MemberPress Integration: Protecting Member Content
XYZ Protect integrates with MemberPress to protect media files based on membership levels. The plugin detects MemberPress automatically — no separate add-on or configuration is required. This guide covers setup, strategy selection, and membership tier mapping.
Requirements
- MemberPress installed and active (any edition — Launch, Growth, or Scale)
- XYZ Protect installed and connected
- At least one MemberPress membership level configured
Automatic Detection
When MemberPress is active on your site, XYZ Protect automatically:
- Detects MemberPress and switches to the MemberPress authorization module
- Displays a MemberPress Integration section on the Content Protection tab
- Lists your membership levels for tier mapping
No manual configuration is needed to enable the integration — just install both plugins.
Media Protection Strategy
Choose how media protection interacts with MemberPress content rules:
Path-Based Strategy (recommended for most sites)
Media in protected paths is always rewritten regardless of which page it appears on. The visitor's membership level determines the protection tier they receive.
- Simpler to configure — just specify which directories to protect
- More secure — media is protected even if it appears on a public page
- Works with any file upload method (Media Library, FTP, file manager plugins)
- Use this if the same media files might appear on both public and member-only pages
MemberPress Rules Strategy
Media is only rewritten on pages that MemberPress rules protect. Public pages serve original, unprotected media URLs.
- No path configuration needed — protection follows your MemberPress rules automatically
- Public pages load media directly from your server (no media subdomain overhead)
- Better for sites where most content is public and protection should only apply in member areas
- Important: If the same image appears on both a protected and a public page, it will be unprotected on the public page. Use Path-Based strategy if this is a concern.
Membership Tier Mapping
Assign a protection tier to each MemberPress membership level:
| Tier | Protection | Best For |
|------|-----------|----------|
| None | No media protection | Free/trial memberships |
| Guard Cookie | Obfuscated URLs, cache-compatible | Standard memberships |
| Encrypted URL | Per-user, time-limited, maximum security | Premium memberships |
To configure:
- Go to Settings > XYZ Protect > Content Protection
- Scroll to the MemberPress Integration section
- For each membership level, select the protection tier from the dropdown
- Click Save MemberPress Settings
How tier resolution works: If a member has multiple active memberships, they receive the highest tier. For example, a user with both a Standard (Guard Cookie) and Premium (Encrypted URL) membership gets Encrypted URL protection.
Administrators automatically receive the highest configured tier without needing a membership. This ensures admins always see real content when previewing protected pages.
Example Configurations
Photography Portfolio Site:
- Free Membership → None (sees watermarked previews on public pages; watermarked previews should be stored in exempt/unprotected directories)
- Standard Membership → Guard Cookie (access to high-resolution gallery)
- Pro Membership → Encrypted URL (access to RAW files and exclusive collections)
Online Course Platform:
- Visitor → No access (MemberPress paywall blocks the page)
- Student Membership → Guard Cookie (course videos and materials)
- Instructor Membership → Encrypted URL (source files and master recordings)
Content Publishing Site:
- Free Tier → None (public articles with stock images)
- Subscriber → Guard Cookie (premium articles with exclusive images)
- VIP → Encrypted URL (downloadable PDFs, reports, data sets)
What Happens When MemberPress Is Deactivated
If MemberPress is removed or deactivated, XYZ Protect falls back to WordPress Login authorization — any logged-in user is authorized. Your MemberPress-specific settings (tier mappings, strategy selection) are preserved and will restore automatically if MemberPress is reinstalled.
A notice appears in the plugin settings: "MemberPress was previously configured but is no longer detected. Content protection has fallen back to WordPress Login."
