7 ms·

VersionPress – Version Control Plugin for WordPress

109 points by borekb 12y ago

smacktoward 12y ago
Looks interesting! I already use Git to manage version control for my WP sites, so it's probably not for me, but it could be very helpful for those who aren't tech-savvy enough to use Git directly -- i.e. 99.999% of the WP-using population.
- andyhmltn 12y ago
  Did you read the website? It's version control for the database as well. I don't suppose you could undo deleting a post with just git haha
  - smacktoward 12y ago
    I did, but I missed that bit. Which is bad! Having database versioning rolled in makes it interesting to people like me as well. If the developers are reading this: move that info up to the top of the page! Currently it's buried down in the "Features" section, making it easy to miss. Don't hide your light under a bushel :-)
    - borekb 12y ago
      Very valid point, we have just updated the website. Thanks!
  - rwhitman 12y ago
    Interesting - thats the most compelling part and it looks like they missed highlighting that completely on the landing page.
    - borekb 12y ago
      Fixed that. Thanks.
  - deckiedan 12y ago
    mysqldump daily into the git repo folder?
  - nimrody 12y ago
    I usually add a commit hook to run 'mysqldump'. Then you get a matching database snapshot along with the source code. TIP: For better diff's use "--skip-extended-insert --skip-dump-date". A nice gui on top of that is welcome (although I'm not sure about the $30K).
    - cwyers 12y ago
      Why mysqldump instead of using the binary log? Just dump the result of SHOW MASTER STATUS to a text file in your git directory, back up your binary log files on a regular basis, and then you just use the stop position feature of the binlog utility[1] to restore to that point in time from the binary logs. A lot faster than doing mysqldump and a lot less likely to lock tables or slow down your database. [1] http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/point-in-time-recovery-positions.html http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/point-in-time-recover...
- mscarborough 12y ago
  So you're in the top 0.001% of WP devs because you use git? OK, sure.
  - ChrisClark 12y ago
    No, he's saying most users of Wordpress are not devs. My clients sure don't use GIT, but they edit their own posts.
campbellsoup 12y ago
I'm both excited and worried about it shipping as a standard WordPress plugin. What failsafes are there to guarantee that this very plugin shan't itself break after a particular update?
- michaelmior 12y ago
  Eventually you have to trust something. I think it's reasonable to keep backups and trust that VersionPress itself won't break. Furthermore, given the backup includes the database and the code, seems like you could test VersionPress upgrades fairly easily from the backup in a separate environment.
  - smacktoward 12y ago
    The biggest potential hangup I could see is something like a hacked-up theme or plugin that breaks in a way that makes the WP backend inaccessible (the infamous "white screen of death": http://codex.wordpress.org/Common_WordPress_Errors http://codex.wordpress.org/Common_WordPress_Errors). In this case VersionPress wouldn't be able to save your bacon, because you wouldn't be able to get to its UI to back the change out. But on the other hand, you'd have to do the exact same thing if you didn't have something like VersionPress installed, and VersionPress might save you from a host of lesser problems that would otherwise be annoying to deal with.
    - borekb 12y ago
      We'll certainly have a way to restore the site even if it is so broken that you can't access the backend. Think something like external command line utility or, for hosting scenarios, a PHP script.
      - iancarroll 12y ago
        Would it be possible to add a git remote so it would push to my Stash server or Github?
crxgames 12y ago
We use git based roll back and deployments at work. It works fantastic, but this looks like a very nice interface on top. the database versioning would be extremely useful. Definitely highlight that at the top of the page as someone else already mentioned in this thread. Have you considered adding support for wp-cli commands with this. That would make automating some of the tasks very nice.
- borekb 12y ago
  Done that, thanks all for the feedback! wp-cli is something we'll definitely consider.
ddon 12y ago
Great idea, supported it! More open source apps should do the same money collection techniques!
davidgerard 12y ago
We outsourced our WordPress blogs to Pagely, and good riddance - but if they were still my problem, I'd be all over this. (I still run my personal sites myself from sheer control addiction. But for almost everyone, outsourcing is the right answer, even just to a free wordpress.com site.)
iambateman 12y ago
This has been one of the biggest problems with using WordPress in a professional/team context. Will you be able to branch everything so multiple people can build on it?
- borekb 12y ago
  Yes, the team scenario is something that we know we want to support and it will totally be possible.
lelandriordan 12y ago
This plugin seems to solve a problem and target a market that doesn't exist. It is also dangerous since it relies on WordPress itself being reachable in the event of catastrophe. WordPress users that aren't developers don't use VMs or update their site's code frequently. Typically they either use simple hosts like Dreamhost/Media Temple or managed hosts like Pressable/WP Engine that already integrate forms of easy backup. If they don't there are a [plethora of backup plugins](http://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/free-wordpress-backup-plugins/ http://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/free-wordpress-backup-plugin...) and [services](http://vaultpress.com/ http://vaultpress.com/) that not only cover code but also the DB. And since these novice users rarely change their site's code, they have no reason to use version control in the first place. At the other end of the spectrum, WordPress developers don't need this either. Git is pre-installed on most VMs and integrated into almost all the major cloud providers and staging sites take 10 minutes to set up. And most importantly they are abstracted from WordPress itself making them way more secure. For example, what if the admin becomes unreachable after a hack? Doesn't this defeat the entire purpose of Versionpress since you won't be able to access the plugin page to revert back? Combining backup and version control together in the WordPress admin is a recipe for disaster. Lastly, whats the point of raising $30K since this is a premium plugin that's almost done anyway? If the picture isn't a rendering, then it seems like the plugin is already well under development. Isn't this more like a presale?
- vlunkr 12y ago
  My thoughts exactly. I feel the same way about the numerous GUI clients that are supposed to save you ever using git on the command line. Non-developers don't understand/want git, and developers, even ones that don't use the command line often, will find that the basics git commands are really simple.
- elicash 12y ago
  So much hating. If they don't meet the goal, then maybe you're right that there's no market for it. If they do, then you're likely wrong. Why not just wait and see rather than declare it a failure? It's not "dangerous" in a catastrophe because it doesn't take away any options that already exist. And presumably they're raising money because it costs them money to live and work on a project.
ozh 12y ago
Awesome idea. In case you don't meet funding goals, please consider open sourcing the code anyway, I have no doubt a collective effort will finish polishing that plugin.
brokentone 12y ago
I don't care how you slice it, versioning a DB in git is a broken process. If you have to do this to shore up a project, it indicates the project is broken. This is sold as something for big sites: "70% of WP sites in Alexa Top 1 Million" but I promise you there is no conceivable way the amount of changes we make in our WP DB could not be handled in Git.
- borekb 12y ago
  There are certainly big technical challenges to solve, that's why we're running the crowd-funding campaign and that's why we repeat the phrase "realistic funding" quite often. However, although I'm not saying that VersionPress will work in every thinkable scenario and for every WP site out there, we will be able to cover a lot of sites and a lot of needs WP admins have today. Thanks for your comment!
  - Smudge 12y ago
    I'd be interested to hear how you plan to solve that problem exactly. There are several[1] existing[2] solutions[3] attempting to solve the problem of versioning binary files in git, but even then, the history of your code and the history of your data are kind of two separate timelines. I should be able to revert, say, a plugin installation or a configuration change without having to revert any posts or comments that came in during that time. And vice versa. The only time you'd want to tie your data with your code is when the schema of your data changes. Existing frameworks like Rails use code-based migrations for this purpose, so you know at any point in your git history what the database schema should look like (if not how to migrate/revert your data to match that schema). [1] https://github.com/apenwarr/bup https://github.com/apenwarr/bup [2] http://git-annex.branchable.com/ http://git-annex.branchable.com/ [3] http://caca.zoy.org/wiki/git-bigfiles http://caca.zoy.org/wiki/git-bigfiles
    - borekb 12y ago
      Hi Smudge, please see the answer above. Thanks.
  - 12y ago
twodayslate 12y ago
I need a CMS that versions media (images/video). Most just version text posts. It looks like this is one of the better options as I haven't found anything good elsewhere.
- borekb 12y ago
  We will totally version images/albums because we version everything. Glad VersionPress will be useful to you!
programminggeek 12y ago
The huge problem I see with this is going to be when people try to do this on shared hosting, which is the largest portion of WP sites, especially the sites not updating regularly. Good luck explaining git setup, ssh keys, etc. to end users who aren't devs or sysadmins.
- borekb 12y ago
  Though we don't promise this for v1, VersionPress on a common LAMP hosting is certainly something we will do in the future and have prototypes of how it could be done. Of course, the end user will be completely abstracted from things you mentioned, it is our mission to provide version control in a way that everyone can use (i.e., if you don't know Git, fine, you don't have to).
  - muxxa 12y ago
    Have you surveyed how many WordPress installations are on shared hosting? I think that much of the success of WordPress is attributable to the fact it can be installed via Fantastico with the click of a button, I wouldn't be surprised if more than 90% of WordPress(.org) installations in the wild are on shared hosting. The problem is that Git is not installable on shared hosting afaik, so it strikes me as a very weird match for Wordpress.
    - borekb 12y ago
      Hi muxxa, rest assured that we know about this and common LAMP hosting support will certainly come. It's just that to implement the support is relatively time consuming and we don't want to promise for v1 something that we know we will be able to deliver. But don't worry, it is our goal to run everywhere where plain WordPress can so common hosting support is coming.
drewda 12y ago
If you want to use version control for your theme development, there's already Roots: http://roots.io/ http://roots.io/
ahearn 12y ago
Are you planning on integrating this with multisite?
- borekb 12y ago
  This is not finalized yet but something we want to support.

109 points by borekb 12y ago

Looks interesting! I already use Git to manage version control for my WP sites, so it's probably not for me, but it could be very helpful for those who aren't tech-savvy enough to use Git directly -- i.e. 99.999% of the WP-using population.

andyhmltn 12y ago
Did you read the website? It's version control for the database as well. I don't suppose you could undo deleting a post with just git haha
- smacktoward 12y ago
  I did, but I missed that bit. Which is bad! Having database versioning rolled in makes it interesting to people like me as well. If the developers are reading this: move that info up to the top of the page! Currently it's buried down in the "Features" section, making it easy to miss. Don't hide your light under a bushel :-)
  - borekb 12y ago
    Very valid point, we have just updated the website. Thanks!
- rwhitman 12y ago
  Interesting - thats the most compelling part and it looks like they missed highlighting that completely on the landing page.
  - borekb 12y ago
    Fixed that. Thanks.
- deckiedan 12y ago
  mysqldump daily into the git repo folder?
- nimrody 12y ago
  I usually add a commit hook to run 'mysqldump'. Then you get a matching database snapshot along with the source code. TIP: For better diff's use "--skip-extended-insert --skip-dump-date". A nice gui on top of that is welcome (although I'm not sure about the $30K).
  - cwyers 12y ago
    Why mysqldump instead of using the binary log? Just dump the result of SHOW MASTER STATUS to a text file in your git directory, back up your binary log files on a regular basis, and then you just use the stop position feature of the binlog utility[1] to restore to that point in time from the binary logs. A lot faster than doing mysqldump and a lot less likely to lock tables or slow down your database. [1] http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/point-in-time-recovery-positions.html http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/point-in-time-recover...
mscarborough 12y ago
So you're in the top 0.001% of WP devs because you use git? OK, sure.
- ChrisClark 12y ago
  No, he's saying most users of Wordpress are not devs. My clients sure don't use GIT, but they edit their own posts.

campbellsoup 12y ago

I'm both excited and worried about it shipping as a standard WordPress plugin. What failsafes are there to guarantee that this very plugin shan't itself break after a particular update?

michaelmior 12y ago
Eventually you have to trust something. I think it's reasonable to keep backups and trust that VersionPress itself won't break. Furthermore, given the backup includes the database and the code, seems like you could test VersionPress upgrades fairly easily from the backup in a separate environment.
- smacktoward 12y ago
  The biggest potential hangup I could see is something like a hacked-up theme or plugin that breaks in a way that makes the WP backend inaccessible (the infamous "white screen of death": http://codex.wordpress.org/Common_WordPress_Errors http://codex.wordpress.org/Common_WordPress_Errors). In this case VersionPress wouldn't be able to save your bacon, because you wouldn't be able to get to its UI to back the change out. But on the other hand, you'd have to do the exact same thing if you didn't have something like VersionPress installed, and VersionPress might save you from a host of lesser problems that would otherwise be annoying to deal with.
  - borekb 12y ago
    We'll certainly have a way to restore the site even if it is so broken that you can't access the backend. Think something like external command line utility or, for hosting scenarios, a PHP script.
    - iancarroll 12y ago
      Would it be possible to add a git remote so it would push to my Stash server or Github?

crxgames 12y ago

We use git based roll back and deployments at work. It works fantastic, but this looks like a very nice interface on top. the database versioning would be extremely useful. Definitely highlight that at the top of the page as someone else already mentioned in this thread. Have you considered adding support for wp-cli commands with this. That would make automating some of the tasks very nice.

borekb 12y ago
Done that, thanks all for the feedback! wp-cli is something we'll definitely consider.

ddon 12y ago

Great idea, supported it! More open source apps should do the same money collection techniques!

davidgerard 12y ago

We outsourced our WordPress blogs to Pagely, and good riddance - but if they were still my problem, I'd be all over this. (I still run my personal sites myself from sheer control addiction. But for almost everyone, outsourcing is the right answer, even just to a free wordpress.com site.)

iambateman 12y ago

This has been one of the biggest problems with using WordPress in a professional/team context. Will you be able to branch everything so multiple people can build on it?

borekb 12y ago
Yes, the team scenario is something that we know we want to support and it will totally be possible.

lelandriordan 12y ago

This plugin seems to solve a problem and target a market that doesn't exist. It is also dangerous since it relies on WordPress itself being reachable in the event of catastrophe. WordPress users that aren't developers don't use VMs or update their site's code frequently. Typically they either use simple hosts like Dreamhost/Media Temple or managed hosts like Pressable/WP Engine that already integrate forms of easy backup. If they don't there are a [plethora of backup plugins](http://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/free-wordpress-backup-plugins/ http://premium.wpmudev.org/blog/free-wordpress-backup-plugin...) and [services](http://vaultpress.com/ http://vaultpress.com/) that not only cover code but also the DB. And since these novice users rarely change their site's code, they have no reason to use version control in the first place. At the other end of the spectrum, WordPress developers don't need this either. Git is pre-installed on most VMs and integrated into almost all the major cloud providers and staging sites take 10 minutes to set up. And most importantly they are abstracted from WordPress itself making them way more secure. For example, what if the admin becomes unreachable after a hack? Doesn't this defeat the entire purpose of Versionpress since you won't be able to access the plugin page to revert back? Combining backup and version control together in the WordPress admin is a recipe for disaster. Lastly, whats the point of raising $30K since this is a premium plugin that's almost done anyway? If the picture isn't a rendering, then it seems like the plugin is already well under development. Isn't this more like a presale?

vlunkr 12y ago
My thoughts exactly. I feel the same way about the numerous GUI clients that are supposed to save you ever using git on the command line. Non-developers don't understand/want git, and developers, even ones that don't use the command line often, will find that the basics git commands are really simple.
elicash 12y ago
So much hating. If they don't meet the goal, then maybe you're right that there's no market for it. If they do, then you're likely wrong. Why not just wait and see rather than declare it a failure? It's not "dangerous" in a catastrophe because it doesn't take away any options that already exist. And presumably they're raising money because it costs them money to live and work on a project.

ozh 12y ago

Awesome idea. In case you don't meet funding goals, please consider open sourcing the code anyway, I have no doubt a collective effort will finish polishing that plugin.

brokentone 12y ago

I don't care how you slice it, versioning a DB in git is a broken process. If you have to do this to shore up a project, it indicates the project is broken. This is sold as something for big sites: "70% of WP sites in Alexa Top 1 Million" but I promise you there is no conceivable way the amount of changes we make in our WP DB could not be handled in Git.

borekb 12y ago
There are certainly big technical challenges to solve, that's why we're running the crowd-funding campaign and that's why we repeat the phrase "realistic funding" quite often. However, although I'm not saying that VersionPress will work in every thinkable scenario and for every WP site out there, we will be able to cover a lot of sites and a lot of needs WP admins have today. Thanks for your comment!
- Smudge 12y ago
  I'd be interested to hear how you plan to solve that problem exactly. There are several[1] existing[2] solutions[3] attempting to solve the problem of versioning binary files in git, but even then, the history of your code and the history of your data are kind of two separate timelines. I should be able to revert, say, a plugin installation or a configuration change without having to revert any posts or comments that came in during that time. And vice versa. The only time you'd want to tie your data with your code is when the schema of your data changes. Existing frameworks like Rails use code-based migrations for this purpose, so you know at any point in your git history what the database schema should look like (if not how to migrate/revert your data to match that schema). [1] https://github.com/apenwarr/bup https://github.com/apenwarr/bup [2] http://git-annex.branchable.com/ http://git-annex.branchable.com/ [3] http://caca.zoy.org/wiki/git-bigfiles http://caca.zoy.org/wiki/git-bigfiles
  - borekb 12y ago
    Hi Smudge, please see the answer above. Thanks.
- 12y ago

twodayslate 12y ago

I need a CMS that versions media (images/video). Most just version text posts. It looks like this is one of the better options as I haven't found anything good elsewhere.

borekb 12y ago
We will totally version images/albums because we version everything. Glad VersionPress will be useful to you!

programminggeek 12y ago

The huge problem I see with this is going to be when people try to do this on shared hosting, which is the largest portion of WP sites, especially the sites not updating regularly. Good luck explaining git setup, ssh keys, etc. to end users who aren't devs or sysadmins.

borekb 12y ago
Though we don't promise this for v1, VersionPress on a common LAMP hosting is certainly something we will do in the future and have prototypes of how it could be done. Of course, the end user will be completely abstracted from things you mentioned, it is our mission to provide version control in a way that everyone can use (i.e., if you don't know Git, fine, you don't have to).
- muxxa 12y ago
  Have you surveyed how many WordPress installations are on shared hosting? I think that much of the success of WordPress is attributable to the fact it can be installed via Fantastico with the click of a button, I wouldn't be surprised if more than 90% of WordPress(.org) installations in the wild are on shared hosting. The problem is that Git is not installable on shared hosting afaik, so it strikes me as a very weird match for Wordpress.
  - borekb 12y ago
    Hi muxxa, rest assured that we know about this and common LAMP hosting support will certainly come. It's just that to implement the support is relatively time consuming and we don't want to promise for v1 something that we know we will be able to deliver. But don't worry, it is our goal to run everywhere where plain WordPress can so common hosting support is coming.

drewda 12y ago

If you want to use version control for your theme development, there's already Roots: http://roots.io/ http://roots.io/

ahearn 12y ago

Are you planning on integrating this with multisite?

borekb 12y ago
This is not finalized yet but something we want to support.