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Rollback Guard self-updates

Automatically backs up WordPress plugin directories before updates with one-click restore.

by Brandon · github.com/mbrand1/rollback-guard

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Install

No release zip yet. The repository archive installs, but the folder name will carry the branch suffix and updates will not flow:

wp plugin install https://github.com/mbrand1/rollback-guard/archive/refs/heads/main.zip

Ships its own WordPress updater (Plugin Update Checker), so new versions show up under Dashboard → Updates.

Readme github.com/mbrand1/rollback-guard ↗

Automatically backs up WordPress plugin directories before updates with one-click restore.

What it does

Rollback Guard hooks into the WordPress upgrader pipeline to snapshot every plugin right before its files are replaced during an update. If an update breaks something, you can restore the previous version with one click.

  • Automatic backups — created transparently before every plugin update
  • Manual backups — back up any plugin on demand, or use Back Up All Plugins to snapshot everything at once
  • One-click restore — confirmation page shows file-level diff of what will change, then restores in seconds
  • Rollback from Plugins page — a "Rollback" link appears next to Deactivate for any plugin with a backup
  • Backup-before-restore — restoring creates a safety backup of the current version first

Requirements

  • WordPress 5.8+
  • PHP 7.4+
  • Single-site only (multisite is not supported)

Installation

  1. Download the latest release ZIP.
  2. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin and upload the ZIP.
  3. Activate Rollback Guard.
  4. Backups happen automatically. Manage them from Plugin Backups in the admin sidebar.

Manual installation

Extract the rollback-guard folder into wp-content/plugins/ and activate from the Plugins page.

Configuration

Go to Plugin Backups → Settings to adjust:

Setting Default Description
Max versions per plugin 3 Oldest backups are pruned automatically
Size limit 25 MB Plugins larger than this are skipped (allowlist available)
Storage quota 500 MB Total disk space cap for all backups
Abort on failure Off Optionally halt updates if backup fails
Excluded plugins None Plugins to never back up

How backups are stored

wp-content/uploads/rg-backups/
└── akismet/
    ├── 5.3.3_20260220_143022/
    │   ├── files/
    │   │   └── (full plugin copy)
    │   └── manifest.json
    └── 5.3.2_20260115_091500/
        ├── files/
        └── manifest.json

Each backup directory contains a complete copy of the plugin files and a manifest.json with version, date, file count, and size metadata.

The backup root is protected with .htaccess (deny all) and an empty index.php.

Safety features

  • Size gate — large plugins are skipped unless explicitly allowlisted, with an admin notice offering a one-click "Allow" link
  • Storage quota — prevents backups from consuming unlimited disk space
  • Disk space check — skips backup if free space is low
  • Lock file — prevents race conditions during bulk or concurrent updates
  • Retention pruning — only keeps the configured number of versions per plugin
  • Path traversal protection — backup and restore paths are validated against the backup root

Development

Project structure

rollback-guard/
├── rollback-guard.php          # Bootstrap and hooks
├── includes/
│   ├── class-rg-backup-manager.php   # Backup, restore, prune logic
│   ├── class-rg-upgrader-hooks.php   # WordPress upgrader integration
│   ├── class-rg-admin-page.php       # Admin page and AJAX handlers
│   └── class-rg-manifest.php         # manifest.json read/write
├── templates/
│   ├── admin-page.php                # Backup browser
│   ├── settings-page.php             # Settings tab
│   └── confirm-rollback.php          # Restore confirmation
├── assets/
│   ├── css/admin.css
│   ├── js/admin.js
│   └── img/                          # Plugin icons
└── readme.txt                        # WordPress.org format

License

GPL-2.0-or-later. See LICENSE.