With our newest release, 1.4, FAIR Connect (formerly known as “The FAIR Plugin”) has the DID manager fully integrated and has improved (dev) flows and some bug fixes.
Re-architected Updater Class into a registry, so it will only be instantiated once instead of per plugin or theme thus limiting the number of hooks fired (#428, fixing #427)
Hardened hash validation when there’s no valid hash (#436, #437)
This is a feature release that maintains backward compatibility with version 1.3. All users are encouraged to upgrade to take advantage of these improvements.
Try FAIR 1.4 today
Ready to explore FAIR?
Install the FAIR Connectrelease ZIP to search for verified plugins from both official and independent sources.
Today, Joost de Valk and Karim Marucchi announced that they are stepping away from their work on FAIR. We want to thank them publicly for their vision, energy, and willingness to take on hard problems that helped bring FAIR from a concept to a working technical reality in a remarkably short time.
We also want to be clear: FAIR isn’t stopping.
We understand and respect Joost and Karim’s decision. The challenges they faced: the reluctance of large ecosystem players to invest in neutral infrastructure, the misaligned incentives–these are real. We won’t pretend otherwise. But those challenges don’t define the entirety of what FAIR is or where it’s headed.
It’s a reality that FAIR hasn’t yet been able to secure the funding or board participation from the WordPress ecosystem needed to sustain the project at that scale. This fact doesn’t change the value or success of what has been built, even if it changes where we take it next.
FAIR’s work remains active under the Linux Foundation, which remains supportive of the project. We look forward to trying new approaches to solving these problems.
FAIR was never just about WordPress
FAIR is a federated package management protocol for the modern era, incorporating ideas from the likes of ATProto and established principles for software development. WordPress was the first reference implementation, and FAIR remains a working solution for that platform. But the architecture was always designed to be platform-agnostic. The problems FAIR solves are not WordPress-specific. Supply chain security, decentralized distribution, trust and verification are industry-wide issues and they’re becoming more urgent, not less.
The EU’s Cyber Resilience Act arrives in December 2027 and when it does, software supply chain integrity becomes a regulatory requirement – demonstrating provenance, security scanning, and traceable update mechanisms. FAIR’s architecture is built with exactly this kind of trustworthiness in mind.
We haven’t given up on WordPress. We still welcome contributors and ecosystem leaders to join us so we can continue advancing the work.
AI changes the math on trust
There’s a great amount of conversation right now about what AI means for CMS platforms and software development in general. AI-assisted development is producing code at a pace and volume unheard of. When anyone can generate a plugin, an extension, or an application in an afternoon, the question shifts from “can I find software?” to “can I trust it?”, or just “is this software even needed?”. FAIR’s trust scoring and verification layer is more relevant in today’s world, not less.
What’s next: TYPO3 and CloudFest
The open source CMS TYPO3 community and its technical leadership see the value in what FAIR is building. At the upcoming CloudFest Hackathon, we’ll be working together to bring FAIR’s federated distribution model to the TYPO3 extension ecosystem, building client-side integration, aggregator pipelines, and extending the protocol for TYPO3-specific distribution.
This is exactly the kind of cross-ecosystem adoption that validates FAIR’s design. In Europe especially, digital sovereignty and control over software supply chains are concerns driving real infrastructure decisions.
We recently published a roadmap for 2026, and the technical vision hasn’t changed. FAIR continues to address a genuine need for WordPress and other open source ecosystems. We released FAIR Connect 1.3 this week, with version 1.4 and TYPO3 support on the horizon. Without a formal board to wait on, the community has more room to move. Design, branding, and other project decisions can be made directly by the FAIR community. Watch for more progress in the coming months.
The work continues
We have a solid technical foundation, a working protocol, transparent governance with the stability of the Linux Foundation, and a growing community of contributors who believe in secure software distribution removed from single points of control. The road ahead involves deepening trust scoring, expanding ecosystem support, and continuing to build the tools that make FAIR practical for organizations managing real software at scale.
We are grateful to Joost and Karim for helping FAIR get here. We’re excited to see what’s next and we’re only getting started.
If you want to get involved, you’ll be welcomed – please join us!
Version 1.2.2 of FAIR Connect is a fast follow up to our version 1.2.1 release. This release fixes a fatal error introduced in 1.2.1 that impacts the updating process.
If you previously updated to 1.2.1, you will need to perform this update manually.
Version 1.2.1 of FAIR Connect is a fast follow up to our version 1.2 release. This release incorporates a few key fixes to issues that showed up in the release.
FAIR Plugin is now FAIR Connect. This is one of several name changes across FAIR, aimed to help clarify what each part of the project does. (#351, #352)
Other changes include:
Mini FAIR -> FAIR Beacon – Make your packages available to the FAIR network.
AspireExplore -> FAIR Explorer – Explore packages in the FAIR network.
Improved Compatibility
Improved Avatar Handling: Custom avatars are now supported when Gravatar is enabled. (#349)
Updated Browser List: The browser compatibility feature now includes an updated browser list to provide more accurate compatibility warnings. (#325)
More Performant and Stable
IndexNow requests are now handled earlier to bypass unneeded database queries. (#317)
IndexNow notifications are now skipped during imports. (#319)
Upgrade Notes
This is a feature release that maintains backward compatibility with version 1.1. All users are encouraged to upgrade to take advantage of these improvements.
Try FAIR 1.2 today
Ready to explore FAIR?
Install the FAIR Connectrelease ZIP to search for verified plugins from both official and independent sources.
Introducing FAIR 1.1, our newest release as part of our regular 6-week release train. We’ve got some great new features, as well as refinements of existing ones.
One of the big features we’ve included in 1.1 is WP-CLI support for plugins, making it possible to manage plugins directly from the command line using their DID. We’ve heard from a lot of people that they’d love to be able to manage FAIR-distributed plugins using the CLI – and now you can!
We’ve also improved consistency and accuracy with a few parts of our user interface, helping to clarify the experience for everyone.
All of this, plus loads of other fixes below – as always, thanks to our amazing contributors.
Our plan is to release regularly on a roughly 6 week cadence to make sure we’re always getting the latest and greatest out to you.
We’ve also been cooking in the background on other components in the FAIR ecosystem, including significant work on AspireCloud and AspireExplorer – plus, we’ve just wrapped up our hackathon with Patchstack, building the groundwork for our labeler system (more on that soon!).
FAIR Plugin now includes WP-CLI support for plugins, making it possible to manage plugins directly from the command line using their DID. (#277)
Better User Experience
More Accurate Update Dates: Plugin cards now display a more accurate “Last Updated” date, helping users better assess plugin maintenance status. (#262)
Consistent Modal Tabs: Tabs in the “View Details” and “More Details” modals now display in a consistent, predictable order. (#310)
Improved Compatibility
Improved Avatar Handling: Only Gravatar URLs are replaced, ensuring other avatar services are not impacted. (#302)
Updated Browser List: The browser compatibility feature now includes an updated browser list to provide more accurate compatibility warnings. (#312)
Improved FAIR Identifiers
FAIR Plugin Directory Integration: The “Add Plugins” screen now features a “FAIR Plugin Directory” link that takes users directly to https://fair.pm/packages/plugins, replacing the previous WordPress.org Plugin Directory link. (#305)
FAIR Plugin Assets: FAIR Plugin now has its own placeholder banner and icon. (#306)
Upgrade Notes
This is a feature release that maintains backward compatibility with version 1.0. All users are encouraged to upgrade to take advantage of these improvements.
Try FAIR 1.1 today
Ready to explore FAIR?
Install the FAIR Pluginrelease ZIP to search for verified plugins from both official and independent sources.
Decentralised WordPress packages are here. The working group for Federated And Independent Repositories (FAIR) is excited to announce its 1.0 Milestone Release. This milestone includes updates to several of the software projects that FAIR maintains, enabling WordPress site administrators to find, trust, and install packages from independent sources or from a mirror of the official WordPress repository. With this milestone, FAIR invites any WordPress site owner or maintainer to install FAIR’s technical independence plugin to access this combined set of packages.
Lower right corner displays updates source.
Overview
FAIR enables you to run a small, trusted plugin hub that you control. Your site can install plugins from WordPress.org and from independent FAIR sources. Each package is verified with cryptographic signatures and identified with a DID (Decentralized Identifier).
Browse packages at fair.pm/packages, or directly from the plugin search screen after installing the FAIR Plugin.
Results are powered by AspireCloud, which combines WordPress.org plugins with FAIR-registered independent sources. When you choose a FAIR-registered plugin, its cryptographic signature is checked before installation, and updates from these sources work as smoothly as updates for official WordPress plugins.
New in this release
As this release combines progress across many different parts of the FAIR project, we’ll include the main changes for each of its projects.
AspireCloud
AspireCloud aggregates metadata for packages from multiple sources and presents them as a combined list that you can browse, select, and install using the link provided by AspireCloud for each package. This release adds selected plugins from independent repositories to its index, making it more than a mirror, but a gateway to a decentralized group of software sources. The release includes search performance improvements with a new API to support faceted searches.
AspireExplorer
AspireExplorer is a WordPress plugin that provides a public web interface for browsing and downloading packages. The plugin now also powers the listings at fair.pm/packages/, where you can browse or search the AspireCloud index. The FAIR Plugin itself can be downloaded from this listing. These listings include a badge indicating packages that come from FAIR sources instead of WordPress.org.
FAIR 1.0 plugin
The FAIR plugin enables your site to install and update plugins and themes from the FAIR network while minimizing data sharing to support GDPR and other privacy regulations.
Manages plugin & theme installation and updates
Installs & updates both WordPress.org and FAIR-registered software
Increases privacy for regional requirements (EU and elsewhere)
Limits contact to third-party servers
Does not store or report personally identifiable information
Increases Performance
Uses local metadata when possible
Performs many functions internally rather than via third-party services
Avoids pings to unpublished content
In short, the FAIR plugin supports decentralized, verifiable sources, allowing site owners to maintain control over where data is sent and how plugins are installed. These updates help ensure that plugin discovery, installation, and updates work smoothly and securely across both official and independent sources just as easily as you’ve always done from your WordPress dashboard.
Avatar Source selection can be toggled at Settings > Discussion > Avatars
Mini-FAIR Repo plugin
FAIR has created a WordPress plugin that turns your site into a FAIR-ready connector for advertising your plugin or theme published on GitHub, Gitea, GitLab, or Bitbucket. This release enables serving listings of published packages to the FAIR network using DIDs and REST API endpoints.
Planet FAIR
Planet FAIR is the component that serves the news in the FAIR ecosystem. It is a curated feed shown in the WordPress admin dashboard and also lists upcoming events in the WordPress ecosystem. This release addresses RSS publishing issues and enhances source curation. Guidelines for inclusion are available in the Planet repository: FAIR’s Planet repository.
Why FAIR 1.0 matters
FAIR 1.0 is the first time the full stack works together. For users, this means you can now discover and install plugins from outside the WordPress.org ecosystem without needing to modify your workflow. For developers and publishers, it offers a real, working path to distribute trusted software independently, using open standards and shared infrastructure.
This release brings together everything FAIR stands for. It gives site owners more control over where their software comes from. It allows plugin authors to publish without relying on centralized platforms. And it provides the entire ecosystem with a model that makes decentralization feel familiar, secure, and easy to use.
With cryptographic signing, DNS-based identity, open metadata, and support for community-led moderation, this milestone lays the foundation for a future where package distribution is both decentralized and verifiable.
Most importantly, it shows that FAIR is not just a proposal or a protocol. It is a working ecosystem, and it is ready for others to build on.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to everyone who contributed to FAIR 1.0!
Andrew Norcross, Andy Fragen, Anonymous, Austin, Benjamin Sternthal, Brent Toderash, Carrie Dils, Chris Reynolds, Chuck Adams, Claudio Rimann, Colin Stewart, Cory Curtis, Courtney Robertson, Cristi Rusu, Jason Cosper, Joe Dolson, Joe Hoyle, Joe Murray, Joost de Valk, Jory Burson, Joshua Eichorn, Karim Marucchi, Kevin Cristiano, Marc Armengou, Matt Leach, Mika Epstein, Najm Njeim, Namith Jawahar, Pat Ramsey, Peter Wilson, philipjohn, Ryan McCue, Sarah Savage, Scott Kingsley Clark, Sé Reed, Shady Sharaf, Siobhan McKeown, Taco Verdonschot, Timi Wahalahti, Topher DeRosia, and Veerle Verbert
If your name is missing here, please let us know either on GitHub or in the FAIR Chat!
Try FAIR 1.0 today
Ready to explore FAIR?
Install the FAIR Plugin to search for verified plugins from both official and independent sources.
Say hello to the Fair plugin 0.4.0! With version 0.4.0 you can install a plugin from the plugins screen using the plugin’s Decentralized ID (DID). This uses the decentralized FAIR protocol to install the plugin without touching a centralized repository. And once a plugin or theme with the correct headers is installed it will receive its updates using the FAIR protocol.
This is a big step towards decentralized package management and puts us firmly on the road towards 1.0 and a plugin directory which has no reliance on centralized infrastructure. Our roadmap for 1.0 includes the listing and search functionality to fully replace the existing plugins list.
Try out 0.4.0
You can try out the decentralized functionality with a test plugin ID: did:plc:deoui6ztyx6paqajconl67rz
Or see it in action in this video:
Also in this release:
FAIR has improved compatibility with multisite, but now only allows network activation – since plugins and themes are only managed at the network level.
Avatars are also managed more effectively across the network, with changes to how settings are stored (thanks @norcross!)
Pings are now sent via IndexNow when content is deleted, ensuring that 404s are picked up sooner (thanks @peterwilsoncc!)
The browser update check has been updated to reflect current browsers.
