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Free Plugin by joshfraz v4.0.1

WebSub

A WebSub plugin for WordPress that enables real-time publishing and subscription capabilities.

WebSub

The facts

Rating
5★ from 6
Active installs
100k+
Price
Free
Last updated
21 Aug 2026
Added
May 2009
Requires WP
4.5
Tested up to
WP 7.1
Requires PHP
7.4
Downloads
2,148,303

Our analysis

AI-assisted

WebSub is a WordPress plugin that implements the WebSub protocol, previously known as PubSubHubbub. It enables real-time notifications for updates to your blog, notifying subscribers immediately when new content is published or existing content is updated. The plugin also provides a subscriber API for other plugins to access WebSub-enabled feeds.

This plugin is suitable for WordPress users who want to enhance their site's interactivity by allowing real-time updates to be sent to subscribers. It supports multi-user installations and various feed formats, making it versatile for different blogging scenarios.

Best for: This plugin suits WordPress users looking to implement real-time notifications for their blog updates.

What it does well

  • Sends real-time notifications for blog updates
  • Supports multiple hubs and feed formats
  • Provides a subscriber API for integration with other plugins
  • Compatible with multi-user installations
  • Includes full lifecycle hooks for developers

Where it falls short

  • Limited information on additional features or support
  • No details on user interface or ease of use

Verdict

WebSub is a functional plugin for enhancing blog interactivity through real-time updates. It is particularly useful for users who require a subscriber API for their feeds.

From the developer

joshfraz's own description of WebSub, lightly tidied.

This plugin implements the WebSub protocol (formerly known as PubSubHubbub) for WordPress. It enables real-time notifications when your blog is updated and provides a subscriber API for other plugins to consume WebSub-enabled feeds.

Publisher Features

When you publish or update a post, this plugin automatically notifies WebSub hubs, which then distribute the update to all subscribers in real-time.

  • Sends realtime notifications when you update your blog
  • Supports multi-user installations (WordPress MU)
  • Supports multiple hubs
  • Supports all feed formats used by WordPress (Atom, RSS2, RDF)
  • Adds <link rel="hub"> and <link rel="self"> declarations to feeds and HTML

Subscriber Features

The plugin provides a subscriber API that allows other plugins (like feed readers) to subscribe to WebSub-enabled feeds using WordPress hooks.

  • REST API callback endpoint for subscription verification and content delivery
  • Hub discovery from topic URLs (HTTP Link headers and feed content)
  • HMAC signature verification (SHA1, SHA256, SHA384, SHA512)
  • Full lifecycle hooks for integration with other plugins

Supported Specifications

Default Hubs

By default this plugin will ping the following hubs:

Please contact us if you operate a hub that you would like to be included as a default option.

Read the full description on the official page →

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