ACF vs. SCF: Solving the WordPress Plugin Confusion with WP Remote

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Notice: The changes outlined in this article will go live starting October 21, 2024.

Note: We have updated our process to give you more control over ACF updates. Now, instead of automatically defaulting to GitHub updates for ACF, we provide an opt-in option. A header will appear on your site, guiding you to the settings page where you can choose to update the ACF plugin from the WP Engine ACF GitHub repository. You can access the settings directly here: ACF Settings. This allows you to stay in control of how you receive updates for your ACF plugin.

If you’ve been following recent developments in the WordPress ecosystem, you might have noticed a bit of chaos surrounding the popular plugin, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). The situation became confusing for many users when WordPress announced the release of Secure Custom Fields (SCF), a fork of ACF that prioritizes security and removes commercial upsells. This sudden change, triggered by a security issue, has left many users scrambling for clarity, and that’s where we, at WP Remote, come in.

What Are We Doing?

At WP Remote, we’re taking proactive steps to ensure that your websites remain functional, secure, and up to date without the hassle of managing conflicting plugin updates. We understand that most of our users want to stick with the original ACF plugin and are not keen on switching to the newly created SCF. To address this, we’ve adjusted our service to source updates for ACF directly from the plugin’s GitHub repository instead of the WordPress.org repository.

By default, our solution will ensure that ACF users continue receiving updates seamlessly. Once you are updated to the GitHub version of ACF, the plugin will receive updates independently going forward without any issues. If, however, you prefer to switch to Secure Custom Fields, we’ve made it easy for you to do so through an account-level setting that allows you to toggle between ACF updates from GitHub or SCF updates from the WordPress plugin repository. The overriding to GitHub over the plugin repository is valid until January 31, 2025. By that time, we hope everyone has adopted the correct version, and we will revert back to repo-based updates after that.

The Background: How Did We Get Here?

For years, Advanced Custom Fields has been a widely-used and beloved plugin for creating custom fields in WordPress. Recently, WP Engine, which owns ACF, encountered a conflict with the WordPress.org plugin directory team. This conflict led to a major change. WordPress.org decided to fork ACF, creating Secure Custom Fields, which is a separate, non-commercial version of ACF, addressing a critical security issue.

According to WordPress.org’s October announcement, the goal behind SCF was to provide users with a more secure and non-commercial alternative to ACF, which has seen some commercialization after being acquired by WP Engine. The security issue was swiftly fixed in SCF, and users who rely on automatic updates from WordPress.org are now switched over to this new version.

On the other hand, WP Engine developed its own update system for ACF, releasing plugin updates directly through their website or GitHub. However, this created confusion as users who did not switch to WP Engine’s update system were automatically transitioned to SCF if they relied on WordPress.org’s auto-update feature.

This does not apply to ACF Pro. Updates for ACF Pro will continue to take place as normal and are unaffected by the current situation. PRO users can rest easy knowing that they will still receive updates directly from the ACF website without any interruption.

Why This Has Been So Confusing

The situation has caused a lot of confusion because of the overlap between ACF and SCF, both technically and conceptually. Users who simply wanted to keep using ACF found themselves in an unusual position. Here’s why:

  1. Two Versions of the Same Plugin: SCF is essentially a clone of ACF but without some of the premium features and commercial aspects. While SCF fixed a security issue, many users didn’t realize that updating their ACF plugin via WordPress.org would automatically switch them to SCF.
  2. Different Update Channels: ACF updates are now being distributed directly from WP Engine’s own update servers, while SCF updates come from WordPress.org. This split has made it harder for users to know which version they’re running or whether they’re getting the correct updates.
  3. Mixed Communication: Many users have found it unclear whether they should continue using ACF, switch to SCF, or follow WP Engine’s instructions to update ACF via a manual process. Meanwhile, sites that automatically update plugins from WordPress.org are being switched to SCF without their knowledge, further complicating things.
  4. No Action for ACF PRO Users: While all of this impacts users of the free version of ACF, ACF PRO users remain unaffected. Their updates continue to be served via WP Engine, but the confusion around ACF and SCF has led some PRO users to worry that they might be impacted as well.

WP Remote’s Solution: Clear, Seamless, and User-Centric

Recognizing how confusing this situation has become, we’ve streamlined the update process to eliminate the confusion for our users. Here’s how WP Remote is solving the issue:

  1. Defaulting to ACF Updates via GitHub: By default, WP Remote will pull updates for ACF directly from the plugin’s official GitHub repository. This means that your sites will continue receiving ACF updates without any interruptions, and you won’t be forced to switch to SCF if you don’t want to. Once you are updated to the GitHub version of ACF, the plugin will receive updates independently going forward without any issues. Our service will handle all the technical details so that you don’t have to worry about manually downloading and uploading zip files or wondering which version of ACF you are using.
  2. Account-Level Setting for Update Preferences: If you prefer to switch to SCF, we’ve introduced a simple account-level setting that allows you to change your update source. You can choose whether you want to receive updates from ACF’s GitHub repository or from the WordPress.org plugin directory, which will deliver SCF updates. This gives you full control over which version of the plugin you want to use going forward.
  3. Peace of Mind for All Users: Whether you’re using the free version of ACF, ACF PRO, or considering a switch to SCF, we’ve got you covered. Our solution is designed to give you the freedom to choose, while also ensuring your site remains secure, functional, and up to date.
  4. Overriding to GitHub Until January 31, 2025: To help users make a smooth transition, WP Remote will keep overriding the ACF plugin updates to GitHub until January 31, 2025. After that, we expect most users to have adopted the correct version, and we will revert to using the WordPress.org plugin repository for updates.

Conclusion

The ACF and SCF situation has been tricky for WordPress users, but at WP Remote, we’ve simplified the entire process. By sourcing ACF updates directly from GitHub and offering an easy way to switch to SCF through our account settings, we’re ensuring that you stay in control of your WordPress site without any unwanted surprises.

For our users, this means less confusion, fewer manual updates, and the flexibility to choose the solution that works best for them. As the WordPress ecosystem continues to evolve, WP Remote is here to make sure that your plugin management remains stress-free and reliable.

Stay tuned for more updates, and as always, feel free to reach out to our support team if you have any questions!

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