Today WordPress released the WordPress 5.1 named “Betty” in honor of acclaimed jazz vocalist Betty Carter, is available for download or update in your WordPress dashboard.
WP 5.1 focuses on polish, in particular by improving the overall performance of the editor. In addition, this release paves the way for a better, faster, and more secure WordPress with some essential tools for site administrators and developers.
Now WordPress will detect if a site is running on an insecure, outdated version of PHP and display a notice in the dashboard with information about how to update PHP. It also includes checks for PHP version compatibility with plugins. WordPress 5.1+ will prevent users from installing plugins that require newer versions of PHP than they have running.
WordPress 5.1 includes solid performance improvements within the editor. The editor should feel a little quicker to start, and typing should feel smoother.
5.1 introduces a new database table to store metadata associated with sites and allows for the storage of arbitrary site data relevant in a multisite / network context.
The Cron API has been updated with new functions to assist with returning data and includes new filters for modifying storage.
WordPress 5.1 features a new JavaScript build option, following the large of code that started in the 5.0 release.
Our WordPress Themes are compatible with WordPress 5.1 and with the new editor (Gutenberg).