WP Event Manager REST API lets apps and outside tools work with the events on your WordPress site. Once it’s active, events, venues, organizers and attendee check-ins in WP Event Manager can be read or changed through API requests, with no extra code in your theme.

Most organizers use it for one job, which is running our Event App at the entrance on event day. Developers have another use in mind. If you’re building a custom app or a headless site, the events API is already here, so there’s no need to write your own. There’s no charge for the plugin, and your data stays on your server the whole time. Every key gets its own limits. A door volunteer, for example, could see only one event and lose access after that weekend.

Why Organizers Pick the WP Event Manager REST API

A printed guest list works fine until the queue gets long. With two doors open, the staff on one side can’t tell who already came in through the other. A separate check-in service solves this, but somebody then has to export attendees and make sure both lists match. With this plugin the app reads straight from your website instead.

Same data everywhere: The app shows what’s in your WordPress admin, updated as people arrive
Nothing to export: Someone registers on your site and appears on the app’s list a moment later
Keys you control: Permissions, events, and the end date are set individually for each key
No platform fees: We don’t sit in the middle because the data stays on your own hosting
Made by our team: WP Event Manager itself runs on more than 30,000 websites

Event Check-in App for iOS and Android

This plugin is how your site connects to the free WP Event Manager app from the App Store and Google Play. Here’s what staff at the door got with it:

QR scanning: Each ticket has a code to scan, or staff can swipe a name on the list instead
Offline mode: If the venue Wi-Fi drops, check-ins are saved on the phone and sent once it’s back
Multiple devices: Use as many phones as you have entrances, and each one sees the others’ check-ins
Attendee search: Type a name to find someone, open their order, or leave a note
Dashboard: Registration numbers (new, confirmed, waiting, cancelled) are shown next to how many people actually showed up
Branding: Your logo and color, in light or dark mode

To use the app, you will need the Event App add-on. It comes with all four WP Event Manager bundles. Information about tickets and attendees is pulled from the Sell Tickets, Registrations, and Guest List add-ons.

Control Who Can Access Your Event Data

Every app or person connects with a separate API key. These are the settings on each key:

Permissions: Read only, write only, or both
Expiry date: Handy for temporary staff, since the key simply stops working on that day
Events: Pick specific ones, or limit the key to events its owner created
App screens: Hide or show Dashboard, Attendees, Guest List, and Arrivals
Check-in restriction: Turn check-in on or off for whoever uses that key
Last access: The list shows the date each key was used last, with a revoke link next to it

Site admins also choose which user roles may create keys, and one setting switches the whole API off. Organizers don’t need wp-admin for any of this because key management is in the front-end event dashboard too.

Events API Endpoints for Developers

Every endpoint is found at /wp-json/wpem/. They build on the WordPress REST API that’s already on your site, and return JSON, so you can call them from React, Next.js, Flutter, a CRM sync script, or any tool that makes HTTP calls.

Events: List, create, edit, delete, batch requests, custom event fields
Organizers and venues: The same full set of actions, batch included
Filtering: Keyword and date range search, with pagination and sorting
Registered events: Returns what a logged-in attendee has signed up for
Ecosystem: Tells your app which WP Event Manager add-ons are switched on
Branding and settings: Logo, colors and app options
Authentication: A consumer key and secret over HTTPS, OAuth 1.0a signing, or a username and password login that hands back a token

Attendee Networking and Matchmaking API

If you run conferences or expos with the Registrations add-on, there are networking endpoints too. They cover:

Attendee profiles with photo and company logo Searchable by other attendees at the event
One-to-one meeting requests in open time slots
Messaging between attendees
A saved contacts list
Matchmaking, profile visibility, and meeting settings for each attendee

Who Uses the WP Event Manager REST API

Event organizers: QR check-in at the entrance, in an app with their branding
Conference and Expo Teams: Mobile Networking and Meeting Scheduling for Attendees
Developers and agencies: A base for custom apps, check-in kiosks, or headless event sites
Venues and multi-event sites: Each organizer gets access to their own events and no one else’s

Requirements

WP Event Manager (free) must be installed and active
Server on WordPress version 6.7+ with PHP 8.0+
We suggest an SSL certificate (HTTPS) as API keys are part of each request
Event App mobile check-in add-on (and Sell Tickets, Registrations, and Guest List for ticket and attendee data)

How to Set It Up

Event Manager > Rest API: Check that Enable Rest API is on
API Access tab > Add Key: Pick a user and access level (expiry date and events optional)
Generate API key: Copy the consumer key and secret (the secret will only be shown once)
App Branding (Optional): App logo and branding colors
Use the key to connect your app, or the WP Event Manager app, to the site.

Documentation and Support

Documentation: Setup guides for this plugin and every add-on
Support forum: Questions about the free plugin
Premium support: For add-ons and the Event App
Certified developers: If you’d like someone to build it for you
GitHub: Bug reports and pull requests are welcome
Translate: Help bring the plugin to your language

Reviews on WordPress.org help other organizers find the plugin, so if it has worked well for you, please leave one.

External Services

To check whether a WP Event Manager license has expired, the plugin contacts wp-eventmanager.com and sends the license key. Nothing else is sent. Event details, attendee records, and personal data stay on your site, and the mobile app talks to your website directly rather than going through our servers. Please read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more information.

WPEM – REST API

About this plugin