Documentation

Welcome to Content Sentinel. This guide covers how to install, configure, and secure your files.

Installation

1. Upload the plugin folder to your /wp-content/plugins/ directory.

2. Activate Content Sentinel via the WordPress Plugins menu.

3. If you purchased Pro, upload and activate Content Sentinel Pro as well.

1-Click AWS Setup

We recommend this method for 99% of users. It automates the complex security policies.

1. Go to Settings > Content Sentinel.
2. Click the blue Launch 1-Click AWS Setup button.
3. Login to AWS if prompted.
4. Enter a unique Bucket Name (e.g., my-site-files-2025).
5. Click Create Stack and wait for completion.
6. Copy the 4 keys from the Outputs tab into your WordPress settings.

Manual Setup (Wasabi/DigitalOcean)

If you are using a provider other than AWS S3:

1. Select S3 Compatible in the "Cloud Provider" dropdown.
2. Enter your custom Endpoint URL (e.g., https://s3.us-east-1.wasabisys.com).
3. Enter your Bucket, Region, Access Key, and Secret Key.
4. Click Test Connection.

Creating Download Links

You do not need to expose your S3 URLs. Content Sentinel handles the routing.

Link format: https://yoursite.com/dl/FOLDER/FILE.mp4

Example: If your file is video.mp4 inside the courses folder in your bucket, your link is:

https://yoursite.com/dl/courses/video.mp4

Using Shortcodes

You can also use our shortcode to generate the link dynamically:

[sentinel_url key="courses/video.mp4"]Download Video[/sentinel_url]

Delivery Modes

Go to Settings > Content Sentinel to switch modes globally.

• Force Download: The browser will prompt the user to save the file. Best for Zips/PDFs.
• Stream / Play: The file will load in the browser. Best for Video/Audio.

Access Control PRO

Content Sentinel Pro integrates with your existing membership plugins.

Go to Content Sentinel > Pro Settings and check the integrations you want to use:

• MemberPress: Requires *any* active subscription.
• Paid Memberships Pro: Requires *any* active level.
• WP Roles: Restrict to specific roles (e.g. "Subscriber").

Download Logging PRO

Every successful download is logged to the database. The log records:

• User ID
• File Key
• IP Address
• Timestamp

Note: Logs are internal database records used for rate limiting. A visual log viewer is coming in v1.1.

Enhanced Player PRO

If you enable Stream mode, Pro users get the enhanced Plyr.js video player automatically.

This adds speed controls (0.5x, 1.5x, 2x), picture-in-picture, and a modern UI to your video links.