What are the best practices for updating?

Question

Don't want to do anything to take down my blog. Here are some upgrade-related questions:

1. How often should Wordpress be updated?
2. What is the best way to do it?
3. How to know if there is a problem with plugins? When a new version of Wordpress comes out, we have no way of knowing if there is a problem with existing plugins.
4. When should plugins be updated? At the same time as Wordpress?
5. Is there a test suite that is run before releasing Worddpress? Does it include plugins?

Answer 1

Do not just upgrade immediately. Take the time you need for an informed decision. And make a backup, of course. :)

1. Read the changelog for the new version. Example for 3.4.1. The blog announcements and the Codex pages are not complete.

2. Test the upgrade with an exact copy of your production site, including plugins and themes.

   • Add, change and delete an user, a post, a term (tag, category).
   • Log out, log in, test all active user roles.
   • Test all custom JavaScripts. jQuery for example was added once so late in the pre-release process that plugin authors could not adjust their code in time.

3. If you are not a developer and it is not a minor release (where just the third number changes) wait some days, look for the trouble-shooting thread in the wordpress.org forums. Example for 3.4. Minor security updates are usually safe.

4. If you use the web interface to upgrade or SSH/FTP doesn’t really matter anymore.

5. Plugin compatibility has to be tested. There is no other way to know how they play together.

Answer 2

1. How often should Wordpress be updated?

As often as there are security updates. So, yes, when there's an update for WordPress, you should take a look at the changelog if you are not planning to go with the update.

2. What is the best way to do it?

A. Backup your database. B. Then, if it's a security update, you just NEED to go with the update process, no matter what. C. If it's NOT a security update, I'd check the compatibility of the plugins I use with the latest version of WP. For instance:

3. How to know if there is a problem with plugins? When a new version of Wordpress comes out, we have no way of knowing if there is a problem with existing plugins.

You can never be sure. I've read that, in it's history, WordPress has never removed depreciated functions altogether (but that does not mean, you are all set), so you are probably safe until the plugin author fixes it. (Point (2) also applies here.)

4. When should plugins be updated? At the same time as Wordpress?

Same as point (1). If it's a security fix, just update. If not, update if you need the new features or fixes (again, look at the changelog for the plugin).

5. Is there a test suite that is run before releasing Wordpress? Does it include plugins?

All stable releases of WordPress are very well tested before release. But are not tested against plugins. It's for the plugins to keep up with WordPress, not vice-versa :)

Answer 3

These are my opinions and i always trying to follow it to the most:

1. As fast there is an update available, Update!.
2. Backup the database, i always have a copy of the site on my local machine that i test the updates on. If it works well i update the live one. But again, Backup!
3. Enable wp_debug in wp-config.php to see if there are some deprecated functions or other errors.
4. Not if there is no conflict with with the new release of WordPress.
5. You can alway test with the nightly version of WordPress before public release