Installation

Installation

System Requirements

What This Covers

This page outlines the minimum and recommended requirements for running Steel Security effectively.

Steel Security is designed to work in real-world hosting environments, including shared hosting, while still providing meaningful security insights and safe hardening options.

Minimum Requirements

Steel Security requires a standard, modern WordPress environment.

Most managed WordPress hosts and modern shared hosting environments will meet these requirements.

For the best experience and full feature support:

This ensures compatibility with all checks and hardening features, and improves performance and reliability.

Supported Hosting Environments

Steel Security is designed to function across a wide range of hosting setups:

Where server-level access is limited, Steel Security will still provide guidance and apply changes where possible.

Web Server Compatibility

Steel Security is server-aware and adapts its behavior based on your environment.

Supported servers include:

Some hardening features may behave differently depending on server capabilities and configuration.

File System Access

Steel Security requires standard WordPress-level file access.

If your file system is locked down or read-only, some hardening features may not be available.

Outbound Connectivity

Steel Security connects to the licensing system for activation and validation.

Your server must be able to:

If outbound connections are blocked, activation and licensing features will not function.

Permissions and Security Restrictions

Some hosting environments impose restrictions that may affect functionality.

These may include:

Steel Security will continue to operate where possible and will provide guidance when a feature cannot be applied automatically.

Performance Considerations

Steel Security is designed to be lightweight and efficient.

This makes Steel Security suitable for both small sites and larger deployments.

When Requirements Are Not Met

If your environment does not meet certain requirements:

Steel Security will not attempt unsafe changes or force incompatible behavior.

Installing the Plugin

What This Covers

This guide walks you through installing the Steel Security plugin on your WordPress site.

Steel Security installs like any standard WordPress plugin and does not require any special configuration to get started.

Before You Begin

Ensure your site meets the minimum system requirements:

If you're unsure, see the System Requirements page for full details.

Install via WordPress Admin (Recommended)

This is the fastest and most common method.

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins → Add New
  3. Search for Steel Security
  4. Click Install Now
  5. Click Activate

Once activated, Steel Security will appear in your admin menu.

Install via Plugin Upload

Use this method if you have downloaded the plugin manually.

  1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard
  2. Navigate to Plugins → Add New
  3. Click Upload Plugin
  4. Select the Steel Security .zip file
  5. Click Install Now
  6. Click Activate

After Installation

Once the plugin is activated:

At this point, Steel Security is ready to use.

What to Expect

On first access:

Steel Security does not modify your site until you explicitly apply hardening actions.

Common Issues

Plugin does not appear after activation

Installation fails

Permission errors

When to Use Each Installation Method

What to Do Next

After installation:

  1. Activate your Steel Security license Note: License activation is only required for Steel Security Pro.
  2. Run your first scan
  3. Review findings and next steps

Activating Steel Security

What This Covers

This guide explains how to activate Steel Security and connect your site to your account.

Do You Need to Activate?

Steel Security can be used without activation in its free version.

Pro Feature: Requires an active Steel Security license.

If you are using Steel Security Pro features, activation is required.

How to Activate Steel Security

  1. In your WordPress admin, navigate to Steel Security → Dashboard
  2. Locate the License / Activation section
  3. Enter your Steel Security account credentials or license key
  4. Click Activate

Once successful, your site will be linked to your Steel Security account.

What Happens During Activation

No changes are made to your site during activation.

What to Expect After Activation

Common Issues

Activation Failed

Unable to Connect to License Server

What to Do Next

After activation:

  1. Run your first scan
  2. Review findings
  3. Begin applying hardening