WordPress 6.3 has been released. In keeping with WordPress version numbering convention, 6.3 is a major release.
WordPress 6.3 makes further improvements for your content creators with improved full site editing and improvements to the Gutenberg editor. There are also numerous performance enhancements.
Testing this release candidate is the next step in preparing your site for the WordPress 6.3 release slated for August 8, 2023. WordPress 6.3 makes further improvements for your content creators with improved full site editing and improvements to the Gutenberg editor. There are also numerous performance enhancements.
The WordPress 6.3 Field Guide provides extensive information regarding new features and enhancements. This information should be utilized when testing the new version.
WordPress VIP especially emphasizes that changes to caching in WordPress 6.3 should be tested and any code customizations related to caching reviewed to avoid unexpected behavior.
How to test WordPress 6.3
Local Environment
Ensure VIP-CLI is updated: npm update -g @automattic/vip
Alternatively, you may update a non-production site to WordPress 6.3 RC3 now.
Within the Software Management section of the VIP Dashboard, you can select your non-production environment and change the WordPress version to “6.3″ within the “testing” section.
Testing is vital to polishing the release during the Release Candidate and a great way to contribute. ✨
Not for Production Environments
WordPress VIP does not recommend using Release Candidate or Beta versions in production environments. Any sites that have managed updates will automatically be updated to WordPress 6.3 when it is released according to our schedule.
Questions?
If you have testing feedback or questions related to this release, please open a support ticket, and we will be happy to assist.
The WordPress 6.3 Release Candidate 1 is now available on WordPress VIP. Use the Software Management page to update your non-production sites to WordPress 6.3 RC1 for testing.
Testing this release candidate is the next step in preparing your site for the WordPress 6.3 release slated for August 8, 2023. WordPress 6.3 makes further improvements for your content creators with improved full site editing and improvements to the Gutenberg editor. There are also numerous performance enhancements.
How to test WordPress 6.3
Local Environment
Ensure VIP-CLI is updated: npm update -g @automattic/vip
Alternatively, you may update a non-production site to WordPress 6.3 RC1 now.
Within the Software Management section of the VIP Dashboard, you can select your non-production environment and change the WordPress version to “6.3″ within the “testing” section.
Testing is vital to polishing the release during the Release Candidate and a great way to contribute. ✨
Not for Production Environments
WordPress VIP does not recommend using Release Candidate or Beta versions in production environments. Any sites that have managed updates will automatically be updated to WordPress 6.3 when it is released according to our schedule.
Questions?
If you have testing feedback or questions related to this release, please open a support ticket, and we will be happy to assist.
We are pleased to announce that today we are extending this functionality to earlier in the development lifecycle by enabling customers to detect plugins and themes with known security vulnerabilities before code is deployed to their codebase.
This extended functionality is provided by the VIP Code Analysis Bot. This enhancement enables detection of known security vulnerabilities for plugins and themes added to or updated in pull requests. Detection is performed using WPScan, a database of known security vulnerabilities affecting WordPress plugins and themes. The new functionality also detects out of date plugins and themes. The Bot will provide feedback to the relevant pull request in case of detection.
Feedback from the Bot noting an issue with a plugin. Feedback for themes is displayed separately from plugins, but is formatted in the same way.
This new addition helps VIP customers ensure they deploy only secure and up to date plugins and themes. WordPress VIP constantly strives to make it easy for customers to maintain security of their sites.
We recommend updating a plugin or theme to the latest version when the Bot notes a plugin/theme version with a known vulnerability or where the version is out of date. Use the VIP Dashboard Plugins panel to issue pull requests with updates, in case of a plugin or theme already deployed to a main branch.
Read more about the new addition to the VIP Code Analysis Bot in our documentation.
Following the availability of PHP 8.0 on WordPress VIP environments, a change is being made to the VIP Code Analysis Bot’s PHP multi-version linting abilities. Linting highlights code syntax and compilation errors. Starting today, all PHP files updated or added by pull requests will be linted using both PHP 7.4 and 8.0 for applications that currently only execute code using PHP 7.4. Before the change, sites running only PHP 7.4 would only be syntax checked with that particular PHP version.
The VIP Code Analysis Bot warning against a syntax problem in code using both PHP 7.4 and PHP 8.0. Before the change, only PHP 7.4 would have displayed an error in this case.
Similarly, the VIP Code Analysis Bot will also ask the PHPCompatibilityWP PHPCS standard to scan any added or changed code against PHP 8.0, instead of PHP 7.4 before. This change applies only to PHP 7.4 applications.
These changes are being made as PHP 7.4 will be going end-of-life soon, and all applications will be upgraded to PHP 8.0 by WordPress VIP in November 2022. The change will ensure any incompatibilities in new or altered code due to language changes in PHP 8.0 will be preemptively noted by the VIP Code Analysis Bot. Customers should review each incompatibility noted and apply a fix to the code as needed.
Please note that for applications that use other versions of PHP than PHP 7.4 or use any version combinations, there will be no change. Code added or altered by pull requests for these applications will be scanned only using the PHP versions they are configured to execute PHP code with.
Customers should note that PHP linting by the VIP Code Analysis Bot of all files present in the relevant branch can be enabled rather than only modified files.
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