Track: Track 2

  • Smarter plugin permissions with the Abilities API

    Smarter plugin permissions with the Abilities API

    Discover how the new Abilities API makes plugin permissions cleaner, safer, and easier to maintain. In just a few minutes, you’ll see how it differs from legacy capability checks, learn from a small code example, and get actionable tips you can take back to your own plugins.

  • Beyond hamburgers: latest Navigation block changes

    Beyond hamburgers: latest Navigation block changes

    Discover how the customisable navigation overlays transform mobile menu design. Learn what this new feature means for theme developers and see examples of creating theme-friendly, content-rich mobile navigation experiences using blocks and patterns.

  • Block bindings for all!

    Block bindings for all!

    Block bindings have been available for a few versions of WP now but limited to a few core blocks and attributes, and further limited to post meta and synced patterns as a user facing tool. Now that bindable attributes and the UI can be extended there has never been a better time to get to…

  • Stress testing and scaling WordPress on a $12 VPS

    Stress testing and scaling WordPress on a $12 VPS

    From server crash to enterprise scale – a live-fire DevOps exercise. We’ll stress-test a WP stack on a $12 VPS, visualizing bottlenecks in Grafana before implementing a hybrid-static leap. GitHub repo included!

  • Secure-by-design: hardening plugins with PHP 8.x

    Secure-by-design: hardening plugins with PHP 8.x

    In the WordPress ecosystem, we are often forced to choose between supporting the “lowest common denominator” of hosting and implementing modern security. But in 2026, writing legacy PHP 7 code isn’t just a bad habit, it’s an active invitation for automated exploitation. It’s time to stop playing “whack-a-mole” with sanitization and start building products that…

  • Closing keynote
  • The new engineer: psychology, systems, and open source

    The new engineer: psychology, systems, and open source

    How do we educate students for an AI-disrupted IT market without endlessly chasing the next tool? This talk presents a practical model: combine durable soft skills with strong technical foundations, teach through real problems, and use open source – especially WordPress – as a “living lab” where students build, ship, and contribute through structured programs…

  • What it (really) means to be a part of the WP Credits program?

    What it (really) means to be a part of the WP Credits program?

    The WP Credits program is often described as a way for students to “learn WordPress while contributing to the community.” And, while this is all true – it’s not the whole story. In this talk, Ivana (a long-time marketer and WordPress professional, accepted mentor and someone deeply involved in this industry), will share her looks…

  • Sovereign university AI tutors powered by WordPress

    Sovereign university AI tutors powered by WordPress

    Can universities own their AI future? Discover how Karlstad University uses WordPress Multisite to create customized, pedagogically aligned AI tutors. By combining the power of WordPress with Open Educational Resources (OERs), this project avoids vendor lock-in and ensures institutional control over data and model behavior. Learn how the same open-source tools we use for blogging…

  • Panel: rethinking learning in WordPress

    WordPress is currently preparing several changes around learning and contributor onboarding. In this conversation, Mary Hubbard (Executive Director of WordPress), Benjamin Zekavica (Core Team Rep), Rade Jekic (Training Team Rep), Natalia Basiura, and Klaus Harris discuss the programs currently in progress. This includes new contributor pathways, simpler onboarding steps, and the first university partnerships to…