Really Simple SSL Pro 8.0: Another step towards Really Simple Security
Perhaps it is one of the larger open secrets in WordPress, Really Simple SSL has been transitioning from a single-purpose SSL plugin towards a full-featured Security Plugin over the past year. As SSL encryption has really become a standard and need-to-have for any website, we felt that Really Simple SSL was in the unique position to introduce a Really Simple Security plugin to the WordPress ecosystem. We recognize (and have experienced) that building a full-featured security plugin is not something to take lightly. Even more than with other types of plugins, performance, robustness and of course code security is essential.
The transition towards Really Simple Security has forced us to review all our development processes to ensure that the plugin remains performant, secure and easy to maintain. The latter has led us to the decision to remove the add-on structure between Really Simple SSL and Really Simple SSL Pro. This structure has existed since Really Simple SSL 1.0, but has some downsides when it comes to codebase maintenance, backward compatibility because of dependencies between the plugins, and managing translations.
Updating to Really Simple SSL Pro 8.0 will remove the Free Really Simple SSL plugin
Starting with Really Simple SSL Pro 8.0, all Really Simple SSL code will be shipped with the Pro plugin as well. For the avoidance of doubt: we are not moving open-source and Free functionality away from the Free plugin. The only difference will be that installing Really Simple SSL Pro will remove and replace the Free plugin with Really Simple SSL Pro. We have worked with this structure with Complianz since 2018 and have come to like it more than an add-on structure.
No manual action is needed as a Really Simple SSL user, installing Really Simple SSL Pro >=8.0, or updating to this version will automatically deactivate and delete the free plugin. We will confirm this via a Dashboard notice in the Really Simple SSL Dashboard as well. There is no downside, other than a shorter list of installed plugins :-).
If this change does lead to any questions or remarks, please feel free to reach out to support!
