Bits & Brews

Stories about PHP, WordPress, web development, debugging, security, and lessons learned from real projects.

Posts

WordPress security basics that actually matter - Six security basics that stop most attacks: updates, strong passwords, login limits, removing unused plugins, backups, and HTTPS.
Speed up a slow WordPress site in 5 steps - Most slow WordPress sites are slow for the same few reasons. Measure, fix images, cache, cut plugins, and use a CDN.
WordPress 7.0: the wp2shell bug that got every hosting company emailing you - When a bug in WordPress core forces every hosting company on the internet to email their customers, it is worth understanding. What wp2shell did, why it worked, and the small routines that decide whether your site survives the next one.
Elementor is great, but it can be slow: how to keep it fast - Elementor does not have to slow your site down. Five practical fixes: hosting, caching, widgets, images, and unused code.
Symfony, plain PHP, or WordPress: how to pick - A practical way to choose between Symfony, plain PHP, and WordPress/WooCommerce, based on what you are actually building.
WordPress White Screen of Death: what to do when your site goes blank - Your WordPress site is a blank white page. This is how to find the cause, from memory limits to plugin and theme conflicts, in the right order.