identify the WordPress plugin or PHP call responsible for an outbound request | Monitor-dependent | Confirm reachability and detect outages |
For example, AVAR Server Monitor’s WordPress.org listing mentions healthchecks.io, Cronitor, and Uptime Kuma as possible monitoring endpoints. That kind of monitoring complements request tracing, but it is not caller attribution.
A practical investigation workflow
1. Define the context
Write down where the behavior occurs: a public page, an administrator screen, a scheduled task, a REST request, checkout, login, or a specific plugin action. Also decide whether you need the browser’s requests, PHP’s requests, or both.
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2. Check blocking configuration
Use Site Health first. If it reports that external requests are blocked, inspect the configuration of WP_HTTP_BLOCK_EXTERNAL and WP_ACCESSIBLE_HOSTS before interpreting missing traffic as proof that no code attempted the connection.
3. Capture the supported WordPress HTTP calls
Install and review HTTP Requests Manager only when the suspected code uses WP_Http. Filter or group results by domain, page or page type, plugin, status, and timing, then reproduce the action in the same context where the request occurs.
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4. Inspect browser traffic separately
For front-end assets and client-side API calls, open the browser’s developer tools, select the Network panel, reload the page, and filter by domain or request type. Repeat on the exact page and user state that exhibits the behavior. A browser log cannot prove which PHP function caused a server-side request.
5. Investigate excluded PHP paths
If the suspected request does not appear in the WP_Http logger, review code that uses cURL, sockets, stream functions, or another HTTP library. Use instrumentation at the application or server layer that matches that mechanism. There is no documented single tool in the sources here that captures every category.
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6. Record and verify attribution
- External domain and complete request path
- Front-end, admin, cron, REST, or other execution context
- Plugin, theme, or component associated with the action
- HTTP status and timing when the observation method provides them
- Whether the result repeats when the same action is performed again
One page load is not a completeness guarantee. Test the contexts in which the feature actually runs, including scheduled jobs and authenticated actions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Use WordPress’s blocking controls carefully
WordPress documents WP_HTTP_BLOCK_EXTERNAL and WP_ACCESSIBLE_HOSTS for restricting external HTTP API requests. The WP_Http class documentation explains the HTTP API involved; the Site Health documentation also covers the related status check.
Allow-listing a required hostname can reduce unwanted HTTP API traffic, but a blanket block can break updates, license checks, plugin integrations, payment or shipping services, remote feeds, and other core or extension behavior. Before enforcing a rule:
- List the remote services your site intentionally uses.
- Test updates, licensing, integrations, webhooks, and scheduled tasks.
- Add only the hosts required for those functions, using the documented allow-list format, including wildcard domains where appropriate.
- Recheck Site Health and repeat the affected workflows after the change.
The http_request_host_is_external hook reference documents the hook’s purpose and signature. It is not, by itself, a complete drop-in implementation for safely designing an allow-list.
What you can and cannot conclude
- A domain in a
WP_Httplog is evidence of a supported WordPress HTTP API call in that captured context, not evidence that the plugin sees all network traffic. - A domain in the browser Network panel identifies a client-side request, not necessarily a server-side WordPress request.
- A Site Health warning shows a blocking or connectivity condition; it does not name the responsible plugin.
- An external monitor can show that an endpoint is reachable or unavailable, but not which WordPress component made an outbound request.
Use the narrowest conclusion supported by the observation method, then verify it by repeating the action in the relevant execution context.
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