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How blocking works in Classroom: Site Lock vs. Allow-Only

How Blocking works in Classroom: Site Lock vs. Allow-Only

This document explains how URLs and paths are enforced in Classroom, comparing access plans with allow-only blocking to Site Lock.

Allow-Only Plans vs. Site Lock: Neither feature ever allows “exactly this URL and nothing else”:

● An Allow-only blocking plan ignores the path part of a URL completely. Adding a URL allows the entire site (domain) plus all its subdomains.

● Site lock respects the path as a prefix: the given page and everything under it is allowed, but other sections of the same site are blocked — unless the teacher enables “Allow entire site”.

Site lock can be used with or without the option “allow entire site”

Examples

A teacher enters: https://example.com/math/unit1

Student tries to visit	Allow-only plan	Site lock (default)	Site lock + “Allow entire site”
example.com/math/unit1	✅ Allowed	✅ Allowed	✅ Allowed
example.com/math/unit1/lesson2	✅ Allowed	✅ Allowed	✅ Allowed
example.com/science	✅ Allowed	❌ Blocked	✅ Allowed
example.com (homepage)	✅ Allowed	❌ Blocked	✅ Allowed
sub.example.com (any subdomain)	✅ Allowed	❌ Blocked	✅ Allowed
other-site.com	❌ Blocked	❌ Blocked	❌ Blocked

Behavior summary by feature

	Allow-only blocking plan	Site lock (default)	Site lock + “Allow entire site”
Is the path honored?	No — dropped when the plan is applied	Yes — as a prefix (the page and anything under it)	No — whole site allowed
Scope of one URL entry	Whole domain + all subdomains	Only URLs starting with the entered address	Whole domain + all subdomains
Query parameters (?…)	Irrelevant	Ignored when matching	Ignored when matching
Wildcards (*.domain) allowed when entering	full URL required	Not directly; weblink dependencies may use them	Same as default site lock

Block-only plans and the org blocklist

For blocking the path is honored, also as a prefix:

Blocked entry: example.com/games	Result
example.com/games	❌ Blocked
example.com/games/chess	❌ Blocked
example.com/homework	✅ Allowed
example.com (homepage)	✅ Allowed

A URL with a path in a Block-only plan blocks that section of the site only; the rest of the domain stays reachable.