Features

Every feature, explained

AdminLocks ships six core modules that transform wp-admin from a liability into a controlled workspace. Here is exactly what each one does and how it protects your client sites.

01 — Dashboard

Dashboard Replacement

The default WordPress dashboard is noisy and useless for teams managing client sites. AdminLocks replaces it with a purpose-built command center that surfaces what actually matters: health checks, risk events, pending updates, and a full activity table.

  • Real-time site health checks (PHP version, SSL, debug mode, file permissions)
  • Risk event counter with severity breakdown
  • Pending update tracker for plugins, themes, and core
  • Live activity table with actor context and timestamps
  • Quick-glance stat cards: risk events, blocks enforced, active users
Lite Cloud
adminlocks — dashboard
Site Health
98%
All checks passing
Risk Events
3
2 blocked, 1 pending
Pending Updates
7
4 plugins, 2 themes, 1 core
PHP 8.3 OK
SSL Certificate Valid 284d
WP_DEBUG Enabled
File Permissions Secure
Recent Activity Last 24h
Plugin install blocked BLOCKED 2m ago
Theme switch pending approval PENDING 14m ago
Post published — “New pricing” ALLOWED 1h ago
User login: sarah@agency.io OK 2h ago
02 — Policies

Policies & Client Mode

Control exactly what each role can see and do. AdminLocks uses a deny-by-default model with safe zones, so clients can never accidentally break something. Choose from pre-built templates or build custom policies from scratch.

  • Role-based menu visibility control (hide Plugins, Tools, Settings, etc.)
  • Safe zones: define exactly which admin pages a role can access
  • Deny-by-default mode: only explicitly allowed actions are permitted
  • Pre-built templates: Client Mode Basic, Content Editor, Marketing, Custom
  • Per-site or fleet-wide policy deployment via Cloud
Lite (basic) Cloud (advanced)
adminlocks — policies
Policy Templates
Client Mode Basic
Posts, pages, media only. All admin menus hidden.
Content Editor
Full content access. No plugins or settings.
Marketing
Content + forms + analytics. No code access.
Custom
Build your own from a blank policy.
Menu Visibility
📄
Posts
Create, edit, and manage posts
🖼
Media
Upload and manage media files
🔌
Plugins
Install, activate, deactivate plugins
Settings
General, reading, writing, permalinks
03 — Forensics

Forensics Audit Log

Every meaningful action in WordPress gets recorded with full context: who did what, when, from where, and exactly what changed. Before/after diffs let you trace any problem back to its root cause in seconds.

  • Tracks logins, plugin changes, option updates, role modifications, post edits
  • Before/after diffs for every option and setting change
  • Full-text search across all events with instant results
  • Actor context: IP address, user agent, session ID, role at time of action
  • Export logs as CSV or JSON for compliance and reporting
Lite (14 days) Cloud (unlimited)
adminlocks — forensics
All Blocked Logins Options
Plugin deactivated: WP Super Cache
client@example.com · 192.168.1.42 · Chrome/Mac
editor 3m ago
Option updated: blogdescription
admin@agency.io · 10.0.0.1 · Firefox/Linux
admin 18m ago
User login successful
sarah@agency.io · 172.16.0.5 · Safari/iOS
admin 1h ago
Role modified: editor capabilities changed
admin@agency.io · 10.0.0.1 · Firefox/Linux
admin 3h ago
blogdescription changed:
- Just another WordPress site
+ Premium Digital Marketing Agency
04 — Approvals

Approval Gates

Risky actions do not execute immediately. Instead, they enter a queue where admins can review, approve, or deny them. Get notified via Slack or email the moment a gate is triggered, and resolve requests from anywhere.

  • Queue-based approval workflow for plugin installs, theme switches, user creation
  • Risk scoring: each action is tagged with a severity level
  • Slack and email notifications with one-click approve/deny
  • Auto-expire rules: pending requests expire after configurable timeout
  • Full audit trail for every approval decision
Cloud only
adminlocks — approvals
Approval Queue 3 pending
Install plugin: Contact Form 7 HIGH RISK
Requested by client@example.com · 4 min ago · site-a.dev
Approve Deny Details
Switch theme to Flavor starter MEDIUM
Requested by designer@agency.io · 22 min ago · site-b.com
Approve Deny Details
Create new admin user HIGH RISK
Requested by client@example.com · 1h ago · site-a.dev
Approve Deny Details
Notifications sent to Slack #approvals and admin@agency.io
05 — Snapshots

Snapshots & Rollback

AdminLocks automatically creates snapshots before risky operations like plugin updates, theme switches, and option changes. If something breaks, one-click restore gets you back to a known-good state in seconds.

  • Automatic pre-operation snapshots for every risky action
  • Database + file-level snapshots for complete state capture
  • One-click restore with automatic disk-space checks
  • Manual snapshot creation before large migrations
  • Configurable retention: auto-prune old snapshots to save disk space
Cloud only
adminlocks — snapshots
📷
Pre-update: WooCommerce 9.3 → 9.4
Auto · Mar 4, 2026 09:14 · DB + Files
24.8 MB
Restore
📷
Pre-update: Flavor Theme 2.1 → 2.2
Auto · Mar 3, 2026 15:42 · DB + Files
18.2 MB
Restore
💾
Manual: Pre-migration checkpoint
Manual · Mar 1, 2026 11:00 · Full
156 MB
Restore
📷
Pre-update: Yoast SEO 24.1 → 24.2
Auto · Feb 28, 2026 08:30 · DB only
3.1 MB
Restore
Disk
202 MB / 600 MB
06 — Portal

Client Workspace Portal

Give clients a clean, branded frontend where they can submit change requests, track status, and view maintenance reports. No more email threads or Slack messages getting lost. Everything in one place, with a full paper trail.

  • Frontend workspace that clients access without touching wp-admin
  • Change request forms with categorization and priority levels
  • Status tracking: submitted, in progress, completed, declined
  • Automated maintenance reports with update logs, activity summaries, and incident counts
  • White-label branding: customize colors, logo, and domain
Lite Cloud
workspace — client portal
JD
Welcome, Jane
Acme Corp · 3 open requests
+ New Request
Update homepage hero copy
Submitted Mar 3 · Content change
IN PROGRESS
📎
Replace team photos (6 images)
Submitted Mar 1 · Media upload
PENDING
🐛
Contact form not sending on mobile
Submitted Feb 27 · Bug report
DONE
Maintenance Reports
📊
February 2026 Maintenance Report
8 updates applied · 0 incidents · 3 snapshots created
📊
January 2026 Maintenance Report
12 updates applied · 0 incidents · 5 snapshots created
Plan Comparison

Lite vs Starter vs Pro vs Studio

Every plan includes the on-site plugin. Cloud tiers unlock approval gates, unlimited forensics, snapshots, and fleet management.

Feature Lite Starter Pro Studio
Dashboard & Policies
Dashboard replacement
Client Mode (basic)
Advanced policy engine
Policy templates library 2
Fleet-wide policy sync
Forensics & Audit
Audit log 14 days 90 days Unlimited Unlimited
Before/after diffs
Full-text search
CSV / JSON export
Approval Gates
Approval queue
Slack notifications
Auto-expire rules
Snapshots & Rollback
Auto snapshots
One-click restore
Snapshot storage 2 GB 10 GB
Client Portal
Client workspace
Change request forms
Maintenance reports
White-label branding
Platform
Connected sites 1 3 15 50
Team members 1 2 5 Unlimited
Priority support

Start with Lite. Upgrade when ready.

AdminLocks Lite is free forever with dashboard replacement, basic policies, 14-day audit logs, and the client workspace. When you need approval gates, snapshots, or fleet management, upgrade in one click.