As a website administrator managing a WordPress site, keeping an eye on the plugins that add functionality and enhance your site’s user experience is essential.
Once in a while, you feel the urgency of knowing the overall state of your installed plugin. Giving it a check of its recent history might reveal crucial information about the plugins and will inform you about any necessary changes.
You can know plenty of ways about a plugin state, and most methods have manual ways to perform.
We will be discussing them below!
Why Do You Need to Check Out Your Plugin History?
Before we know about the processes, it’s crucial to understand why they are vital for your website. There can be many reasons for you to see a plugin’s ongoing conditions.
> Ensure compatibility
Ensuring your plugins are compatible with WordPress’s current and upcoming versions is critical. Incompatibility can lead to features breaking or rendering your entire website inaccessible.
By regularly checking plugin status, you preemptively identify and resolve any compatibility issues, thus maintaining the seamless operation and accessibility of your site. This proactive measure helps avoid downtime that can negatively impact user experience and trust.
> Enhance security
Checking your plugin status helps identify vulnerabilities. Doing so protects your site against potential security breaches, keeping your data and users safe.
> Optimize performance
Plugins can significantly affect your website’s loading times and overall performance. Some may consume excessive resources or cause conflicts that slow down your site, adversely affecting user experience and SEO. By monitoring your plugin status, you can pinpoint the ones that are performance hogs.
Updating these plugins, or replacing them with more efficient alternatives, can lead to noticeable improvements in website speed and performance, contributing to higher user engagement and better search engine rankings.
> Stay updated
Developers frequently update plugins to introduce new features, improve functionality, and patch security vulnerabilities. Regularly checking your plugin status ensures you’re always leveraging the latest advancements and efficiencies they offer.
This enhances your website’s capabilities and ensures you’re using the most secure, efficient, and feature-rich versions of your chosen plugins, keeping your site at the forefront of technology.
> Avoid compatibility issues
Plugin conflicts are common in WordPress sites, where one plugin’s functionality interferes with another’s. This can lead to features needing to be fixed or, in some cases, complete site breakdowns. Regular compatibility checks allow you to identify and resolve these conflicts before they impact your users.
How to Control WordPress Plugin Version?
3 Methods of Checking Out the Plugin States
Here are some of the easiest ways to learn more about plugins from History and Changelogs.
Method 1: Checkout the plugin’s changelog
Any plugin will have a detailed report about its patches and modifications. You can access this page via the More Details section. Select the plugin you want to install and click on More details–
From there you should navigate to the Changelog,
The Changelog holds all the important information about previous patches and any changes that might take place in future updates.
You can also see the Changelog from the WordPress repository. In your preferred plugin, click on the Development option to see the changelog,
Method 2: You can use Eazy Plugin Manager
With Eazy Plugin Manager, you can view a detailed history of every plugin you download installed in your backend. It works pretty well as a WordPress plugin checker tool.
Go to the EPM dashboard-
From there, click on the History options to see all the recent changes that happened for your plugins,
It’s a free feature that doesn’t require a premium version.
Method 3: You can see some plugin information in the WordPress Repository
Another way to check out all the important information of a plugin at a glance is just checking it out in the plugin repository,
FAQ
How to identify a plugin?
To identify a plugin, navigate to your WordPress dashboard’s “Plugins” section. This area showcases all installed plugins with names, versions, and brief descriptions. It also indicates whether each plugin is active and provides access to settings or configuration options, giving insights into its role and impact on your site.
How to test plugins?
Effective plugin testing involves setting up a staging site that mirrors your live website. After preparing the staging environment, install and activate the plugin there.
Observe its performance, assess compatibility with your theme and other plugins, and evaluate its influence on site speed and user experience. This method ensures the plugin’s compatibility and functionality before it goes live.
Where to search for plugins?
The WordPress Plugin Directory on the WordPress.org website is the go-to place for searching for plugins. It’s an extensive repository organized by categories and tags, allowing for easy exploration.
Users can find plugins by specific functionalities, read user reviews, and view ratings to make informed choices. Developers also often offer plugins on their websites, expanding the search options.
Are plugins web apps?
Plugins are not independent web applications but are software extensions designed to add specific features or enhance the functionality of your WordPress site. They integrate seamlessly into the WordPress environment, offering services from SEO tools to social media connectivity, enriching your site’s functionality without needing custom coding.
Is API a plugin?
An API (Application Programming Interface) is not a plugin but a framework of rules and protocols for building software applications. APIs facilitate communication between software programs, allowing them to share data and functionalities.
Within WordPress, plugins can use APIs to connect with external services or platforms, thus extending the site’s features by incorporating external data and capabilities.
Finalizing on WordPress Plugin Checker
In wrapping up our exploration of the three pivotal ways to check your WordPress plugin’s status, the importance of plugin modifications cannot be overstated. All these methods are easy to follow, and you can review any crucial information in seconds.
Have a nice day!