Logging Activity in WordPress

Why do I need to log activity in my WordPress site?

There are a number of reasons why, and mostly they’re after the fact. Here are some examples.

• A change is made to the site by someone other than yourself.
• A theme or plugin is updated and you know know who did it.
• Your site was hacked and changes were made.
• You have multiple admins making changes to the site and you need accountability.
• Potential backdoor, malware or unauthorized access.

What options are available?

There are a few options that I personally recommend.

WP Activity Log (Free and Paid)

WP Activity Log (Affiliate Link) is a product that I use for all my clients. I currently have an unlimited domain license and provide it to mostly client who fit the reasons above.

I really like this plugin, it has saved me a couple of times with trying to figure out if someone had made a change within a huge Woo Commerce store. Here are some of the features I really like.

• Logging to a separate database.
• Support for various plugins
  • WooCommerce
• Setup of Email or SMS notifications on specific triggers.
• Scheduled reports sent via email.
• Slack Integration

It’s been a great product and I don’t have any issues.

Activity Log by Activity Log Team (Free)

Activity Log is a great free plugin for anyone to use. It does basic logging and it’s a great first start for anyone looking for any sort of WordPress activity logging. It has the following features

• Logs all changes to a WordPress site.
• Email triggers on specific rules.
• Export log via CSV.
• Supports WooCommerce

Other Solutions

I will be updating this page when I find alternatives, feel free to let me know if there is a plugin that I’ve missed.