The Federated and Independent Repositories (FAIR) group has officially released FAIR 1.0, marking a major milestone in decentralized WordPress package management. This release brings improvements across multiple projects, enabling site administrators to install plugins and themes from WordPress.org, independent sources, and even from a mirror of the official repository.
FAIR 1.0 also brings cryptographic signature verification, privacy-focused updates, and several performance enhancements also.
Overview of the FAIR Project
Launched earlier this year, the FAIR initiative, supported by the Linux Foundation, aims to reduce reliance on WordPress.org by creating a distributed system for managing updates, plugins, themes, translations, and other key services.
FAIR is a WordPress plugin that can be installed, granting access to decentralized repositories for availing services that are currently served through WordPress.org resources. The plugin enables site administrators to install themes and plugins from independent repositories directly through the dashboard, while giving developers the flexibility to host their offerings outside WordPress.org and still reach users seamlessly.
FAIR doesn’t just decentralize plugin and theme management, it also changes how your site communicates. As Taco Verdo highlighted, reflecting what Ryan McCue explained in his LoopConf 2025 session “ Did you know that every time you publish a blog post on your WordPress site, it sends a ping to Automattic? If you’re running the FAIR plugin, that gets replaced to a ping to the much more useful IndexNow.”
Key Updates Across FAIR Projects
The latest updates make it easier for administrators to install packages from multiple sources, as highlighted, “ This milestone includes updates to several of the software projects that FAIR maintains, enabling WordPress site administrators to find, trust, and install packages from independent sources or from a mirror of the official WordPress repository.”
The breakdown of the various updates across the project is as follows:
AspireCloud
It now combines metadata from multiple sources into a single, browsable list. This release also adds plugins from independent repositories and improves search with a new API.
AspireExplorer
The AspireExplorer previewed in the Everest 1.0 release has also received an update. It now powers fair.pm/packages and now spot FAIR-sourced plugins marked with a badge.
As we can see below, the preview version of AspireExplorer didn’t have any badge.
The updated explorer now spots a new badge.
FAIR Plugin
The plugin now allows you to install and update software from both WordPress.org and FAIR-registered sources, while also performing ED25519 signature verification, protecting privacy, limiting third-party contact, and improving performance using local metadata.
Mini-FAIR Repo plugin
This plugin lets your WordPress site act as a FAIR-ready connector, publishing your plugins or themes from GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, or Bitbucket to the FAIR network via DIDs and REST APIs.
Planet FAIR
The release improves RSS publishing and source curation, helping site administrators stay informed about the WordPress ecosystem.
With the release of FAIR 1.0, the project reaches a key milestone, as all components work together as stated, “ FAIR 1.0 is the first time the full stack works together. For users, this means you can now discover and install plugins from outside the WordPress.org ecosystem without needing to modify your workflow. For developers and publishers, it offers a real, working path to distribute trusted software independently, using open standards and shared infrastructure.”
Haha, FAIR 1.0 sounds like WordPress finally said enough is enough to the folks at WordPress.org, offering a mirror with better ping options! 🚀 Who knew the solution was just a plugin away from not telling Automattic every time I post about my questionable life choices? And developers can now host their plugins without dealing with .org drama? Sweet! Its like the Wild West of WordPress plugins, but with better security and less cowboy attire. Great times! 🤠🔒