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wordpresswordpress-plugin-creation

index.php // Silence is golden in every folder?


Should I include a index.php with //silence is golden to every folder in my plugin? even css, js and images folders? Or is it just folders that contain code/ php files that should have the index.php file in it?


Solution

  • This article from InMotion explains why such file exists: Silence is Golden.

    Quoting here the relevant parts in case the link goes down in the future:

    The entire file is a placeholder. Whenever someone visits a web page, the server attempts to run index.php or index.html. If you take a look at your site directory’s index.php, you’ll see the code that generates a WordPress site.

    Without index.php, anyone could just visit your site’s /wp-content folder and see all of the media, files, and directories it contains.

    The index.php file functions like a privacy screen: it blocks visitors from directly accessing your directories.

    Or you can use below code in your .htaccess file to prevent directory listings even if that index.php file is not present:

    Options –Indexes