You may have heard of some drama in the WordPress community regarding WP Engine and Advanced Custom Fields (ACF).

I wanted to put together a concise blog post that gives you what you need to know about what's going on and how it may affect your WordPress website.

What You Need to Know About Changes to the ACF Plugin on WordPress.org

TLDR; WordPress.org is fighting with WP Engine, which owns ACF. WordPress.org copied the ACF plugin and republished it under a new name called "Secure Custom Fields". This is technically legal to do but has been done hostilely and without consent from the owners of ACF.

What is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)?

For those unfamiliar, ACF is a widely used plugin that lets web developers add custom fields to WordPress sites, making it easier to create dynamic and customized content. It’s been a go-to for developers like myself because it adds so much flexibility and functionality to WordPress websites.

What is WP Engine?

WP Engine is a managed WordPress hosting provider that is specifically optimized for WordPress websites. They own ACF.

So, What Happened?

Recently, WordPress.org took the existing code of ACF and republished it under a new name. This is technically legal because ACF is licensed under the General Public License (GPL), which allows anyone to freely use and modify open-source code.

However, WordPress.org republished the code without direct input from the original ACF developers as a reactionary response to an ongoing dispute between WordPress and WP Engine (the company that owns ACF).

This can create confusion because users may log into their WordPress website and now see "Secure Custom Fields" instead of the "Advanced Custom Fields" plugin they had installed.

That kind of overreach into personally owned websites is, at the very least, an ethical gray area.

Do You Need to Take Any Action?

For now, if you’re using ACF Pro or host your website on Flywheel or WP Engine, there is nothing you need to change or worry about.

The original ACF plugin is still available and will continue to function as usual. However, it's recommended that you download the latest ACF plugin version and upload it to your website to ensure your site continues using ACF and not Secure Custom Fields.

However, be mindful of where you’re downloading your plugins. If you’re looking for the original ACF plugin, download it directly from trusted sources like Advanced Custom Fields or reputable plugin marketplaces.

If you have auto-updates enabled, then the update process will auto-switch from Advanced Custom Fields to Secure Custom Fields.

Final Thoughts

This situation highlights the complexities of open-source software, and it’s a reminder of why it’s important to understand the sources and licenses of the tools we use.

If you’re interested in learning more about the details, here’s an article that explains the whole situation in-depth.

As always, if you have any questions about ACF or plugins in general, feel free to reach out!