WordPress 5.2 is here! Yeah, we get excited around release time for WordPress updates. But for some, releases can be stressful. No need to get worried. We’re going to go over some of the things you can expect for this release and how you can prepare myself by testing future releases in advance.
What’s New in 5.2?
We support thousands upon thousands of WordPress users. So we’re really happy about new PHP error protection features added to this version of WordPress. Nobody who has ever seen the dreaded “White Screen of Death” enjoys the sight.
This screen usually accompanies a PHP error on the backend of a WordPress site. Often, these errors are generated by plugins.
The error protection feature offers a sort of white screen protection that alerts you when there’s a problem and suggests actions you can take right away to fix it. This way, you won’t have visitors typing in your domain and landing on a dead site.
But what can you do to make sure your site is healthy before errors appear? Site Health Check is a relatively new feature on the WordPress landscape and version 5.2 further improves upon it.
Users interested in getting a bird’s eye view of the health of their site will be able to do so more easily and with a nicer interface. Site Health Check scans your installation like a routine examination and alerts you of possible issues along with an overall rating of critical, recommended, or good.
New Releases Are Important
There’s no denying that new releases are important. But for some, we know they can be stressful. There’s always the possibility that a new release will break something on your site. Every site is unique and poses unique challenges to its administrators.
But there are things you can do to make sure the new release always comes in for a soft landing.
First, consider creating a demo site (or, staging site). There are many tools available out there that let you install a fresh WordPress installation for testing or future development. Some of these can be hosted on your local computer while others are based in the cloud.
Either way, it’s a good idea to have a copy of your site available for testing new releases before updating your live production site.
And, let’s not forget to mention, make sure to have a backup of your site before doing any updates. If you have a backup ready to go after something breaks, you can just roll it back. No sweat. If you’d like to know more about backups and security, be sure to read the full guide about how to enable Backup Manager.
