How to Manage Outdated Plugins On Your Wordpress Site

Wordpress is the most widely used Content Management System in the World. It is often compared to Microsoft as the operating system of the web. The Plugins that are used in the websites are meant to make certain features applicable to the websites that are to be integrated into them. For example, if I need to place a video on my site which can play with a click, then I will have to use plugins in order to make it play.

But sometimes these features are not used for many years and hence the plug-ins are not updated for some time. These plug-ins then become redundant and are considered abandoned by the WordPress Plugin repository. The reason for the Plug-in getting redundant can be either at the end of the user or related to the software maintenance. It may be the case that the plugins are not getting enough audience to keep it active. It can also be due to the software not being updated for a long time.

One more issue that can make your plugins redundant is associated with WordPress. WordPress is updated often and newer versions of Wordpress themes, plugins roll out. It becomes imperative to update it in order to keep it working, otherwise, a compatibility issue may break out and can break the site any moment.

It is important to find in the plugin settings that everything is controlled from one spot. If this is not the case then post your theme template to find that if any code is added. If it is directly inside the page or post, some shortcode will be visible otherwise it may also be found in the theme template. If the plugins are redundant and you need to replace them. There are many options available if you need to replace a redundant plugin. However, it should be kept in mind that those have been updated within the past year and have a reasonable user base. If it has got the backend support and is frequently updated it will be great to have such plugins as this is a cumbersome task to have the plugins updated at regular intervals.

Wordpress professionals need to keep track of the plugins and update them frequently in order to keep them operational. The following scenario arises in the context of WordPress themes and plugins:

• Plugin Updates have not been tested for compatibility. Updating a theme without disrupting the website may require staging the update in a sandbox and testing for compatibility.
• Updates have not been tested with PHP versions on the server.
• Sometimes business reasons are there to avoid any changes in the websites. Some companies do not allow any change in the site without rigorous checks. In these cases, it becomes difficult to update the plug-ins in time to avoid making it redundant.
• Sometimes license keys are not available to make the plugins updated. The account needs to have an active license and account connection in order to keep it updated.
• It is very advisable to use a firewall which can prevent the malicious request from hitting your website.
• Even if an unauthorized user is able to access your site they will be somewhat limited if they can’t access your site at the file level.
• SSL Certificates should be used everywhere. With a very small fee, the website can avail of the SSL certificates. These certificates not only protect the websites but also increase their credibility.
• The Wordpress sends updates of premium plugins and the licenses need to be renewed on a regular basis. If you do not renew the licenses you may end up losing the plugin features that are present in the site.
• Wordpress manual updates are not easy to keep track of if you are running multiple sites. This function is still not automated, hence it becomes difficult to keep track of and update the plugins used every time the update has been sent.
• It is important to keep a backup and using a WordPress Malware Removal plugin is helpful in dealing with malware threats.

Wordpress is continuously evolving. Wordpress repository consists of the plugins that have not been updated for more than two years and now are redundant. Wordpress repository holds more than 46 thousand plugins. This situation is primarily because of the plugins not being updated timely. This makes them lose compatibility with the new version of Wordpress. Nearly half of the plugins that are in the repository are outdated due to incompatibility with the newer version of Wordpress. It is important to check during replacing the plugins that they have no security issues. any related issue contact to SAG IPL for wordpress Development Company