WP Engine Helps the Way forward for WordPress By way of 6.9 Contributions

WP Engine is proud to have supported among the people who devoted their skilled skills to the ultimate main launch of the 12 months, WordPress^Ⓡ[1] 6.9, which arrived on December 2, 2025, closing out a 12 months of steady progress for the open supply undertaking that powers over 40% of the online.

As one in every of many individuals within the WordPress ecosystem, which has grown in each measurement and complexity, WP Engine contributed to the huge, coordinated effort aimed toward sustaining and enhancing the undertaking.

What’s included in WordPress 6.9?

WordPress 6.9 is the ultimate release deliberate for 2025. It delivers a myriad of latest options, upkeep gadgets, consumer enhancements, developer enhancements, and efficiency updates. Just a few of the highlights embody:

New options we’re enthusiastic about

Contributors helped to refine the Website Editor with a simplified modifying mode for customers who need to make quick textual content and picture updates with out the effort of complicated styling choices, in addition to the power to cover blocks from the frontend whereas maintaining them seen within the editor. 

The discharge launched new core blocks, like an accordion block for collapsible sections and a phrases question block for displaying taxonomy phrases. 

6.9 additionally brings accessibility enhancements, equivalent to improved display screen reader notification, higher coloration distinction, and expands the Command Palette throughout the complete dashboard.

Developer and efficiency updates

For builders and high-volume websites, the 6.9 launch consists of foundational updates essential for scalability and the way forward for the platform:

Contributors refined a number of APIs to provide builders extra management, together with enhancements to the Block Bindings API, DataViews and DataForm elements, and the Interactivity API.

The brand new Talents API has standardized how plugins, themes, and WordPress core register their capabilities, offering clear inputs, outputs, and permissions that AI instruments can perceive. This ensures WordPress is prepared for discoverability and interplay with the agentic internet.

The brand new launch additionally introduces important pace and efficiency enhancements by rising the inline fashion restrict to 40KB, minifying block theme types, and omitting types and scripts for hidden blocks by default. These updates scale back render-blocking, translating into sooner web page hundreds and improved Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) metrics.

How did WP Engine contribute to six.9?

WP Engine views all its neighborhood contributions as investments within the success of each its clients and the broader internet. 

WP Engine group members are proud to hold on the corporate’s lengthy custom of contributing to each WordPress core and the broader neighborhood, and had been particularly excited to extend their core contributions on this launch.

For the 6.9 launch, WP Engine sponsored the work of three Core contributors. The group consisted of Callum Bridgford-Whittick, John Parris, and Weston Ruter. 

Information from October 2025 confirmed that WP Engine was the second-largest company contributor in the course of the month, with Weston Ruter main the cost. He contributed 43 of the 192 complete commits to core in October.

Tackling ticket triage

Not all contributions to an open supply undertaking are as glamorous as a decide to the core software program. Among the most vital work may also be probably the most tedious, usually within the type of ticket triage.

The WordPress undertaking is managed by the neighborhood by means of a system of tickets that log the whole lot from bug reviews to characteristic requests. With 1000’s of open tickets, some untouched for years, figuring out probably the most related points is usually a huge drain on contributor time. That is the sort of work Callum and John initially targeted on.

“It’s not all the time probably the most thrilling work,” stated John Parris, who began triaging tickets again in April, “however we all know it’s vital to the undertaking’s well being to begin doing this.”

Sifting by means of this backlog is an important service. Contributors should assessment every ticket to find out if the problem has been resolved elsewhere or if it’s even related to the undertaking of at present. For instance, Callum talked about that there are nonetheless a lot of tickets associated to the traditional editor.

“It’s simply going by means of numerous testing on outdated tickets to verify they’re nonetheless related,” he stated, “and in the event that they’re not, it’s getting them off the system, so there’s extra space to have a look at new tickets.”

By clearing out the digital muddle, it turns into simpler for each different contributor to work on the tickets that actually matter. This sort of constant, devoted effort to managing the “much less thrilling work” is invaluable to the continued development of the WordPress undertaking.

Why these contributions matter

For companies and builders, stability, clear code, and efficiency optimizations imply much less time combating bugs and extra time constructing shopper initiatives. 

For companies, a sooner, extra dependable CMS means higher experiences for web site guests, which may translate into greater conversions, decrease bounce charges, and improved discoverability.

Finally, the neighborhood contribution mannequin is a symbiotic relationship. As Weston Ruter places it, an organization’s monetary funding in full-time contributors turns into a “win-win-win scenario.” Devoted contributions guarantee a greater, sooner open internet for the general public, a extra strong platform for organizations and clients utilizing WordPress, and a stronger basis for ecosystem companions like WP Engine.

Sponsorship of full-time contributors demonstrates one of the crucial impactful methods corporations like WP Engine can responsibly contribute to the undertaking that finally drives our collective success.

Contributions create progress for all

WP Engine believes that the success of the WordPress undertaking is intrinsically linked to the well being of its neighborhood. Whereas numerous volunteers have contributed to its progress, the sheer scale and complexity of a CMS that powers greater than 40% of the online requires deep, sustained dedication.

From clearing out outdated tickets to main the cost on new efficiency options, the work of Callum, John, Weston, and each different contributor strengthens the way forward for WordPress for all customers. 

WP Engine is dedicated to supporting the upkeep and progress of WordPress, now and into the longer term. Our contributor group is happy to proceed their important work into 2026 and past, guaranteeing the open internet stays strong, safe, and performant for everybody.

^{1WP Engine is a proud member and supporter of the neighborhood of WordPress® customers. The WordPress® logos are the mental property of the WordPress Basis, and the Woo® and WooCommerce® logos are the mental property of WooCommerce, Inc. Makes use of of the WordPress®, Woo®, and WooCommerce® names on this web site are for identification functions solely and don’t indicate an endorsement by WordPress Basis or WooCommerce, Inc. WP Engine shouldn’t be endorsed or owned by, or affiliated with, the WordPress Basis or WooCommerce, Inc.}