PHPGuard Lite helps prevent white screens and fatal errors by allowing you to scan WordPress plugins and PHP code for syntax issues before they are activated or used.

It provides three main tools:

• Scan installed plugins for PHP syntax errors
• Scan a plugin ZIP file before installing it
• Scan pasted PHP code snippets

All scans run locally on your server. No code is executed. No data leaves your site.

The plugin uses a safe, non-executing PHP parser to detect parse errors and fatal syntax issues that would otherwise crash WordPress when a plugin or snippet is loaded.

Privacy & Security

PHPGuard Lite is fully self-contained.

• No telemetry
• No accounts
• No email collection
• No licensing calls
• No remote servers
• No background connections

All scanning is done locally on your WordPress installation.

About base64 in snippet scanning

When scanning pasted code snippets, the browser may send the code using base64 encoding. This is only used to safely transport pasted text through an HTTP request without breaking due to special characters or encoding issues.

The base64 data is immediately decoded back into plain text and passed to the PHP parser. The code is never executed, stored, or sent anywhere.

This is a transport mechanism only — not obfuscation, encryption, or remote communication.

PHPGuard Pro

An optional commercial version, PHPGuard Pro, is planned. It will provide advanced automation and safety features for professional and agency workflows. Information about PHPGuard Pro is available on the project website.

Usage

After activation, open PHPGuard in the WordPress admin menu.

You can:

• Select an installed plugin and run a syntax scan
• Upload a plugin ZIP and scan it before installation
• Paste PHP code into the snippet scanner

Results will show any detected syntax errors or potential issues.

Support

Documentation and project updates are available on the PHPGuard website.