WordPress Version Control (What It Is and the Best Solution)
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In this blog this article, we'll go over what version control is and how it applies to WordPress. We'll then look at some of the tools that you can use to implement the concept of version control into your WordPress website.
What exactly is WordPress Version Control?
The system for managing version controls tracks changes to a file (or files) in time, so it is possible to track how things have changed, and should you need to, at any time, return to a previous version.
When applied to WordPress, version control lets you track changes that you, or other users, apply to your website.
In the WordPress setting, the term "version control" is able to track various actions, including:
- Updating or publishing a post.
- Updating your core software or any theme or plugin.
You can not only observe these changes, but it is also possible to undo them or roll back to the previous version if needed.
As a developer, version control can also help developers manage revisions to the codebase letting them clone sections of code that they want to work on before "merging" it back to the core codebase. In the case of how complex your WordPress site, you may also find this functionality helpful.
What are the benefits of WordPress Version Control?
There are a few big advantages of setting up WordPress Version Control.
First off, version control will allow you to feel more comfortable with making adjustments to your site. Have you made a change that has ruined some thing up? Don't worry, you'll be able to simply undo the change and go back to a working version of your site.
If you've now learned more about how you can set an environment for version control for your WordPress site, we can explore some solutions for WordPress version control.
The Top Options for WordPress Version Control
There are a variety of options for WordPress control, based on the technical expertise you have and how comprehensive you want your version control system to be.
These are the WordPress versions control options that will be discussed in greater detail:
- VersionPress plug-in that also integrates Git but in a more natural manner, even though it's still in beta.
- WP Rollback A very easy method to roll back changes to plugins and themes.
Git: How To Use It With WordPress
Git is an open-source distributed version control system that was created by Linus Torvalds in the year 2005. It's more complex, but it's one of the most well-known versions control systems, and is used by a variety of developers. This means it's not exclusive to WordPress.
If you're looking to integrate Git together with WordPress there are a few different options.
There are various other tools for general use and WordPress that can help you build via Git.
If you are looking for a WordPress-specific solution, two choices are:
- WordPress Pusher - lets you deploy themes and plugins to any Git repository. Note that this one focuses particularly on themes and plugins.
In general there are other devices such as Beanstalk as well as DeployBot.
How to Use VersionPress to control Version Control
VersionPress can be described as an open source project that seeks to "bring the potential of Git to WordPress" by allowing you to control the version of the site's database as well as its files. While it does rely heavily on Git, VersionPress gets its separate section due to the fact that it handles things in a different way than those methods previously mentioned.
What is unique about VersionPress is that it tracks every single change and communicates it using natural human language. As an example, instead of just logging a change to an existing database VersionPress is able to tell you you have "updated on the Hello World!" post. This is obviously, it makes Git a lot more useful and usable in the context of an WordPress website.
While that definitely sounds nice but it's also important to know that VersionPress is still considered a "Developer preview". The Developer says that it is best to not apply it to an actual site.
For you to download VersionPress, you'll need to have Git running on the server, and also enable proc_open().
How to use WP Rollback to undo updates
Ever you updated an WordPress themes or plugins, only to see it break something on your site?
Well, first off, you should be using a staging website to make sure this doesn't happen! But if you're running updates on a live site and something goes wrong It's helpful to be able to roll back to the version that ran, at least until you can find out the cause.
To help you do that, WP Rollback adds a new Rollback button on your site's plugins' user interface. This permits you to "roll back" any WordPress theme or plugin back to the earlier version.
You can then choose the version you'd like to revert to:
Summary
The version control feature helps you keep track of changes to your WordPress website so you can stay on top of changes and reverse the changes if needed.
If you're working in a team, version control also helps you employ effective workflows through branches and blending. Team members can duplicate a specific portion of your site to work on and then "merge" the duplicate code back into the main code when the time comes for it to be ready for public release.
If you are using WordPress There are many choices for controlling version, according to your preferences and your technical expertise.
Finally, while it's far from being ready for the public yet, VersionPress offers the most WordPress-specific application of Git and is definitely something to keep at a close eye.
Are you having any concerns regarding how to start using the version control feature for WordPress? Please let us know in the comments.
Brian Jackson
Brian has a huge passion for WordPress, has been using the platform for more than a decade and has even developed two premium plugins. Brian is a fan of movies, blogging and hikes. Connect with Brian via Twitter.