Modern releases of WordPress (since version 5.5) allow administrators to tag plugins for hands-free, automatic updates. But allowing unsupervised changes to websites isn’t the way many of us roll.

The problem is that being cautious can mean a lot of work when you need to manage numerous plugins across many websites. That’s why Kinsta has added smart update capabilities within the MyKinsta dashboard for a single window on plugin status and updates across all of your organization’s websites.

Finding plugins requiring updates in MyKinsta

Dive into smart plugin updates by selecting WordPress sites on MyKinsta’s main menu and then the Plugins tab. You will see a list of all plugins currently installed across all your WordPress environments (both live and staging). You’ll also see a count of how many of those plugins are due for an update.

To filter the plugin inventory to reveal just those in need of updates, you can select Update available from the drop-down menu above the list:

The result will be a list of only plugins with updates available across all environments:

Alternatively, you can search for a specific plugin by typing (at least part) of its name or version number in the search field:

By default, a search will return a list of all plugins matching the search term, a count of how many WordPress environments have the plugin installed, and a count of how many of those require updates. You can combine search and the dropdown selection of Update available to refine the list to just instances of that plugin requiring an update.

Choosing environments and plugins to update

Once you’ve identified plugins for which updates are available, you can navigate the environments in which they are installed by clicking on [>] to expand the lists:

An expanded list will show whether a plugin is currently active or inactive in an environment, the current version of the plugin, and what version an upgrade would deliver.

Some options for selecting which plugins to update:

• Click the checkbox beside the plugin name to select all instances across all sites and environments.
• Click the checkbox beside a site name to select all instances across environments for that site.
• Click the checkbox beside an environment name to select just that instance of the plugin.

Alternatively, you can click the three-dot menu to the right of a plugin name and choose to update all instances:

With a list expanded, you can click the three-dot menu beside an individual environment and update just the instance of the plugin installed there:

It’s all as easy as that! We’d love to hear if this new feature helps you better manage your WordPress plugin updates.

WordPress management made easier

Making WordPress maintenance simpler is what we do. And remember that you can create your own tools for managing WordPress sites — including plugin updates — using the Kinsta API.

If you’re looking for fast and secure WordPress hosting, check out Kinsta’s plans to find the one that fits you best.

The post Get smart about WordPress plugin updates in MyKinsta appeared first on Kinsta®.

At Kinsta, we’ve always prioritized performance, security, and stability. That’s why, until now, we’ve limited PHP support to officially supported versions like PHP 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3. This approach ensured our customers could benefit from the latest advancements while minimizing risks associated with outdated versions.

Now, we’re extending support to some older releases of PHP by providing our own long-term support (LTS) and security monitoring.

Why are we introducing EOL PHP support?

According to WordPress statistics, 33.2% of websites still rely on PHP 7.4, and another 9.8% use PHP 8.0 — a combined 43% of websites still running on EOL PHP versions. These numbers reflect the reality that many businesses face challenges when updating legacy applications or managing dependencies.

By introducing support for older versions of PHP, we’re offering a solution for customers who need more time to transition and still enjoy our premium hosting solution. This is free and available to all Kinsta customers platform-wide, giving you the flexibility to keep your sites running smoothly while planning for future upgrades.

How does it work?

There are two ways to change PHP versions in MyKinsta:

1. Using the Tools tab:
   Navigate to the Tools tab in MyKinsta. Under PHP Settings, click the Change button. This will open a modal with a dropdown menu where you can select your preferred PHP version and confirm the change.

   

2. Using the Bulk Actions feature:
   If you’re managing multiple sites, use the Bulk Action feature. Select the sites you want to update from the Sites table, click the Actions dropdown, and choose Change PHP Settings.

   

   The same modal will appear, allowing you to apply the desired PHP version across all selected sites.

Optional automatic PHP updates

With the addition of EOL PHP version support, we’ve introduced a new feature that lets you disable automatic PHP updates. Previously, Kinsta automatically upgraded sites to newer supported PHP versions once older ones reached EOL.

Now, you can choose to opt in or out of automatic updates. This flexibility is especially useful for managing sites that require specific PHP versions. When you choose a release of PHP for which we are providing LTS, automatic version updates are not available at all (under the assumption that you have a good reason for choosing a release that is beyond EOL).

Take control of your PHP updates today!

With these updates, you have full control over how your PHP versions are managed. Whether you need to use an EOL version for compatibility or want to disable automatic updates, MyKinsta makes it easy to customize your hosting environment.

We recommend enabling automatic updates and upgrading to modern PHP versions whenever possible to ensure your site always runs on an officially supported PHP version and benefits from the latest security patches and performance enhancements.

The post Kinsta now supports end of life PHP versions 7.4 and 8.0 appeared first on Kinsta®.

Gone are vague labels like “Business 1 Single” and “Enterprise 3.” Instead, all single-site plans now have names that indicate the monthly visitor limit included in the price (like “Single 35k”), while the names of multiple-site plans reveal the number of WordPress installs each provides (like “WP 120”).

What’s more, we’ve increased the visitor limits and Kinsta CDN resources across all plans and added a new single-site plan with a 65,000 visitor threshold and 250 GB of CDN bandwidth.

Here’s a look at the new plan names and resources compared with the previous offerings:

Single-site plans

Multiple-site plans

It’s a great time to try hosting at Kinsta!

The rollout of new WordPress hosting plan names and boosted resource limits coincides with a Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal that offers 50% off all plans.

Until Dec. 3, 2024, new customers who sign up with annual billing will get 50% off their entire first year, while those who choose monthly billing will get half off for the first six months. In addition to the Black Friday discount, we’re also offering an entire first month for free on selected plans.

That makes it the perfect time to choose Kinsta for your WordPress hosting!

The post We’ve renamed our WordPress hosting plans and boosted resource limits appeared first on Kinsta®.