: Simplest way to lock down a beta web site but allow paypal payments Perhaps a strange question, but I have a website that's not ready for production use online in order to test paypal payments.

@Martha676

Rather than using HTTP Authentication with usernames/passwords, you might use IP address white-listing with the following .htaccess code (enter your own public IP address for testing on line 6 instead of 123.123.123.123):

# Block every connection by default, exceptions follow below
Order deny,allow
Deny from all

# Allow from Your Testing Public IP (123.123.123.123)
Allow from 123.123.123.123

# Allow from PayPal Sandbox (direct)
Allow from 173.0.82.78
Allow from 173.0.82.83
Allow from 173.0.82.89
Allow from 173.0.82.66

# Allow from PayPal Sandbox (via Akamai routing technology)
Allow from 23.43.11.39
Allow from 23.43.11.42
Allow from 23.43.11.41
Allow from 23.43.11.40
Allow from 23.37.43.39
Allow from 23.37.43.42
Allow from 23.37.43.41
Allow from 23.37.43.40
Allow from 23.44.91.39
Allow from 23.44.91.42
Allow from 23.44.91.41
Allow from 23.44.91.40
Allow from 23.42.27.39
Allow from 23.42.27.42
Allow from 23.42.27.41
Allow from 23.42.27.40
Allow from 23.43.155.39
Allow from 23.43.155.42
Allow from 23.43.155.41
Allow from 23.43.155.40
Allow from 23.9.91.39
Allow from 23.9.91.42
Allow from 23.9.91.41
Allow from 23.9.91.40
Allow from 23.46.123.39
Allow from 23.46.123.42
Allow from 23.46.123.41
Allow from 23.46.123.40
Allow from 23.38.27.39
Allow from 23.38.27.42
Allow from 23.38.27.41
Allow from 23.38.27.40
Allow from 23.50.187.39
Allow from 23.50.187.42
Allow from 23.50.187.41
Allow from 23.50.187.40
Allow from 23.50.91.39
Allow from 23.50.91.42
Allow from 23.50.91.41
Allow from 23.50.91.40
Allow from 23.35.171.39
Allow from 23.35.171.42
Allow from 23.35.171.41
Allow from 23.35.171.40
Allow from 23.51.43.39
Allow from 23.51.43.42
Allow from 23.51.43.41
Allow from 23.51.43.40
Allow from 23.54.107.39
Allow from 23.54.107.42
Allow from 23.54.107.41
Allow from 23.54.107.40
Allow from 23.52.155.39
Allow from 23.52.155.42
Allow from 23.52.155.41
Allow from 23.52.155.40
Allow from 23.35.107.39
Allow from 23.35.107.42
Allow from 23.35.107.41
Allow from 23.35.107.40
Allow from 23.37.139.39
Allow from 23.37.139.42
Allow from 23.37.139.41
Allow from 23.37.139.40
Allow from 23.74.19.39
Allow from 23.74.19.42
Allow from 23.74.19.41
Allow from 23.74.19.40
Allow from 23.53.107.39
Allow from 23.53.107.42
Allow from 23.53.107.41
Allow from 23.53.107.40
Allow from 23.5.75.39
Allow from 23.5.75.42
Allow from 23.5.75.41
Allow from 23.5.75.40
Allow from 23.35.43.39
Allow from 23.35.43.42
Allow from 23.35.43.41
Allow from 23.35.43.40
Allow from 23.4.59.39
Allow from 23.4.59.42
Allow from 23.4.59.41
Allow from 23.4.59.40
Allow from 23.46.107.39
Allow from 23.46.107.42
Allow from 23.46.107.41
Allow from 23.46.107.40
Allow from 23.53.155.39
Allow from 23.53.155.42
Allow from 23.53.155.41
Allow from 23.53.155.40
Allow from 23.44.251.39
Allow from 23.44.251.42
Allow from 23.44.251.41
Allow from 23.44.251.40
Allow from 23.43.75.39
Allow from 23.43.75.42
Allow from 23.43.75.41
Allow from 23.43.75.40
Allow from 23.41.75.39
Allow from 23.41.75.42
Allow from 23.41.75.41
Allow from 23.41.75.40
Allow from 23.51.27.39
Allow from 23.51.27.42
Allow from 23.51.27.41
Allow from 23.51.27.40
Allow from 23.5.251.39
Allow from 23.5.251.42
Allow from 23.5.251.41
Allow from 23.5.251.40
Allow from 23.37.187.39
Allow from 23.37.187.42
Allow from 23.37.187.41
Allow from 23.37.187.40
Allow from 23.4.43.39
Allow from 23.4.43.42
Allow from 23.4.43.41
Allow from 23.4.43.40
Allow from 23.50.75.39
Allow from 23.50.75.42
Allow from 23.50.75.41
Allow from 23.50.75.40
Allow from 23.34.235.39
Allow from 23.34.235.42
Allow from 23.34.235.41
Allow from 23.34.235.40
Allow from 23.50.203.39
Allow from 23.50.203.42
Allow from 23.50.203.41
Allow from 23.50.203.40


IP address list courtesy of PayPal Technical Support's IP Addresses for Sandbox PayPal servers page, last updated on 23rd-Jan-2014.

Any IP address connecting in that is not white-listed would receive an HTTP 403 Forbidden response. Since this includes search engines, your site shouldn't get indexed prior to official launch.

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