WordPress 5.8.1 Security and Maintenance Release (wordpress.org) WordPress 5.8.1 is now available!
This security and maintenance release features 60 bug fixes in addition to 3 security fixes. Because this is a security release, it is recommended that you update your sites immediately. All versions since WordPress 5.4 have also been updated.
WordPress Abstraction: Best Practices and WordPress Abstraction Plugins (kinsta.com) WordPress is an old CMS, but also the most used one. Thanks to its history of supporting outdated PHP versions and legacy code, it still lacks in implementing modern coding practices — WordPress abstraction is one example. This article will teach you how to abstract WordPress code manually and use abstract WordPress plugin capabilities.
Automattic Acquires Social Image Generator Plugin, Plans to Integrate with Jetpack (wptavern.com) Automattic has acquired the Social Image Generator plugin, a commercial product that automatically creates social share images for WordPress content from a set of fully customizable templates. The plugin launched in February 2021, with a starting price of $39/year but is now closed to new sales.
WordPress 2 Factor Authentication (Plugin + How to Set Up) (www.cozmoslabs.com) When using 2FA, password database theft or phishing campaigns will not affect the integrity of the protected accounts.
With the WordPress Two-Factor Authentication option from Profile Builder Pro activated, your visitors can log in securely using a third-party mobile authentication app (such as Google Authenticator) and not just their username and password.
Why You Should Use the WordPress HTTP functions to Make API Requests (deliciousbrains.com) Any plugin that interacts with an external service is bound to make some HTTP requests here and there. Things like adding subscribers to your Mailchimp list, sending emails via Amazon SES, or offloading images to Amazon S3 all involve making a bunch of HTTP requests.
In this post, we’re going to look closer at the built-in HTTP functions that WordPress offers to make these requests and why it’s almost always a good idea to use those functions.