Restricted Blocks – Gutenberg Restriction Plugin for WordPress

Product Overview

Restricted Blocks is a WordPress plugin designed to give you precise control over who can see specific Gutenberg blocks on your site. By applying a wide range of restriction conditions, you can hide or display content based on user roles, geographic location, device type, time intervals, passwords, age requirements, IP addresses, cookies, and HTTP headers.

Whether you are running a membership site, managing geo-targeted content, protecting sensitive material, or building time-limited promotions, Restricted Blocks provides the flexibility to control block visibility without needing custom code.

Key Features

• Fixed Restrictions: Remove front-end locks to temporarily hide sections until they are ready to publish.
• Password Protection: Require a password before restricted content is displayed to visitors.
• Age Verification (ERA): Display content only when users meet defined age requirements using a date-of-birth form.
• Geolocation: Show or hide blocks based on the visitor’s geographic location using GeoLite2 by MaxMind.
• Device Detection: Display blocks conditionally based on whether the user is on a desktop, tablet, or mobile device using the PHP Mobile Detect Class.
• Time Interval: Schedule content to appear only within specified time windows.
• Capacity (User Role): Allow or deny access to blocks based on the user’s assigned WordPress role.
• IP Address: Display or hide content based on the visitor’s IP address.
• Cookies: Conditionally show or hide blocks based on specific cookie presence.
• HTTP Headers: Control visibility based on information available in HTTP headers, including bot detection.
• 18 Style Options: Customize the colors and typography of front-end restriction elements.

Benefits

• Granular Content Control: Target exactly who sees what with multiple overlapping restriction types.
• Geographic Targeting: Deliver location-specific content or block access from certain regions.
• Time-Based Promotions: Create flash sales, limited-time offers, or scheduled content releases.
• Age-Gated Content: Comply with content policies by verifying visitor age before display.
• Anti-Spam and Security: Use IP address and HTTP header restrictions to reduce spam and prevent unauthorized access attempts.
• Responsive Design Control: Optimize the user experience by showing complex layouts only on capable devices.
• Search Engine Control: Make specific content unavailable to search engines or bots.

How It Can Be Used

• Temporarily hide new article sections until they are ready to go live.
• Show private content only to members of a club, community, or class.
• Display downloadable material exclusively to enrolled students.
• Restrict access to sensitive or age-restricted content.
• Show different content or download links based on the user’s country.
• Display complex layout elements only on desktop devices.
• Create flash sales or time-limited ticket availability.
• Prevent spam in contact forms or comment sections using IP-based restrictions.
• Hide content from bots or specific search engines.
• Show content only to logged-in users using cookie-based detection.

Technical Specifications

Important Notes

To use the geolocation feature, you must create a MaxMind account and accept its terms of service. The GeoLite2 database is a free IP geolocation resource provided by MaxMind. Refer to the plugin manual for detailed instructions on installation, configuration, and usage of all restriction types.

Why Choose Restricted Blocks?

Restricted Blocks combines multiple restriction methods into a single WordPress plugin, eliminating the need to install separate solutions for each use case. With support for role-based access, geographic targeting, device detection, time scheduling, password protection, age verification, IP filtering, cookie checks, and HTTP header analysis, you get comprehensive content control in one tool. The GPL license allows unlimited domain usage, and lifetime updates ensure ongoing compatibility and improvements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What types of restrictions does Restricted Blocks support?

The plugin supports fixed, password, age verification (ERA), geolocation, device, time interval, capacity (user role), IP address, cookie, and HTTP header-based restrictions.

Does the geolocation feature require a MaxMind account?

Yes. The geolocation feature uses GeoLite2, a free IP geolocation database from MaxMind. You will need to create a MaxMind account and accept their terms of service to use this feature.

Can I use this plugin on multiple websites?

Yes. The plugin is distributed under a GPL license, which includes unlimited domain usage.

Is Restricted Blocks compatible with Gutenberg?

Yes. The plugin is designed specifically to restrict access to individual Gutenberg blocks based on a variety of conditions.

Can I customize how restricted content elements appear on the front end?

Yes. The plugin provides 18 style options in the back-end to customize the colors and typography of front-end restriction elements.

Conclusion

If you need a reliable, flexible way to control block visibility on your WordPress site, Restricted Blocks delivers a comprehensive solution backed by a GPL license, unlimited domain usage, and lifetime updates.