Overview
AdminLocks Cloud is optional. It adds centralized management across multiple WordPress sites -- audit log aggregation, fleet policies, approval workflows, and reporting. All core plugin features (policies, audit log, snapshots, approvals) work entirely on the local WordPress installation without a Cloud connection.
Connecting takes about two minutes and requires only an API key.
AdminLocks Cloud requires an active subscription. Visit the pricing page to compare plans and start a free trial.
Get Your API Key
Your API key authenticates the connection between your WordPress site and the Cloud dashboard.
- Log in to your Cloud account at cloud.adminlocks.com.
- Navigate to Settings → API Keys in the Cloud sidebar.
- Click Generate New Key.
- Give the key a descriptive label (e.g., "Production - clientsite.com").
- Copy the key immediately. It is displayed only once. If you lose it, you can revoke it and generate a new one.
Treat your API key like a password. Do not share it in emails, commit it to version control, or paste it into public channels. Each site should use its own unique key.
Enter the Key in WordPress
With your API key copied, head to the WordPress admin on the site you want to connect.
- Navigate to AdminLocks → Settings → Cloud.
- Paste the API key into the API Key field.
- Click Save.
The plugin will immediately send a verification request to cloud.adminlocks.com to validate the key and register your site URL. This typically takes one to two seconds.
Verify the Connection
Once the key is validated, you will see the following confirmation indicators:
- A green Connected badge appears next to the API Key field on the Settings page.
- The site begins sending a heartbeat ping to the Cloud every 5 minutes. Each heartbeat includes your WordPress core version, PHP version, active plugin list, active theme, and total user count.
- Your site appears in the Cloud dashboard under Sites within a few seconds of the first successful heartbeat.
If the connection fails, click the Test Connection button on the Cloud settings tab. The plugin will perform a diagnostic check and report whether the issue is DNS resolution, a firewall block, an invalid key, or a server-side error.
What Gets Synced
AdminLocks Cloud syncs operational metadata only. Here is exactly what is transmitted:
- Audit log events -- batched and sent every 5 minutes via WP-Cron. Includes event type, user ID, timestamp, and description.
- Approval requests and outcomes -- when an approval workflow is triggered, the request and its resolution are synced to enable centralized review.
- Snapshot metadata -- the name, timestamp, and summary of each configuration snapshot. The full snapshot data stays in the local database.
- Site health data -- WordPress version, PHP version, plugin versions, active theme, and user count. Sent with each heartbeat.
No page content, post content, media files, user credentials, or personal data is ever transmitted to AdminLocks Cloud. The sync is limited to operational metadata as described above.
Disconnecting a Site
You can disconnect a site from AdminLocks Cloud at any time. There are two methods:
From WordPress
- Navigate to AdminLocks → Settings → Cloud.
- Delete the contents of the API Key field.
- Click Save.
The plugin stops sending heartbeats and audit data immediately. All local functionality continues to work without interruption.
From the Cloud Dashboard
- Log in to cloud.adminlocks.com.
- Navigate to Sites and find the site you want to remove.
- Click the site's settings menu and select Delete Site.
The Cloud will reject any further heartbeat or sync attempts from that site's API key.
All synced data (audit logs, approval records, snapshots) is retained in AdminLocks Cloud for 90 days after disconnection. After 90 days, the data is permanently deleted. If you need to export it first, use the Export button on the Cloud dashboard before disconnecting.