“Everest”  ## Metadata - Author: [[Brent Toderash]] - Full Title: “Everest” - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #wordpress - #opensource - #softwaredistribution - #FAIR Author: Brent Toderash Source: AspirePress Blog Reference: https://aspirepress.org/everest-1-0-is-not-just-a-number/ date created: 2025-06-11 18:45 --- # Title: “Everest” (1.0 is not just a number) ## Table of Contents:  - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Assessment](#-deib-diversity-equity-inclusion-and-belonging-assessment) - [✅ Logical validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ## 📝 Summary: AspirePress announces the release of AspireUpdate 1.0, a plugin enabling WordPress sites to update from multiple repositories—including wordpress.org and alternate mirrors—supporting decentralization of software distribution. Alongside, AspireExplorer offers browsing and searching capabilities for these repositories. The infrastructure includes AspireSync and AspireCloud to synchronize and serve packages efficiently, with global CDN partnerships ensuring robust delivery. This milestone, named “Everest,” symbolizes a foundational shift towards decentralizing WordPress software supply, securing its longevity and independence without forking the core project. ## 📖 Main Content: AspireUpdate 1.0 empowers site owners to select where their WordPress plugins and themes update from, expanding options beyond the official WordPress.org repository. This includes mirrors hosted by AspirePress and other upcoming sources, although WordPress.com sites remain incompatible for now. AspireExplorer complements this by providing a plugin browser that mirrors the user experience on WordPress.org but with additional repositories. Underpinning these tools is a robust infrastructure: AspireSync continually gathers and syncs package updates, while AspireCloud serves API requests for package downloads and metadata, supporting both AspireUpdate and AspireExplorer. This distributed system is bolstered by CDN partnerships with Fastly and Automattic, covering 124 global data centers, greatly increasing update resilience and reducing single points of failure. The “Everest” release represents not just a software milestone but a strategic commitment to decentralization, aiming to democratize the WordPress package ecosystem. Importantly, AspirePress stresses this is not a fork; the software remains identical to WordPress.org’s offerings. The effort is framed as a gift to the community, augmenting rather than competing with existing infrastructure. Looking ahead, AspirePress plans to enhance features like translations and search capabilities while inviting community involvement. The blog highlights the diverse team and contributors behind the project, acknowledging sponsors and supporters who made this progress possible. ## 🗒️ Notes - **AspireUpdate 1.0** - Enables user choice of update repository (wordpress.org, AspirePress mirror, others) - Compatible with most WordPress sites, excluding WordPress.com - Available on GitHub for manual installation - **AspireExplorer** - Preview release enables browsing/searching of plugins from alternate repositories - Intends to expand to themes and enhanced search - **Infrastructure** - AspireSync: server-side package gathering and syncing, resource-efficient - AspireCloud: API server handling requests from clients/plugins - CDN partnerships with Fastly (97 POPs) and Automattic (27 POPs) for global distribution - **Decentralization Goals** - Moving WordPress updates away from single-vendor dependence - Enhancing supply chain security, reliability, and longevity - **Clarification** - Not a fork; software identical to wordpress.org’s - Designed as a gift to the community, augmenting distribution - **Community and Contributors** - Over 180 Slack members - Team leads named for various components - Thanks to sponsors, donors, and community members - **Next Steps** - Translations - Additional repository features - Continued community engagement and contributions ## 📖 References: - AspirePress official blog: https://aspirepress.org/everest-1-0-is-not-just-a-number/ - GitHub repository for AspireUpdate, AspireSync, AspireCloud - Fastly CDN network details - WordPress.org official update mechanisms ## 🗣️ Paraphrase:  1. Original: “We believe it represents the start of a sea change in how WordPress packages will be managed and updated in the future, securing the software supply chain for the future of WordPress by moving it past a single-vendor solution to help ensure its longevity, its independence, and its security.” Paraphrase: This milestone marks the beginning of a transformative shift in WordPress package management, moving away from reliance on a single vendor and toward a more secure, independent, and sustainable software supply chain. 2. Original: “The effort we’ve undertaken here is presented as a gift to the WordPress community, for their benefit. As it distributes the same software from an alternate source, it is intended not to compete with, but to augment the software distribution channel.” Paraphrase: Our work is offered as a contribution to the WordPress community, providing the same software through additional channels designed to complement, not replace, the existing distribution system. ## 📰 Newsletter: Hello WordPress enthusiasts! 🚀 AspirePress just hit a major milestone with AspireUpdate 1.0 — a plugin that lets you update WordPress plugins and themes from repositories beyond wordpress.org. This means more control, more mirrors, and greater security for your sites. Plus, the AspireExplorer preview lets you browse these alternate repositories just like on WordPress.org. Backed by powerful syncing infrastructure and global CDNs, this effort is a game-changer for decentralizing the WordPress software supply chain. It's not a fork but a community gift to boost resilience and choice. Check out the full story and get involved: https://aspirepress.org/everest-1-0-is-not-just-a-number/ ## ✅ Action Items: - Integrate knowledge of decentralized update infrastructure into open source advocacy talks. - Support community education on alternative update repositories and supply chain security. - Encourage contributions to AspirePress projects for diversification of software distribution. - Advocate for sustainable and resilient WordPress infrastructure aligning with OSPO goals. - Share updates with developer and user communities to promote adoption and feedback. - Highlight collaboration with sponsors and emphasize transparency in community efforts. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: - Decentralized update repositories will reduce risks of supply chain attacks on WordPress sites. - Offering multiple update sources will increase user control and satisfaction. - Community involvement in mirrors and sync infrastructure will accelerate innovation and resilience. - Non-automattic distribution points will foster broader ecosystem diversity. ## 📊 Methodology: - Collect usage data comparing update success and security incidents pre- and post-decentralization. - Survey users on satisfaction and control perceptions with multiple update sources. - Conduct security audits of distributed update infrastructure. - Analyze contribution patterns to decentralized repositories and infrastructure projects. ## ❓ Questions: - How will plugin and theme authors manage distribution across multiple mirrors? - What mechanisms ensure synchronization and integrity between repositories? - How can user adoption of alternate update sources be encouraged? - What are the long-ter - Summary: As this post goes up on our blog, Matt Leach is taking the stage at the Alt-Ctrl event in Basel, Switzerland. He'll be representing the AspirePress team there to demo something we are super-proud of -- and we've put a lot of work into it. Today we are pleased to announce the release of AspireUpdate - URL: https://aspirepress.org/everest-1-0-is-not-just-a-number/ As this post goes up on our blog, Matt Leach is taking the stage at the [Alt-Ctrl](https://altctrl.org/) event in Basel, Switzerland. He’ll be representing the AspirePress team there to demo something we are super-proud of — and we’ve put a lot of work into it. Today we are pleased to announce the release of **AspireUpdate 1.0**, a WordPress plugin that enables site owners to update their software from the repository of their choice — whether that’s [wordpress.org](https://wordpress.org/), our own AspirePress mirror, or one of others to appear soon. [AspireUpdate can be downloaded](https://github.com/aspirepress/aspireupdate/releases/download/1.0/aspireupdate.zip) from [our GitHub repository](https://github.com/aspirepress/aspireupdate) and easily [uploaded to a WordPress site](https://learn.wordpress.org/lesson-plan/choosing-and-installing-plugins/#installing-a-plugin-via-external-zip-file) to enable user-selectable download repository sources, including wordpress.org. (WordPress.com sites are not compatible at this time.) AspireUpdate provides access to the full slate of plugins and themes as they exist today at wordpress.org. We are also announcing today a preview release of **AspireExplorer**, which allows users to [browse and search the software repository](https://aspirepress.org/plugins/) in much the same way as they would on wordpress.org to find extensions for WordPress that can be downloaded and installed manually. The plugin browser can be accessed now at aspirepress.org to locate available plugins from our repository. AspireExplorer is in active development, and will soon offer improved search capabilities as well as the ability to browse themes as well as plugins. #### Powering Alternate Repositories The repository we host is powered by two packages, which are available from our Github repository for anyone wanting to set up their own mirror. **AspireSync** runs as a server-side application to gather packages and update them as new releases become available. This application can run from anywhere, and is made to gather and sync packages over time without overusing resources at either end of the file exchange. **AspireCloud** is the server software for responding to API calls from AspireUpdate or from other compatible plugins which redirect API calls using the same format as wordpress.org. AspireCloud receives the API request and responds with the information necessary to download its copy of the requested package. This API also responds to queries from AspireExplorer, which runs independently of AspireCloud.  Without infrastructure, the software we’ve written would lie dormant, little more than a proof-of-concept that doesn’t actually expand the available options for updating software from an independent repository. For this reason, we felt it was important to stand up infrastructure, and [Fastly](https://www.fastly.com/) has partnered with us to sponsor CDN services from its 97 points of presence globally. Together with Automattic’s 27 points of presence, this means that WordPress updates are now being served from 124 datacenters around the world. With more to come online, the supply chain for WordPress software updates is becoming more robust and more resilient as it decentralizes. #### Why Climb this Mountain? We’re calling this initial release our “Everest” milestone. We believe it represents the start of a sea change in how WordPress packages will be managed and updated in the future, securing the software supply chain for the future of WordPress by moving it past a single-vendor solution to help ensure its longevity, its independence, and its security. As there has been some confusion in the past, it’s important to say that this is *not* is a fork of WordPress. What this suite of packages distributes is the *same* software as is available from wordpress.org, and does not usurp, replace, or modify the WordPress software, its plugins, or its themes. The effort we’ve undertaken here is presented as a gift to the WordPress community, for their benefit. As it distributes the same software from an alternate source, it is intended not to compete with, but to augment the software distribution channel. The same is true for the packages we distribute in this fashion. #### Next Steps Translations will be coming soon, as well as other features that diversify features available on wordpress.org with additional options for the WordPress community. Give us [a star and a follow on GitHub](https://github.com/aspirepress), engage with us on social media and follow here for updates — and above all, you’re welcome to get involved and contribute to the ongoing effort. #### All Due Credit The AspirePress Slack channels currently have over 180 members, all of whom are considered part of the community supporting the work. Of those, it’s appropriate to single out a few who have made significant contributions to realizing this goal. * Sarah Savage — *project founder* * Brent Toderash — *team lead, project management* * Chuck Adams — *team lead (Sync, Cloud)* * Andy Fragen — *team lead* * Namith Jawahar — *team lead (Update, Explorer)* * Matt Leach — *team lead* * Austin Meakin — *project management team* * Alex Sirota — *team lead* * Veerle Verbert — *project management team* We also offer special thanks to Colin Stewart, Kyle Keevil, AltCtrl, Fastly, all of the donors and sponsors who helped with expenses, and everyone in the Slack channels, where a kind word or a cheerful emoji is a contribution that helps keep the code flowing. [AspireExplorer](https://aspirepress.org/category/aspireexplorer/), [AspireUpdate](https://aspirepress.org/category/aspireupdate/), [Releases](https://aspirepress.org/category/releases/), “Everest”, Brent Toderash, 01jxggcy1qzf8bmjwnq9dghjfg.