Shipping fast is pointless if updates break production. Adopt a release strategy that decouples deploy and release so you can ship weekly without fear.
Stable contracts first
- Design public PHP and JS APIs with explicit types and deprecation windows.
- Document lifecycle hooks, error states, and extension points.
Contract example
interface Storage { get( key: string ): Promise<string|null>; set( key: string, v: string ): Promise<void>; }Feature flags, not forks
- Gate risky features behind flags. Enable for 5% → 25% → 100% with telemetry.
- Rollback is a config change, not a re-deploy.
Safe data migrations
- Write idempotent migrations with rollback paths. Never block the request thread for heavy tasks; schedule via Action Scheduler.
- Version tables and configs; migrate on activate/update hooks.
Observability
Log version, site context, and errors (with consent). Build dashboards to spot spikes quickly and hotfix.
Security considerations
- Sign updates, verify integrity, and validate all remote config.
- Sandbox user‑provided code and deny network by default.
Release playbook
- Ship behind a flag → observe → expand rollout.
- If metrics regress, flip the flag off, investigate, hotfix.
- Remove deprecated code once adoption hits 95%.
FAQ
How long should I keep deprecated APIs?
A minimum of one minor release; two is better for popular plugins. Provide clear upgrade guides.
Conclusion
With stable contracts, flags, and safe migrations, you can ship fearlessly. Explore more in WP Plugin.
