Guide to WordPress plugin updates using GitHub as your private repository

Guide to implementing custom WordPress plugin updates using GitHub as your private repository.

Step 1: Set Up the Plugin Repository

Create a GitHub Repository:
Go to GitHub and create a private repository.
Name the repository after your plugin, e.g., my-plugin.
Prepare the Plugin Files:

Ensure your WordPress plugin files are ready with proper versioning in the plugin header:

1/*
2Plugin Name: My Plugin
3Plugin URI: https://yourwebsite.com
4Description: Custom WordPress plugin.
5Version: 1.0.0
6Author: Your Name
7Author URI: https://yourwebsite.com
8*/

Place all files in a folder matching your plugin’s slug, e.g., my-plugin/.
Push Files to GitHub:
Initialize Git in your plugin folder: git init git add . git commit -m "Initial commit"
Push the plugin to your GitHub repository:
git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/my-plugin.git git branch -M main git push -u origin main

Step 2: Tag Releases in GitHub

Create a New Release:
Go to your repository on GitHub.
Navigate to the Releases tab and click Draft a new release.
Use the version number as the tag, e.g., v1.0.0.
Upload a ZIP file of the plugin for this release.
Generate the Release URL:
After publishing the release, note the download link for the ZIP file. It will look like this: https://github.com/yourusername/my-plugin/releases/download/v1.0.0/my-plugin.zip

Step 3: Add Update Check Code to Your Plugin

Modify your plugin to check for updates on GitHub and download the new version.

Include Update Logic: Add the following code to your plugin’s main file:

1function my_plugin_check_for_updates($transient) {
2    if (empty($transient->checked)) {
3        return $transient;
4    }
5
6    $plugin_slug = 'my-plugin/my-plugin.php'; // Replace with your plugin's slug
7    $current_version = '1.0.0'; // Replace with your current version
8
9    // Fetch update information from GitHub
10    $response = wp_remote_get('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/yourusername/my-plugin/main/update.json');
11    if (is_wp_error($response)) {
12        return $transient;
13    }
14
15    $data = json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response), true);
16    if (version_compare($current_version, $data['new_version'], '<')) {
17        $transient->response[$plugin_slug] = (object) [
18            'slug'        => $plugin_slug,
19            'plugin'      => $plugin_slug,
20            'new_version' => $data['new_version'],
21            'package'     => $data['download_url'],
22            'tested'      => $data['tested'],
23            'requires'    => $data['requires'],
24        ];
25    }
26
27    return $transient;
28}
29add_filter('pre_set_site_transient_update_plugins', 'my_plugin_check_for_updates');

Create an update.json File:

Add this file to your GitHub repository and update its contents for each release:

1{
2  "new_version": "1.0.1",
3  "download_url": "https://github.com/yourusername/my-plugin/releases/download/v1.0.1/my-plugin.zip",
4  "requires": "5.0",
5  "tested": "6.4"
6}

Ensure Proper Permissions:

Use an access token if the repository is private. Generate a GitHub personal access token and include it in the wp_remote_get request:

1$response = wp_remote_get('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/yourusername/my-plugin/main/update.json', [
2    'headers' => [
3        'Authorization' => 'token your_github_access_token'
4    ]
5]);

Step 4: Automate Updates

To automate updates:

Increment the Version: Update the Version in your plugin’s header and update.json file for each new release.
Draft a New Release on GitHub: Tag the new release, upload the ZIP file, and publish it.