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Code Archive

A WordPress plugin to arhive/unarchive plugins for a site.

by Neil James · github.com/neilwjames/code-archive · website

★ 0stars

Install

Download source zip No release zip yet

This is the repository archive. It installs, but the folder name will carry the branch suffix and updates will not flow.

Install straight from GitHub with WP-CLI:

wp plugin install https://github.com/neilwjames/code-archive/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
No built-in updater. New versions won't appear under Dashboard → Updates. Install new releases yourself, or let Git Updater track the repository.
Readme github.com/neilwjames/code-archive ↗

A WordPress plugin that keeps inactive plugins out of the plugins folder by archiving them as zip files, puts them back when they are needed, and keeps them updated meanwhile.

Documentation | Changelog | Filters | Actions

Why

Every plugin in wp-content/plugins is code a web request can reach, active or not; Site Health recommends removing inactive plugins for that reason. Code Archive lets you keep the plugins you use now and then without leaving them there.

How it works

Code Archive runs entirely on the web server, and does just two file operations:

  • Archive = compress and move: the plugin's folder is compressed into a zip, moved into wp-content/plugins-archive, and removed from wp-content/plugins.
  • Unarchive = uncompress and move: the zip is uncompressed, the plugin moved back into wp-content/plugins (inactive), and the zip removed.

Nothing is downloaded to or uploaded from your browser, and archived zips never leave the server. The only network use is checking WordPress.org for updates to archived plugins, and downloading an update when you choose Update now, as WordPress does for installed plugins.

Key features

  • Archive an inactive plugin: it becomes wp-content/plugins-archive/<folder>.zip. No PHP from it is left on disk.
  • Archived plugins stay on the Plugins screen (Archived view, and in All), with Unarchive as their only action.
  • Unarchive puts the plugin back in the plugins folder, inactive.
  • Bulk Archive and Unarchive.
  • Updates for archived plugins are found with WordPress's own update check, counted in the Updates totals, and applied by installing the new version and archiving it again.
  • Never deletes or overwrites a plugin.
  • Multisite: managed in Network Admin.

Requirements

  • WordPress: 6.5 or higher
  • PHP: 8.2 or higher, with the zip extension
  • Direct write access to wp-content
  • nginx: deny the archive folder in the server configuration (see docs/usage.md)

Development

  • Lint: composer lint (WPCS 3 + PHPCompatibilityWP, phpcs.ruleset.xml)
  • Tests: bash script/install-wp-tests wordpress_test <db-user> <db-pass> localhost latest, then composer test (add WP_MULTISITE=1 for multisite). See tests/test_suite.md.