Plugins

Installing

WordPress Plugin Repository

Most plugins are available on the WordPress Plugin Repository and can be installed via Composer.

1. Find your plugin in the repository.

2. Copy the slug from the plugin URL — for example, the slug for https://wordpress.org/plugins/complianz-gdpr/ is complianz-gdpr.

3. Install via Composer:

   ddev composer require wpackagist-plugin/<your-slug>

4. Enable the plugin in the WordPress admin.

Private / Paid Plugins

Plugins not available in the repository must be installed manually.

1. Download and unzip the plugin.

2. Place the plugin folder in your plugins directory:

   • Directoryyour-project

     • Directoryweb

       • Directoryapp

         • Directoryplugins

           • …

3. Add an exception to .gitignore so the plugin is tracked:

   .gitignore

   web/app/plugins/*
   !web/app/plugins/.gitkeep
   web/app/mu-plugins/*/
   !web/app/mu-plugins/instance-*
   
   # Manually Installed Plugins
    !web/app/plugins/your-plugin-name

4. Enable the plugin in the WordPress admin.

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Uninstalling

Installed via Composer

ddev composer remove wpackagist-plugin/<your-slug>

Installed manually

1. Remove the plugin folder from web/app/plugins/.

2. Remove the .gitignore exception you added during installation.

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Recommended Plugins

• FacetWP — filters and sorting
• Relevanssi — improved search
• WP Rest Cache — REST API caching
• Gravity Forms — advanced forms

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Must-Use Plugins

Some plugins must remain active for the theme to function correctly — for example, Advanced Custom Fields. WordPress loads files in mu-plugins automatically; they do not appear in the plugins list and cannot be deactivated by editors.

Via Composer

1. Update composer.json to install the plugin into mu-plugins:

   "extra": {
       "installer-paths": {
           "web/app/mu-plugins/{$name}/": [
               "type:wordpress-muplugin",
               "wpengine/advanced-custom-fields-pro",
               "wpackagist-plugin/svg-support",
               "wpackagist-plugin/classic-editor",
               "wpackagist-plugin/acf-extended",
               "wpackagist-plugin/your-plugin-name"
           ],
           "web/app/plugins/{$name}/": [
               "type:wordpress-plugin"
           ],
           "web/app/themes/{$name}/": [
               "type:wordpress-theme"
           ]
       },
       "wordpress-install-dir": "web/wp"
   },

   The exact package name can be found in the require section of composer.json.

2. Run the update:

   ddev composer update

Manually Installed

1. Copy the plugin folder from web/app/plugins/ to web/app/mu-plugins/.

2. Update .gitignore with the new path.