{"id":57382,"date":"2020-09-17T17:28:25","date_gmt":"2020-09-17T21:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/blog\/?p=57382"},"modified":"2024-01-23T14:18:54","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T19:18:54","slug":"major-vs-minor-wordpress-releases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/blog\/major-vs-minor-wordpress-releases\/","title":{"rendered":"Major vs. Minor WordPress Releases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Major<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the things that makes WordPress hosting<\/a> such a fluid and relevant tool is a consistent stream of WordPress releases.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These releases ensure the world\u2019s top CMS<\/a> is constantly up-to-date and relevant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They include improvements, bug fixes, added features, developer APIs, and other tweaks that keep WordPress running smoothly and moving forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because some are bigger than others, but still others are small and entirely necessary, WordPress uses a system of major and minor releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sticking to major and minor releases makes it easy for users to install new updates without worrying about harming their WordPress site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Major Releases <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A WordPress major release is one that is a planned step in the open source software\u2019s progression. They tend to come out every 4-5 months and several beta versions and release candidates of the new update are made available for testing prior to its release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the release of WordPress 1.1, each release has been named after a famous jazz musician<\/a>. These releases typically include updates to the WordPress core and underlying code such as new features, plugins, and themes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many Major WordPress releases now also include the addition of Gutenberg blocks<\/a>, a new block editor that was introduced in WordPress 4.9.8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Users are not required to install WordPress Major updates and have the option of running which major versions they choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Minor Releases<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WordPress minor releases typically do not come with new features or the introduction of plugins or themes, and unlike major ones, they are typically not planned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minor releases are usually released on an as-needed basis, and almost always offer some form of overall improvement to the security of WordPress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These releases tend to include patches or bug fixes that keep users\u2019 sites safe and stable. For that reason, they are installed automatically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some versions may not have many minor releases, while others may require quite a few. There was only one minor version of WordPress 3.6, but there were 34 minor releases for WordPress 3.8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WordPress Numbering Explained<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Because there are so many versions of WordPress released throughout the year, it may be hard to tell what each release contains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re not exactly sure what the WordPress version numbers mean, you’re not alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But WordPress does have a method to its madness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All releases are either two or three digits, each separated by a decimal point. You will never see a single-digit number for a release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first digit isn\u2019t really significant, rather just an indicator of which major version of WordPress a release is for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jumping from something like WordPress 4.9 to 5.0 is just the next step in the WordPress numbering process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The major WordPress releases that come out every 4-5 months are always two digits, like WordPress 5.6<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any release that features a third digit is a minor release, such as WordPress 5.5.1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security updates can come out for current versions of WordPress anytime. It\u2019s even possible for a security update to release the same week as a new major version of WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a complete breakdown of WordPress numbers, check out Version Numbering \u2013 Make WordPress Core<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History of WordPress <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many of the features and plugins we take for granted in WordPress today were once ground-breaking new additions introduced in a prior major release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things like automatic updates and strong passwords seem like common sense now, but there was a time they didn\u2019t exist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the progression and history of WordPress in WordPress Thorugh the Ages<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the things that makes WordPress hosting such a fluid and relevant tool is a consistent stream of WordPress releases.\u00a0 These releases ensure the world\u2019s top CMS is constantly up-to-date and relevant. They include improvements, bug fixes, added features, developer APIs, and other tweaks that keep WordPress running smoothly and moving forward.  Because some Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[211],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wordpress"],"yoast_head":"\nMajor vs. Minor WordPress Releases | InMotion Hosting Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is the difference between major and minor WordPress releases? What do the WordPress version numbers mean? 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