Performance Lab Plugin Updates and AI Performance Recommendation Idea
Update Performance Lab plugins to bump PHP to 7.4 and add .npmrc hardening.
Update Performance Lab plugins to bump PHP to 7.4 and add .npmrc hardening.
Summary
The Performance Lab plugins have received several updates, including a bump of the minimum supported PHP version to 7.4.
A new .npmrc file hardens npm installs against supply chain attacks by setting ignore‑scripts=true and disabling automatic Husky hooks.
Plugin installation and activation flows are fixed for FTP filesystem methods such as ftpext and ftpsockets.
The .npmrc changes require running npm run prepare during initial setup.
The Load Combined Core Block Assets plugin was updated to test up to WordPress 7.0 and includes an admin notice for sites on 7.0.
The Instant Back/Forward plugin was also updated to test up to 7.0.
An idea for AI‑based performance recommendations was proposed, potentially adding an AI plugin to provide recommendations and fixes.
Several PRs remain in review, and the community is encouraged to contribute.
Key changes
- PR #2469 bumps minimum supported PHP from 7.2 to 7.4
- PR #2479 adds .npmrc with ignore‑scripts=true to harden npm installs
- PR #2482 fixes plugin installation/activation for FTP filesystem methods
- .npmrc changes require running npm run prepare during initial setup
- Load Combined Core Block Assets plugin updated to test up to WordPress 7.0
- Instant Back/Forward plugin updated to test up to 7.0
- Idea for AI‑based performance recommendations proposed (#2485)
- Several PRs remain in review