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Free Plugin by Viljami Kuosmanen v1.2.2

WP Safe Updates

Test WordPress plugin updates safely before applying them on the live site.

WP Safe Updates

The facts

Rating
5★ from 5
Active installs
20+
Price
Free
Last updated
3 Aug 2017
Added
Jul 2016
Requires WP
4.5
Tested up to
WP 4.6.30
Downloads
4,497

Our analysis

AI-assisted

WP Safe Updates is a WordPress plugin designed to allow you to test plugin updates safely before applying them to your live site. It adds a 'test update' button for available plugin updates, which creates a sandbox environment to test updates without affecting the live site. The sandbox operates by using a different database prefix and plugins directory temporarily.

This plugin is suitable for WordPress users who want to ensure that updates do not disrupt their live sites, particularly those managing multisite installations or who frequently update plugins.

Best for: This plugin suits WordPress users who want to test updates safely before applying them to their live sites.

What it does well

  • Allows testing of plugin updates in a sandbox environment
  • No changes are made to the live site during testing
  • Free to use from the WordPress.org directory

Where it falls short

  • Last updated in August 2017, which may affect compatibility with newer WordPress versions
  • Limited active installs may indicate lower community support

Verdict

WP Safe Updates provides a useful way to test plugin updates, but its age and low active install count may raise concerns about ongoing support and compatibility.

From the developer

Viljami Kuosmanen's own description of WP Safe Updates, lightly tidied.

Test WordPress plugin updates safely before applying them on the live site.

This plugin adds a “test update” button when plugin updates are available. Clicking it will trigger the creation of a sandbox where you can safely test updating plugins without affecting the live site. Once finished testing the plugin, you can go back to the live site and do the real updates if all is well.

The sandbox works similarly to how WordPress multisite works. We basically tell WordPress to temporarily use a different database prefix and a different plugins directory while in the sandbox, which means while you test the update, no changes are made to the live site.

Disclaimer

Please make sure to always have backups of all your WordPress files and database before updating plugins or themes. We are not responsible for any misuse, deletions, white screens, fatal errors, or any other issue arising from using this plugin.

Contributing

Please contribute to this project on Github. Pull requests welcome!

https://github.com/anttiviljami/wp-safe-updates

Read the full description on the official page →

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