{"id":5644,"date":"2024-10-21T02:33:57","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T00:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/?p=5644"},"modified":"2024-10-21T10:28:49","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T08:28:49","slug":"wordpress-vs-wp-engine-conflict-acf-becomes-secure-custom-fields","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/blog\/news\/conflit-wordpress-vs-wp-engine-acf-devient-secure-custom-fields\/","title":{"rendered":"WordPress vs WP Engine conflict: ACF becomes Secure Custom Fields"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conflict between <strong>Matt Mullenweg<\/strong>founder of WordPress and <strong>WP Engine<\/strong> continues to shake up the WordPress community. The latest development in this affair concerns a major plugin in the ecosystem: <strong>Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)<\/strong>. Since October 12, 2024, <strong>ACF has been completely replaced on the official WordPress.org directory by Secure Custom Fields (SCF).<\/strong>a fork set up by the WordPress security team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The official announcement was made via a <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/2024\/10\/secure-custom-fields\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blog post on WordPress.org<\/a>. Here's what you need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2db8e6f4 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-layout-flow wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\"><summary>Unfold: Reminder of the global conflict<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This dispute over ACF is just one of the many steps in the <strong>growing tension between Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine<\/strong>. The relationship between these two major players in the WordPress ecosystem degenerated due to differences over the management of the WordPress brand, project governance, and certain WP Engine business practices. These tensions intensified when Mullenweg openly criticized WP Engine, accusing it of harming the ecosystem by disabling certain crucial features (such as revision history), and of muddying the waters with the use of the \"WP\" brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This conflict raises questions about WordPress governance and open source management in an environment where commercial interests are at stake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a more in-depth analysis of the beginning of this conflict, see the previous article : <a href=\"#\">WordPress vs WP Engine conflict: analysis of the drama<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#un-changement-officiellement-motive-par-la-securite\">A change officially motivated by safety<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#la-reaction-de-lequipe-acf\">ACF team reaction<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#w\">WP Engine banned from WordPress.org<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#impact-pour-les-utilisateurs\">Impact on users<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#differences-entre-acf-et-scf\">Differences between ACF and SCF<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#v\">Pay version of ACF<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#v-1\">Free version of ACF<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#a\">Other WP Engine plugins<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"un-changement-officiellement-motive-par-la-securite\">A change officially motivated by safety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a post published on October 12, 2024, Matt Mullenweg announced the creation of <strong>Secure Custom Fields<\/strong> as a fork of ACF to meet a specific <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordfence.com\/threat-intel\/vulnerabilities\/wordpress-plugins\/acf-images-search-and-insert\/acf-images-search-and-insert-114-authenticated-subscriber-arbitrary-file-upload\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">critical security flaw<\/a> discovered in the original plugin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is entirely possible and justifiable thanks to the invocation <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/wordpress\/wporg-plugin-guidelines\/blob\/trunk\/guideline-18.md\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">point 18 of the WordPress guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\" 18. We reserve the right to manage the plugin directory to the best of our ability.\"<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/wordpress\/wporg-plugin-guidelines\/blob\/trunk\/guideline-18.md\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Point 18 of the WordPress guidelines<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Secure Custom Fields replaces ACF on WordPress.org<\/strong> and all sites that used to use ACF via this repository will automatically switch to SCF on upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>We can't help but think that the tensions between the two companies have a lot to do with this decision. But we're not in Matt Mullenweg's shoes, who, as an intelligent and committed member of the WordPress project, probably has good reasons for making this choice.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"la-reaction-de-lequipe-acf\">ACF team reaction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Faced with this change, the ACF team expressed its <strong>disappointment and concern<\/strong> in an article published <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advancedcustomfields.com\/blog\/acf-plugin-no-longer-available-on-wordpress-org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on their official blog<\/a>. They are denouncing a decision which they consider to be unilateral and which, in their view, is in the interests of the company, <strong>goes against open source principles<\/strong>. Since joining WP Engine, they have worked continuously on the development of ACF, with over 200,000 lines of code and numerous improvements, both in terms of functionality and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here's what they say in their post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\"We are appalled by the actions of Matt Mullenweg, who has unilaterally and without our consent taken control of the Advanced Custom Fields plugin, a tool we have been actively developing for the WordPress community since 2011.\"<\/p>\n<cite>Extract from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advancedcustomfields.com\/blog\/acf-plugin-no-longer-available-on-wordpress-org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">original post on the ACF blog<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ACF team advises that users of ACF Pro or those hosted on <strong>WP Engine<\/strong> and <strong>Flywheel<\/strong> are not affected by this change and will continue to receive updates directly via WP Engine. On the other hand, those using the free version of ACF on other hostings must manually download version 6.3.8 of ACF from their site to continue to benefit from updates on their side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ACF indicates how to continue using its own version of the plugin if you are using the free version of ACF on a host other than your own (WP Engine).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, it is playing the loyalty card on its site with a special insert on the home page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-155a5fc1 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure data-wp-context=\"{&quot;imageId&quot;:&quot;6a14ce5d9d2e2&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"core\/image\" data-wp-key=\"6a14ce5d9d2e2\" class=\"wp-block-image size-full wp-lightbox-container\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1131\" height=\"328\" data-wp-class--hide=\"state.isContentHidden\" data-wp-class--show=\"state.isContentVisible\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\" data-wp-on--load=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" data-wp-on--pointerdown=\"actions.preloadImage\" data-wp-on--pointerenter=\"actions.preloadImageWithDelay\" data-wp-on--pointerleave=\"actions.cancelPreload\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.setButtonStyles\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/acf-encart-trust.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/acf-encart-trust.png 1131w, https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/acf-encart-trust-150x44.png 150w, https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/acf-encart-trust-300x87.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/acf-encart-trust-1024x297.png 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1131px) 100vw, 1131px\" \/><button\n\t\t\tclass=\"lightbox-trigger\"\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\taria-haspopup=\"dialog\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-bind--aria-label=\"state.thisImage.triggerButtonAriaLabel\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-init=\"callbacks.initTriggerButton\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.showLightbox\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--right=\"state.thisImage.buttonRight\"\n\t\t\tdata-wp-style--top=\"state.thisImage.buttonTop\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"12\" height=\"12\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\">\n\t\t\t\t<path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M2 0a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 1 .5-.5h2V0H2Zm2 10.5H2a.5.5 0 0 1-.5-.5V8H0v2a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h2v-1.5ZM8 12v-1.5h2a.5.5 0 0 0 .5-.5V8H12v2a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H8Zm2-12a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2h-1.5V2a.5.5 0 0 0-.5-.5H8V0h2Z\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Insert on ACF home page<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\"You've trusted ACF for more than a decade. The experts who maintain ACF will continue to support and enhance the features our users value and trust.\"<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"w\">WP Engine banned from WordPress.org<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We call him back, <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/2024\/09\/wp-engine-banned\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WP Engine completely banned from WordPress.org<\/a>which means that their other plugins can no longer be maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These include <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/better-search-replace\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Better Search Replace<\/a> (1+ million active installations), or to <a href=\"https:\/\/fr.wordpress.org\/plugins\/php-compatibility-checker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PHP Compatibility Checker<\/a> (200,000+ active installations).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, these plugins are less essential than ACF and can be replaced by <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/update-urls\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Update URLs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/query-monitor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Query Monitor<\/a> to name but a few.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"impact-pour-les-utilisateurs\">Impact on users<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"differences-entre-acf-et-scf\">Differences between ACF and SCF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the time being, the two free plugins are functionally identical, as the fork is very recent. We'll have to follow their respective developments to see if one of them stands out for its stability, security or functionality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>It's conceivable that ACF will eventually be integrated into the WordPress core. We'll just have to wait and see.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"v\">Pay version of ACF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the paid version of ACF and WP Engine clients, there are no changes to be expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"v-1\">Free version of ACF<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are using the free version of ACF on the original WordPress.org, at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/web-hosting\/\">independent host like LRob<\/a> :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When your plugins are updated, ACF will be transformed into SCF, then maintained by the WordPress community.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you don't agree, you can return to the ACF-managed version. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advancedcustomfields.com\/blog\/installing-and-upgrading-to-the-latest-version-of-acf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">by reinstalling the plugin from their sources<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a\">Other WP Engine plugins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you're using other WP Engine plugins, consider finding a replacement if their access to WordPress.org isn't restored.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although this conflict may raise concerns, it is important to remember that <strong>Matt Mullenweg<\/strong> has always been committed to maintaining the integrity and security of the WordPress ecosystem. <strong>Secure Custom Fields<\/strong> was introduced in this spirit, and despite criticism, Mullenweg remains a respected figure in the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While we wait for the situation to become clearer, let's remain cautious about our opinions and keep an eye out for updates and news on this subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Until then, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/web-hosting\/\">give your WordPress sites the best of both worlds with fast, convenient and secure hosting<\/a> !<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Le conflit entre Matt Mullenweg, fondateur de WordPress et WP Engine continue de secouer la communaut\u00e9 WordPress. Le dernier d\u00e9veloppement dans cette affaire concerne un plugin majeur de l&rsquo;\u00e9cosyst\u00e8me : Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). Depuis le 12 octobre 2024, ACF a \u00e9t\u00e9 enti\u00e8rement remplac\u00e9 sur le r\u00e9pertoire officiel de WordPress.org par Secure Custom Fields (SCF), [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5644"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5644\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5651,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5644\/revisions\/5651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lrob.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}