You may have recently caught wind of the dust-up between WP Engine and WordPress.
Maybe you didn’t even get the details, and you just heard that “something” was happening between WP Engine and WordPress.
Tech folks like me had some Big Feelings about it. (nerds having strong opinions? Who could’ve predicted?! 😆) For business owners, however, it all probably just sounded like another potential stressor that you don’t need!
So, let’s just get this out of the way now: no, you don’t need to panic!
…okay, now that you’re breathing a bit easier, let’s distill all the mess down into what matters for You, a human whose organization may just happen to have a WordPress website:
A longtime beef between WP Engine and WordPress came to a head.
If not, here’s the abbreviated version: the co-founder of WordPress (Matt Mullenweig) has been big mad at WP Engine, a dedicated WordPress webhost. Mullenweig doesn’t love that WP Engine is, essentially, making big bucks because of WordPress, without giving more back to the open-source community.
(side note: if you’re like, “what’s the deal with web hosting?” here’s an oldie-but-goodie where I explain what a web host is, and what makes a good one)
After Mullenweig called out WP Engine publicly, they hit back with a lawsuit claiming defamation, and even extortion. 😮
So, long story made very short, WordPress.org blocked WP Engine from accessing their servers. This meant that, if your website was hosted by WP Engine, all of those quick-and-easy “Update Now” buttons on your Plugins page stopped working.
If you love other people’s drama and want to know the full story, here’s the top of the rabbit hole: WordPress’ post stating that WP Engine is banned from their servers.
“Wait, do I need to quit WordPress forever now?!”
I’ve talked for a loooong time about how outdated plugins can leave your website vulnerable to hacking. Not being able to easily update plugins is a big deal! Understandably, a lot of folks wondered what they should do in response to this drama.
Is it time to run screaming from WordPress altogether?! In my humble opinion: no, you don’t need to cut WordPress from your tech stack.
- If your web host is anyone but WP Engine (or Flywheel, which is owned by WP Engine), none of that drama affects you at all!
- If you are on WP Engine and still feel concerned about this dust-up, you do have the option to move your website elsewhere.
- Hosting aside, WordPress is still a completely FREE platform, which lets you update content without knowing how to code, and it’s a powerful, extensible platform that can offer a lot of helpful functions for your business.
So, yeah, take a deep breath and relax. WordPress is still a reliable tool, and you don’t have to completely rebuild your website anytime soon. (well, unless you want to)
You don’t really need to worry about moving to another web host, either (yet).
If you’re on WP Engine and you’re stressed about it, never fear: WP Engine has already created and deployed a workaround so they’re able to run automatic software updates again. That means things are basically back to normal from a customer perspective.
If you still feel uneasy after hearing all of this, though, I don’t blame you. I’m a longtime Flywheel fangirl from the days before they were acquired by WP Engine, and I feel wobbly about this situation, too.
The main thing to remember is that, if you were already thinking about changing things up, this could be a good excuse to start exploring alternatives. And, better yet, you have some time to think about and test those other options, and determine if they’re the right fit.
“So wait, how do I protect my website in the future?”
I believe that your website should be YOURS once it’s built, and there’s a lot to be said for being able to take your website wherever you want. There are a couple of things you should make sure are happening, so you can move house when it’s time:
- Regular backups. Most any decent web host will do nightly backups of your website, in case anything goes wrong, so if yours doesn’t, it’s time for an upgrade.
- Regular plugin updates. So many websites get hacked or break down entirely because their plugins weren’t updated regularly. You’re keeping your website more stable, secure, and easier to move by doing those updates–and some web hosts will do this for you.
If reading those two bullet points made you start sweating, I’ll point you towards Kronda at Karvel Digital, who wrote up an awesome overview of updating your plugins manually, setting up backups, and even migrating your entire website. Her Automation Club is a great resource for this and other time-saving integrations in your business tech!
If you just don’t want to tangle with ANY of this, however, you can always find a website pro to handle it all for you. As a starting point, take a peek at our very affordable and all-around-awesome WordPress Website Maintenance Plans. 😉
Overall, I’m annoyed that this kerfuffle between WP Engine and WordPress caused so many small business owners to panic over something they may not even fully understand. But, hopefully this helps you make sense of it all, and breathe easier!
