VIP MU plugins

The VIP Platform’s Must Use plugins (VIP MU plugins) are deployed to all VIP Platform WordPress applications. The VIP MU plugins codebase provides WordPress applications with integration to the VIP Platform infrastructure (e.g. cache management), helper functions useful to developers, managed plugin options, and commonly used performance enhancements.

All plugins built into VIP MU plugins are version-managed by VIP.

Plugins that are loaded by VIP MU plugins will appear in the WordPress Admin dashboard’s Plugins screen within the tab labeled “Must-Use“. On WordPress multisite environments, the “Must-Use” tab is only available within the Network Admin Plugins screen for users with a Super Admin role.

Provisioned plugins

The VIP MU plugins GitHub repository is public and can be referred to for the complete list of plugins that are provisioned for WordPress sites on the VIP Platform.

Many of the plugins provisioned by VIP MU plugins are enabled by default. These plugins are enabled because they enhance the performance, security, and manageability of WordPress sites. “Opt in” plugins can be optionally code-enabled by the customer.

• Advanced Post Cache (APC) (Enabled by default) A WordPress caching plugin designed for optimizing WP_Query performance.
• Akismet (Enabled by default) Akismet is automatically activated on all WordPress sites and registered with the wpcomvip machine user.
• Block Data API (Opt in) The Block Data API is a REST API for retrieving block editor posts structured as JSON data. 
• Cron Control (Enabled by default) VIP’s Cron infrastructure leverages WordPress Cron provided by WordPress Core, and Cron jobs are initiated and regulated by Automattic’s Cron Control plugin. 
• ElasticPress (Opt in) The ElasticPress plugin will self-enable on sites that have the Enterprise Search feature enabled.
• Jetpack (Enabled by default and required) Jetpack is automatically activated on all WordPress sites with the features of the Jetpack Complete plan and registered with the wpcomvip machine user.
• Lightweight Term Count Update (Enabled by default) Optimizes the execution of term count queries in WordPress by using a straightforward increment/decrement method for the post count, eliminating the need for recalculation.
• NGINX HTTP Concat (Enabled by default) File concatenation and minification is handled by NGINX HTTP Concat.
• Parse.ly (Opt in) Parse.ly is a content analytics platform that gives creators, marketers, and developers the tools to understand content performance and prove content value.
• Query Monitor (Enabled by default) Query Monitor provides a developer tools panel for debugging database queries, PHP errors, and much more. 
• Rewrite Rules Inspector (Enabled by default) Accessible within the WordPress Admin dashboard’s lefthand navigation: VIP –> Rewrite Rules.
• Two-Factor Authentication (Enabled by default) Enforces all administrators and custom roles with the manage_options capability on the VIP Platform to log in with two-factor authentication.
• WordPress Importer (Enabled by default) Accessible within the WordPress Admin dashboard’s lefthand navigation: Tools –> Import.
• WordPress VIP Block Governance plugin (Opt in) Limit the types of blocks that can be added to the block editor and the styles that can be applied to them. Rules applied based on specific post types and/or user roles.