Fix “No route was found matching the URL and request method” in the WordPress REST API

That message means WordPress can’t find an endpoint for the URL + HTTP method you sent. Work through these fixes in order. Most issues are resolved by steps 1–3.

Quick fixes first

1. Does the REST API index load? Visit https://yoursite.com/wp-json/. You should see a JSON index of namespaces.
   • If it 404s: go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save (flushes rewrites). Then try /wp-json/ again.
   • If your permalinks are “Plain,” test: https://yoursite.com/?rest_route=/wp/v2/types.
2. Use the correct HTTP method. Many routes are GET-only. If you send POST/PUT, you’ll get this error.

   # Good: GET posts
   curl -i https://yoursite.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts?per_page=1
   
   # Wrong method example (may trigger the error)
   curl -i -X POST https://yoursite.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts

3. Flush rewrites / restore default rules.
   • Dashboard: Settings → Permalinks → Save.
   • WP‑CLI:

     wp rewrite flush --hard

   • Apache default .htaccess (root install):

     # BEGIN WordPress
     <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
     RewriteEngine On
     RewriteBase /
     RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
     RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
     RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
     RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
     </IfModule>
     # END WordPress

   • Nginx server block:

     location / {
         try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
     }

Confirm the route actually exists

Open /wp-json/ and look for the namespaces and routes that include your endpoint. For example, core posts live under /wp/v2/posts. If you don’t see the route:

• The plugin providing it may be inactive, loading late, or erroring out. Temporarily switch to a default theme and disable other plugins to isolate.
• For custom code, ensure you register routes on rest_api_init and your permission_callback returns true or a proper capability check.

Optional (CLI): list routes. If you have the REST command package installed:

# Install once:
wp package install wp-cli/restful

# Then:
wp rest route list | grep wp\/v2

Match the required HTTP method

A single route can have multiple endpoints bound to specific verbs (e.g., GET for read, POST for create). If you call a route with a verb it doesn’t implement, WordPress reports “No route was found…”. Check your request method and try again with the documented verb.

# Example: read a single post (GET)
curl -i https://yoursite.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/123

# Example: update requires authentication + PUT/PATCH
curl -i -X PUT -H "Authorization: Bearer <token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"New Title"}' \
  https://yoursite.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/123

Rule out security/CDN blocks

Security layers can block or rewrite /wp-json paths, causing 404s or mismatches:

• Temporarily disable WAF/CDN rules (Cloudflare, ModSecurity) and security plugins. Whitelist /wp-json/*.
• Disable “REST API disable” snippets/filters (common in hardening guides). Look for code hooking rest_authentication_errors that denies requests.

Did someone change the REST prefix?

The default REST base is /wp-json, but it can be changed via the rest_url_prefix filter. Confirm the actual base:

# Prints your site’s REST base (e.g., https://yoursite.com/wp-json/)
wp eval "echo rest_url();"

If it returns /api (or similar), adjust your client requests to match (e.g., /api/wp/v2/posts).

Plugin examples

• WooCommerce: core routes under /wp-json/wc/v3/… (GET for reads, POST/PUT for writes). Make sure WooCommerce is active and not blocked by server rules.
• Block Editor: relies on /wp/v2/* routes. If Site Health flags REST errors, fix those first.

Troubleshooting checklist

• /wp-json/ returns JSON index (or ?rest_route=… works on Plain permalinks).
• Permalinks saved; correct Apache/Nginx rewrite in place.
• Using the documented HTTP method for that route.
• Route visible in the REST index; plugin providing it is active.
• No security/WAF blocks on /wp-json/*.
• Prefix hasn’t changed—or your client now targets the new prefix.

When to escalate

If everything checks out but the error persists, look for fatal errors during rest_api_init (enable WP_DEBUG_LOG) and inspect the server error log. A plugin fatal before route registration can silently remove endpoints.

Helpful references

Routes & Endpoints (REST API Handbook) ·
Site Health REST availability test ·
Nginx & WordPress ·
rest_url_prefix filter