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WPDistrib

The documentation base on creating web content

❓Topic covered in this documentation article:

⚖ Alternatives to Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP

Laurent | WPDistrib

Laurent | WPDistrib

📚 Related topics in the documentation base:

🟡 Iteration 2 —
Tagged version

🏷 This article has been tagged: it now has all the basic technical elements to be properly interpreted by search engines.

This includes SEO metadata (title, description, excerpt), a featured image, and a consistent internal linking structure.

📌 This step is not yet a complete SEO optimization, but it allows the article to be shared properly on social media.
Thanks to its image, title, and excerpt, it’s ready to circulate in a content distribution logic.

Alternatives to Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP illustrated with three toggle switches: SSL, HSTS, and CSP.

HTTP Headers, Really Simple SSL, and WP Force SSL were tested as alternatives to Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP. Only one stands out.

Start reading →

The Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP plugin is currently included in WPDistrib to provide enhanced protection through HTTP headers.

It automatically adds the main security headers required for a modern WordPress site.

However, as part of its active monitoring strategy, WPDistrib regularly seeks to challenge its technical choices.

This search for alternatives does not stem from a known weakness, but from a desire to compare other free solutions that could potentially improve the distribution.

Understanding Why HTTP Headers Matter

HTTP headers are technical instructions sent by the server to the browser. They help define important security rules, such as enforcing HTTPS, blocking unauthorized scripts, or preventing the site from being embedded in an iframe.

WordPress does not include these headers natively. Their configuration depends on the hosting environment or the use of plugins. Here are a few common headers:

  • Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS): secures the HTTPS protocol over time.
  • X-Frame-Options: prevents the site from being embedded in an iframe.
  • X-Content-Type-Options: prevents the browser from interpreting file types incorrectly.
  • X-XSS-Protection: activates built-in protection against some malicious scripts.

These headers have no visible effect but are essential to reduce the attack surface of a WordPress site.

Which Free Plugins Are Compared Here?

In this first testing phase (carried out via tastewp.com), three plugins were selected:

  • Really Simple SSL
  • WP Force SSL & HTTPS Redirect
  • HTTP Headers

Other initially identified options were discarded: some are no longer listed, others are outdated or obsolete.

Initial Testing Results with TasteWP.com

The three plugins were tested on a fresh WordPress install with no other plugins activated, to observe their actual behavior and potential issues. Here’s the breakdown:

Really Simple SSL

  • Displays a friendly interface, but most advanced features are locked behind the Pro version.
  • ❌ Security headers support is limited or nonexistent without payment.
  • HTTPS redirection is now automatically ensured when an SSL certificate is correctly installed at the hosting level. It’s a required step, especially for SEO.
  • Conclusion: offers no added value for a WordPress site already running over HTTPS.

WP Force SSL & HTTPS Redirect

  • Offers SSL certificate checking and HTTPS redirection.
  • ❌ No HTTP headers management available in the free version.
  • PHP errors were reported during testing with FreeSoul (Activity Testing), raising stability concerns.
  • Conclusion: unstable and not useful in a secure setup.

HTTP Headers

  • Provides a simple interface to manually enable the most common HTTP headers.
  • ✅ Allows configuration of HSTS, X-Frame-Options, X-XSS-Protection, and more.
  • Runs without errors, no conflicts detected during testing.
  • The only downside: there’s no visual guidance, so users must understand each setting.
  • Conclusion: solid and compatible, but should be used with care.

🌀 HTTP Headers Is a Credible Alternative, but Doesn’t Surpass the Current Solution

Among the three plugins tested, HTTP Headers stands out as a technically solid, compatible, and free alternative. Its feature set is close to what’s currently provided in WPDistrib. However, it doesn’t offer any significant simplification or broader coverage.

None of the alternatives tested at this stage justify replacing Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP.

💡 Did this article speak to you, make you think, or make you want to go further?

You might be wondering:

  • Can I create a website that reflects who I am, without relying on a closed tool?
  • Can I learn to publish, structure, and organize my content myself?
  • Am I ready to dedicate time to it?

If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place.

Creating a useful and sustainable website does take some time — but it’s time well invested, to learn how to do things with clarity and method.

That’s exactly the goal of WPDistrib:

→ save time right from the start,
→ with an already optimized WordPress,
→ and free resources to learn how to use it well.

  • 👉 Want to start with an enhanced, lightweight, already optimized WordPress? I download WPDistrib
  • Prefer to learn and understand before you dive in?👉 I explore the documentation base
  • 👉 Want to go further and structure a site around a profession or a passion? I discover the method

LATEST POSTS

WPDistrib

The documentation base on
creating web content

Alternatives to Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP illustrated with three toggle switches: SSL, HSTS, and CSP.

⚖ Alternatives to Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP

⬇

🟡 Iteration 2 —
Tagged version

🏷 This article has been tagged: it now has all the basic technical elements to be properly interpreted by search engines.

This includes SEO metadata (title, description, excerpt), a featured image, and a consistent internal linking structure.

📌 This step is not yet a complete SEO optimization, but it allows the article to be shared properly on social media.
Thanks to its image, title, and excerpt, it’s ready to circulate in a content distribution logic.

Laurent | WPDistrib

Laurent | WPDistrib

, ,

HTTP Headers, Really Simple SSL, and WP Force SSL were tested as alternatives to Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP. Only one stands out.

Start reading →

Beginning of the article

The Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP plugin is currently included in WPDistrib to provide enhanced protection through HTTP headers.

It automatically adds the main security headers required for a modern WordPress site.

However, as part of its active monitoring strategy, WPDistrib regularly seeks to challenge its technical choices.

This search for alternatives does not stem from a known weakness, but from a desire to compare other free solutions that could potentially improve the distribution.

Understanding Why HTTP Headers Matter

HTTP headers are technical instructions sent by the server to the browser. They help define important security rules, such as enforcing HTTPS, blocking unauthorized scripts, or preventing the site from being embedded in an iframe.

WordPress does not include these headers natively. Their configuration depends on the hosting environment or the use of plugins. Here are a few common headers:

  • Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS): secures the HTTPS protocol over time.
  • X-Frame-Options: prevents the site from being embedded in an iframe.
  • X-Content-Type-Options: prevents the browser from interpreting file types incorrectly.
  • X-XSS-Protection: activates built-in protection against some malicious scripts.

These headers have no visible effect but are essential to reduce the attack surface of a WordPress site.

Which Free Plugins Are Compared Here?

In this first testing phase (carried out via tastewp.com), three plugins were selected:

  • Really Simple SSL
  • WP Force SSL & HTTPS Redirect
  • HTTP Headers

Other initially identified options were discarded: some are no longer listed, others are outdated or obsolete.

Initial Testing Results with TasteWP.com

The three plugins were tested on a fresh WordPress install with no other plugins activated, to observe their actual behavior and potential issues. Here’s the breakdown:

Really Simple SSL

  • Displays a friendly interface, but most advanced features are locked behind the Pro version.
  • ❌ Security headers support is limited or nonexistent without payment.
  • HTTPS redirection is now automatically ensured when an SSL certificate is correctly installed at the hosting level. It’s a required step, especially for SEO.
  • Conclusion: offers no added value for a WordPress site already running over HTTPS.

WP Force SSL & HTTPS Redirect

  • Offers SSL certificate checking and HTTPS redirection.
  • ❌ No HTTP headers management available in the free version.
  • PHP errors were reported during testing with FreeSoul (Activity Testing), raising stability concerns.
  • Conclusion: unstable and not useful in a secure setup.

HTTP Headers

  • Provides a simple interface to manually enable the most common HTTP headers.
  • ✅ Allows configuration of HSTS, X-Frame-Options, X-XSS-Protection, and more.
  • Runs without errors, no conflicts detected during testing.
  • The only downside: there’s no visual guidance, so users must understand each setting.
  • Conclusion: solid and compatible, but should be used with care.

🌀 HTTP Headers Is a Credible Alternative, but Doesn’t Surpass the Current Solution

Among the three plugins tested, HTTP Headers stands out as a technically solid, compatible, and free alternative. Its feature set is close to what’s currently provided in WPDistrib. However, it doesn’t offer any significant simplification or broader coverage.

None of the alternatives tested at this stage justify replacing Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP.

End of the article

💡 Did this article speak to you, make you think, or make you want to go further?

You might be wondering:

  • Can I create a website that reflects who I am, without relying on a closed tool?
  • Can I learn to publish, structure, and organize my content myself?
  • Am I ready to dedicate time to it?

If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place.

Creating a useful and sustainable website does take some time — but it’s time well invested, to learn how to do things with clarity and method.

That’s exactly the goal of WPDistrib:

→ save time right from the start,
→ with an already optimized WordPress,
→ and free resources to learn how to use it well.

  • 👉 Want to start with an enhanced, lightweight, already optimized WordPress? I download WPDistrib
  • Prefer to learn and understand before you dive in?👉 I explore the documentation base
  • 👉 Want to go further and structure a site around a profession or a passion? I discover the method

LATEST POSTS