Should I be worried about other people stealing / copying my WordPress Plugin code?
Hi guys, this is my first time posting here ... I want to get into WordPress plugin development but don't know too much about it just yet ... I have a general question though:
Has anyone had their plugin code copied or reused elsewhere? Is that a thing? If so, are there protections against stuff like that? And what are the best ways to protect your code from reuse (especially if other's make a profit off it)?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I'm pretty sure this is a thing but whether or not it posses a threat is another story. Code maintenance is a chore and only gets more laborious over time. If your plugin is available in a marketplace, people are probably going to find it easier to pay for it and get updates than try to swipe it and do it themselves.
This is provided you actually intend to update and support the code.
Good point - thanks for the info. So yeah, I think if I do make a plugin, I'll be sure to point out I would provide support, and in effect, that might be the biggest reason for customers use the plugin and not steal / copy it
I don't have experience in Wordpress plugin development but you can obfuscator your PHP code
https://ourcodeworld.com/articles/read/569/top-5-best-open-source-php-code-obfuscator-libraries