Issue #162 Loop WP

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Hi, friend. 👋

Welcome to Issue #162 of Loop WP!

Last week, we discussed a significant announcement made at the Alt Ctrl Org event, alongside WCEU (WordCamp Europe), and provided an update on the WP Community Collective.

This week, we take a final look at FAIR as more details are now available on how it works, its structure, and who is involved.

Let’s go! 👇

FAIRly Quiet

At the time of publishing, and as was the case last week regarding FAIR, the WordPress Slack has been very quiet, with no further mentions of FAIR and no additional comments from Matt beyond what I covered in last week’s newsletter (my best-performing newsletter about WordPress ever).

However, thanks to The Repository, we have a wealth of additional information on the project.

You can read the full article, but here are some key points. 👇

Who’s Behind It?

🤯 Built in just 8 weeks by up to 300 people, some of whom remain anonymous or use alternate names (that’s extremely fast).

Spearheaded by WordPress community stalwarts: Karim Marucchi (Crowd Favorite), Joost de Valk (Yoast SEO founder), and others. **

Technical leadership by:

• The Linux Foundation’s steering committee.

• Co-chaired by Carrie Dils, Mika Epstein, and Ryan McCue.

** A list of public members can be found on GitHub.

Structure

A great deal of thought has been invested in FAIR, and a detailed charter is available online.

Room has also been intentionally left open for community feedback and iteration.

(More details on contributors can be found in the original Repository article.)

How FAIR Works

The Backbone – AspirePress

❤️ At the heart of FAIR’s infrastructure is AspirePress, an independent project created by Sarah Savage, with day-to-day operations managed by Brent Toderash. AspirePress handles the core download and update infrastructure that FAIR relies on.

According to Ryan McCue, without AspirePress quietly doing the heavy lifting, mirroring plugins, themes, and core updates, FAIR wouldn’t have launched on schedule.

What the FAIR Plugin Does

In practice, when WordPress checks for updates, FAIR reroutes those requests to its own infrastructure, rather than defaulting to WordPress.org.

• The FAIR plugin works by redirecting key WordPress.org API calls, the ones used for plugin, theme, and core updates, to a custom API server running AspireCloud.

• Through its Fast Forward program, which supports open-source infrastructure, that server is distributed globally via the Fastly CDN, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.

• On the protocol side, the FAIR team has drawn inspiration from Bluesky’s decentralisation approach, even though Bluesky isn’t directly involved.

• The project has borrowed several design principles, aiming to rethink distribution from the ground up, rather than just replicating it.

Community Touches

🙌 There’s collaboration even in the minor details.

The WP World, a community project from Marcus Burnette, powers the events and news widget in the FAIR plugin dashboard.

🥳 It’s a small but telling sign that this isn’t a closed ecosystem; people across the WordPress landscape are shaping it.

Hosting Companies, Watching Closely?

While no major hosts have formally partnered with FAIR, several are testing the plugin and watching its progress.

🚨 As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, this is most likely what Matt Mullenweg was alluding to in response to Katie Keith’s post on X.

Matt has already made a presumption/accusation of “hosts” wanting to monetise the repository mirrors.

Matt’s initial response was met with both rebuke and questions as to why monetisation is necessarily a bad thing. (It’s worth reading all the responses to Matt’s comment on Katie’s post.)

Final Note

I’ve only highlighted what I believe are the key points and added some of my thoughts, incorporating the latest information we have on FAIR.

I’ve not touched on all elements in The Repository’s original article, so I encourage you friend, one last time, to read it if you get a chance; there is more on:

• FAIR contributor thoughts and comments.

• The Linux Foundation’s Role (which has been frequently questioned).

• A re-energised community (I know I’m excited 🤩).

That’s It For This Week 👋

In a couple of weeks, I'll be publishing one of my favourite newsletters of the year (I do this twice a year), and next week I’ll be revealing some changes for this newsletter over the summer period.

See you next week! 😀

Weekly WordPress News & Tips

This week's excellent and insightful WordPress News & Tips:

• Acquisition Alert - The Clay product and team are joining Automattic. (Clay)

• WordPress MCP Update - Added streamable transport protocol and JWT authentication. (James LePage)

• Awkward Turtle - WordPress Leadership Says ‘No’ to Bringing Back Sustainability Team Despite Public Plea and Community Petition. (The Repository)

• AspirePress Demo - AspireUpdate and AspireExplorer, both of which connect to AspireCloud to browse WordPress packages available for installation and update. (AspirePress)

• Happy Birthday - WP Engine Celebrates 15 Years of Innovation. (WP Engine)

• AI Junior Dev - We’re all senior developers now. (Brian Coords)

• WooCommerce 9.9.4 - Fixes and an updated email rollout. (WooCommerce)

• Figma to WordPress - How to convert a Figma project to WordPress (3 Methods). (Kinsta)

• 🚨 Feedback Needed - The WordPress Accessibility team is modernising and extending the information in our Handbook. (Rian Rietveld)

• Pressto Shop - Effortlessly Activate Branded Merchandise. (Fueled)

• New Developer Directory - Work with trusted devs to build a stunning website with Ollie. (Ollie)

• Bricks 2.0 RC - Here's a rundown of each one to bring you up to speed! (WPTuts)

• A Good Thing? - Consider me “concerned about AI”. (Nathan Wrigley)

• LoopConf 2025 - The premier event for developers and engineers who build with WordPress returns. (LoopConf)

• AI Content Performance - Websites Using AI Content Grow 5% Faster [+ New Research Report]. (ahrefs)

• Shifting Landscapes - What’s Disappearing From WordPress? (The WP Minute)

• Alt Ctrl Org Recap - Alt Ctrl Org Draws 200+ for Open Discussion on WordPress, Free Software, and Governance. (The Repository)

If you have a question about this email or WordPress, please reply, and I will respond as soon as possible.

👋 Until next time,