It's a big week for us at weDevs (March 18, 2020). We have turned seven!
When I (Nizam Uddin) started weDevs 7 years ago, we set out to build the best WordPress products with Tareq Hasan (Get to know about us- the weDevs team!). Our motto was simple! Make the absolute best WordPress products! It’s safe to say a lot of things have changed since 2013.
As our company has grown, we have launched new products & dreamed up new ways to innovate.
As the CEO & Co-Founder at weDevs, I have been on a path to creating products that are superior in design, usability & features. And our top priority has always been YOU! We have been focusing on customer satisfaction since the first day and the numbers don't lie!
We have an astonishing 90% customer satisfaction on Trustpilot as of today.
I always feel so proud of my 70+ members' team. It wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of this remarkable team. This team created breakthrough products like Dokan, arguably the best multi-vendor plugin for WordPress right now.
But as we are moving forward – we are focusing on the next chapter of weDevs. Sure we have some great products planned for the next few years, but today is a special day. Today we are unveiling something which should have been done long ago, but nobody actually did.
Today weDevs reinvents the WordPress Repository
As a gift to all our users on our 7th birthday, we are introducing something for the community entirely.
A new platform for all WordPress enthusiasts. Whether you are a blogger, developer, or user – WP Hive has got you covered. Introducing WP Hive: A Better WordPress Repository.
We are always thinking about bringing more innovation to WordPress. When we started, many told us that it's not possible with WordPress to create products as we do with WordPress. But we proved them wrong with groundbreaking products like WP Project Manager, WP ERP & WPUF. We redefined what can be done with WordPress. And today, we are taking it to the next level.
Introducing WP Hive: How it's a better WordPress Repository?
WP Hive is a modern take on the WordPress repository that puts the focus back on its users.
weDevs started back in 2013 but we have been using WordPress since early 2008. We have not seen any major changes to the WordPress repository for the last 10 years. We thought we could show the world how the WordPress repository should look like in 2020.
weDevs always tries to bring real innovation to WordPress. Hence, the concept of WP Hive came to life. We set out to create a better WordPress repository for all WordPress users.
We found some problems with the current repository
- No way to discover plugins by different categories
- Finding the right plugin for the right job is hard
- The design is very old and not very thoughtful
- You cannot compare two similar plugins
Think about this scenario. Suppose you want to install a forms plugin. But, if you don't already know the plugin name – you have to rely on Google search. But we have solved issues like this with WP Hive.
Did we crawl and tested all 50K+ WordPress plugin data with actionable insights? Is WP Hive always updating like WordPress.org itself?
– YES!
WP Hive has Multiple Parts!
- The management scripts, plugin crawler, testing scripts and so on.
- All of them run on a VPS with 8 CPU cores and 8 GB of RAM. This server is almost certainly more powerful than it needs to be for this project.
- The test sites are hosted on Google Cloud VM instances, one site/plugin per instance. The machine type is n1-standard-1.
- Whenever there is a new plugin update – the crawler gets it within 1-3 days. If there's an older test data, it gets replaced with the new test data from the new release of that particular plugin.
WP Hive crawls all the plugins from WordPress.org, activates it, logs many crucial data such as page speed, memory usage, JavaScript issues, activations issues, and more.
How to Search for Plugins in WP Hive- A New WordPress Repository
Head over to the WP Hive homepage and start searching the plugin by its name. Of course, the search is predictive – the way search should be in 2020.
And, as you scroll the page, a lot of really interesting information will appear including the latest WordPress version compatibility, latest PHP version compatibility, page speed impact, memory usage, javascript issues & more.
Obviously, we did not end there. We measured each plugin and its impact on the server's memory and we are showing it with beautiful charts.
You can also view how many tables the plugin has created into your WordPress database and view the different WP-Options.
Well, we are just getting started. WP Hive is not stopping there.
Compare Plugins Side by Side
One of the most unique things about WP Hive is that you can compare two plugins side by side
After you input and press the Compare button – WP Hive offers you a table-style comparison of memory consumption, speed, and a lot of other parameters. We believe it will massively help you to choose between two plugins.
On the compare page, there is two winner section which is calculated by average memory usage and average page speed impact.
Since faster websites essentially mean a better environment for us all – we thought about including these two metrics to build a better future for us all. You can read this article from Nature.com.
Already, the data centers use an estimated 200 terawatt-hours (TWh) each year. That is more than the national energy consumption of some countries. By 2030 it is going to hit almost 400 terawatt-hours. Better resource usage will definitely help us to build a better environment for us all.
You can read more about how better-performing websites can help save the planet from Jack Lenox's excellent talk at WordCamp Europe
Discover Plugins by Different Metrics with This WordPress Repository
The very first thing we did with WP Hive – we built a better plugin discovery tool
One of the most frustrating things about WordPress.org is that even after 10 years – there's no way to find plugins based on different categories. Think about my use case. I want social sharing plugins.
It is quite impossible for a new plugin to compete with the already established plugins. This changes with WP Hive. We are introducing new ways you can find & discover plugins.
WP Hive is the new Appstore for WordPress. Just like you find apps from Play Store or Appstore – you can find plugins on WP Hive by different categories.
You can search for plugins using the most searched keywords using the search button on the discover page
Not only that, but You can also filter the result to your liking, the ratings and characteristics of each plugin, everything. You can filter the plugins based on several criteria including
- Top Rated this week
- Top Rated this month
- Most Popular this week
- Most Popular this month
You can also find plugins based on their ratings/reviews. This includes all categories.
Meet the Man behind WP Hive
I had many ideas of a better WordPress repository, but the idea came from the mind of Saif Hassan, a Product Manager at weDevs. When Saif pitched his idea about a better WordPress repository – I was a bit skeptical. But as soon as the prototype was done – I gave this project a go. From ideation to execution- he was remarkable.
Saif has recently given a talk on modern design at Pop up Live Stream, hosted by WordPress co-founder, Matt Mullenweg. He has previously been a speaker at WordCamp Dhaka, WordCamp Kochi, & WordCamp Kerala.
What's Next for weDevs & WP Hive
We have many exciting features planned already for WP Hive for the next couple of years. For example, we will be rolling out multiple plugin comparisons in the next few months.
As a company, weDevs believes in innovation. We started as a small company back in the days, our dreams are higher & more magnanimous. We love making products customers love to use, and we will continuously do so. Because it has been always YOU! Your feedback & satisfaction as a customer mean more than anything to us.
Since the whole world is now going through the COVID-19 pandemic, weDevs has canceled its annual reunion, and instead, we are working remotely. I hope wherever you are – you are safe and healthy. Do follow the basic protective measures against the coronavirus & stay safe.
I wish you all the best of luck for the coming days from myself & weDevs. We hope you will find WP Hive & other weDevs products delightful to use. If you have any questions – feel free to let me know via comments.