Not all automatic, not all manual: just the right way to keep your site up to date.
TrustBrain Update Manager lets you decide how far automatic updates may go. Install patch releases automatically and review the bigger ones first, set a different rule for a plugin that needs care, run updates at a quiet hour, and keep a record of everything that changed.
Right after activation, every update policy is "Not selected (follow WordPress)", so automatic updates keep working as before until you change it. Every update stays visible on the WordPress screens as usual.
Update Policies
- Choose a policy for core, plugins, themes and translations
- Four levels: follow WordPress / patch versions only / up to minor versions / everything including major versions
- Give a single plugin or theme its own policy; the Plugins and Themes lists show which policy applies to each item
- Core updates are checked against the PHP and MySQL/MariaDB versions they require before they are installed
- For plugins and themes from WordPress.org, a patch-only or minor-only policy installs the newest release within the allowed range, so you still receive fixes while staying on the same line
Plugins and themes hosted on GitHub or GitLab
For an item whose source is published on a public GitHub or GitLab repository, the plugin reads the repository's tags and shows the newest version within your policy on the Plugins / Themes lists, the per-item policies page and the update targets page. Download that version from the repository and upload it to install it.
GitHub access token (optional)
GitHub allows sixty requests an hour per IP address, shared with every other site on the same server. If you follow many items hosted on GitHub, set an access token on the Maintenance page to raise the limit. The token needs no permissions: it is used only to read public tags, is sent only to
api.github.com, and is deleted when the plugin is uninstalled.
Scheduled Updates
- Run automatic updates on your own schedule: hourly to monthly, on the day and at the time you choose
- While the schedule is on, automatic updates run only at that time (or when you press "Run update now"), so they never run twice
- "Check for updates" fetches the latest information from every source; "Run update now" installs the allowed updates right away and reports the result
Update Log
- Updates of core, plugins, themes and translations are recorded, together with plugin and theme installs and removals, plugin activations and deactivations, and theme switches
- Filter by type, status, or a single plugin or theme, with the versions before and after, the kind of update and the user
- A failed update that needs to be reinstalled by hand is clearly marked
Update Targets
- One page shows every available update and whether it will be installed automatically, with the reason
- Updates that your site cannot install yet, because they need a newer WordPress or PHP, are listed with what they require
- The time the information was fetched is shown
- The WordPress Updates screen shows the policies in use
Email Notification
- One summary email after automatic updates, in place of WordPress's separate emails
- Several recipients and Bcc addresses
- Every part of the wording can be edited, and clearing a field brings back the bundled text
- When a major or minor update is included, the email adds a checklist for reviewing the site
Multisite
- On a network, everything is managed from the network admin with one set of policies and one update log, because WordPress runs automatic updates on the main site and the plugin and theme files are shared by every site
- What to remove on uninstall is chosen once for the whole network