Can running wordpress with a really old theme crash a website?
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We have been using the same old theme for a number of years. We have been upgrading all the plugins consistently and their number is small (about 7). Is it really imperative that we upgrade the theme or that alone should not be a big factor in how well php performs? It is a bit problematic to upgrade the theme, because there is a fair amount of custom code inside header.php and footer.php.
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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Hi there!
Generally speaking, you shouldn’t use an outdated theme not just because of technical reasons but also because the theme may have known vulnerabilities, which could open up your site to hackers. If the theme has an update, you should install it.
Having said that, we cannot assist further with your site because your site is not hosted on WordPress.com. It’s a self-hosted WordPress.org site hosted by a different hosting company.
We do not have access to self-hosted sites, so I cannot see the setup of the backend of your account.
To clarify:
- WordPress.com is a managed host platform that offers WordPress in a pre-customized server environment already set up for you to build your site. Hosting with WordPress.com is free, and the server, security, updates, and site optimization are all handled by us. We offer free and paid plans that provide additional features for your site based on your needs (plugins, custom themes, etc). You also have access to professional assistance via Happiness Engineers to address any issues you encounter.
- WordPress.org is a self-hosted platform, meaning you download the WordPress software and install it on a web server from a host of your choosing. You have to pay the host when you’re self-hosting, and the server, security, updates, and site optimization are all handled by you. This gives you more flexibility and control of your plugins, themes, and code but also more responsibility to ensure those things are operating correctly.
Our support page dives more into the differences:
https://en.support.wordpress.com/com-vs-org/I recommend contacting your site host, as they would be better positioned to assist you since they have access to your account. Also, the open-source forum community is always available and prepared to help users with self-hosted sites: https://wordpress.org/support/forums
If you’d prefer our world-class support (the yearly Business plan gives you access to 24/7 live chat support, for example), you can migrate your entire site to WordPress.com. I recommend the Business plan for this, as you will get to use the same themes/plugins you already have on your site, but you are welcome to explore other WordPress.com plans.
If you don’t want to migrate to WordPress.com yet, we also recommend checking out Jetpack plans, which include essential features like automatic backups with one-click restores, automatic malware and security scanning, and video-uploading features. These are perfect for self-hosted WordPress.org sites, so feel free to check them out. :)
Feel free to let us know if there’s anything else you need, and we’ll be happy to help.
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