Context
EB5G experienced a production outage after internal staff updated WordPress core and multiple plugins simultaneously on a site running a custom theme.
WordPress production recovery and plugin conflict remediation for EB5G
Recovered a broken WordPress site after failed core/plugin updates by rolling back the environment, isolating plugin conflicts, and restoring site/admin functionality.
This was a recovery project where the priority was restoring production access and admin usability without forcing a full rebuild.
Problem
The site began returning 500 errors and the WordPress admin became inaccessible, preventing normal rollback or troubleshooting through the dashboard.
Solution
- Connected directly to the server environment over SSH
- Used WP-CLI and server-level access to stabilize the WordPress installation
- Rolled back WordPress/plugin updates to restore basic functionality
- Re-enabled plugins incrementally to isolate the breaking dependency
- Identified a problematic plugin that conflicted with the custom theme and updated stack
- Helped replace the outdated plugin with a safer alternative compatible with the site architecture
- Restored both frontend site access and WordPress admin usability
Results
- Recovered a production WordPress site from a full outage state
- Restored admin access without requiring a full rebuild
- Identified the root-cause plugin conflict through controlled rollback/testing
- Improved long-term maintainability by replacing an outdated dependency
- Reduced future update risk through safer plugin management practices
Stack
WordPressWP-CLISSHPHPPlugin debuggingProduction recovery