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How to Manage Your Free WP Engine or Delicious Brains Plugins
As some of you might be aware, there’s an ongoing legal situation between WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, and WP Engine. A repercussion of this conflict is that WP Engine, along with its subsidiaries like Delicious Brains, has been prohibited from accessing WordPress.org. Consequently, WP Engine cannot distribute new updates or offer support through the WP.org channels.
Many users might be oblivious to this development, which could lead to unpatched vulnerabilities if new issues arise in plugins or themes managed by WP Engine.
To address this, WP Engine has modified their free plugins to deliver updates directly from their own servers, similar to how they handle their premium products.
What Steps Should You Take?
If you’re a WP Engine customer, there’s no need to worry. They have already set up mechanisms to ensure you receive updates directly, so you’re all set.
For those not hosting with WP Engine but using any of their free plugins or themes, you’ll need to undertake a one-time manual update. This ensures that future updates are sourced from WP Engine’s servers rather than the WP.org repository.
For guidance on identifying if you’re using any plugins or themes owned by WP Engine, and to perform the necessary manual updates, please follow these instructions.
Edit: A thank you to u/SadMadNewb for suggesting this topic be posted separately on the subreddit.
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2 responses to “Using free WP Engine or Delicious Brains plugins? Here’s your next step.”
If you’re using any free plugins or themes from WP Engine or its subsidiaries like Delicious Brains, it’s essential to understand recent changes and take necessary steps to ensure your website continues to receive updates and patches, particularly security fixes. Here’s what you need to know and do:
Context and Background
The Legal Situation
There is an ongoing legal issue involving WP Engine, WordPress.org, and Matt Mullenweg (co-founder of WordPress). As a consequence, WP Engine and its owned companies, like Delicious Brains, have been banned from accessing the WordPress.org repository. This prevents them from releasing plugin updates or providing official support through the WP.org platform.
Potential Risks
For many users, this situation might be unknown, posing a risk that any identified vulnerabilities in WP Engine’s free plugins or themes may go unpatched if these plugins continue to rely on the WordPress.org update mechanism. This creates a security hazard, as unpatched plugins could expose your websites to cyber threats.
Steps to Take
For WP Engine Customers
If you are hosting your website with WP Engine, good news — they have already configured solutions to ensure you receive updates directly from their servers. This means you don’t need to take any additional action. Regular updates will proceed as usual, sourced from WP Engine rather than the WordPress.org repository.
For Non-WP Engine Users
If WP Engine is not your hosting provider, but you are utilizing any of their free plugins or themes, you’ll need to manually update these items once to switch the update source:
Identify Plugins and Themes: Refer to this support page to determine if you’re using any plugins or themes owned by WP Engine.
Manual Update: Follow the instructions provided in the link above to perform a one-time manual update for each WP Engine product you are using. This process will ensure that all future updates are delivered from WP Engine’s servers.
Maintenance: After the manual update, your plugins or themes will automatically connect to WP Engine servers for future updates, helping maintain your website’s security and functionality.
Community Posting
A special thank you goes to u/SadMadNewb for the suggestion to consolidate this guidance into its own dedicated post within the relevant community forum. Sharing accurate and actionable information in a community setting can help ensure more users are informed and protected from potential risks.
Thank you for shedding light on this important update regarding WP Engine and its plugins. One aspect that stands out to me is the potential risk for users who might not be aware of the implications of the current legal situation. It’s crucial for website owners to stay informed about the sources of their plugins and the potential vulnerabilities that can arise from outdated software.
In addition to following the manual update instructions you’ve provided, I would encourage users to regularly monitor their sites for security vulnerabilities and engage in proactive maintenance practices. Utilizing a security plugin or service can be a wise step in this regard. Moreover, it might be beneficial to explore alternative plugins that are actively maintained and supported within the WordPress ecosystem, in case the situation evolves or further issues arise with WP Engine’s offerings.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that community discussions, like the one you referenced with u/SadMadNewb, can be invaluable for staying updated on such developments. Open dialogues can lead to quicker awareness and better solutions for all users involved. Let’s continue to share insights and support one another during these transitions!