Why are tenants not allowed to install plugins on their own?

The goal is to provide a consistent, high-quality experience for every customer, which is achieved through a uniform codebase.

In the context of a multi-tenant WordPress environment, the restriction on tenants installing their own plugins is a fundamental aspect of the platform's philosophy of productization. This philosophy is centered on delivering a standardized and uniform solution to all users, akin to a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. The goal is to provide a consistent, high-quality experience for every customer, which is achieved through a uniform codebase.

A uniform codebase is crucial for maintaining the integrity and consistency of the service you provide. It ensures that all tenant sites operate seamlessly and receive the same level of functionality and user experience. This standardization is what allows wildcloud to offer a productized version of WordPress, transforming it into a scalable, reliable, and maintenance-free solution for its users.

Scalability is another critical reason for this restriction. By ensuring that all tenant sites run the same set of plugins, our users, the SaaS creator, can manage and update sites more efficiently at scale. This uniformity is essential for you as a user to handle a growing number of sites without compromising on efficiency. Speaking of security, a controlled plugin environment significantly reduces the risk of vulnerabilities that can arise from tenants installing unvetted or potentially harmful plugins. It also ensures that performance across all sites remains optimal, as uncontrolled plugin installations can lead to resource-heavy or conflicting setups.

Compatibility and maintenance are further enhanced by this approach. With a standardized set of plugins, our users ensure that updates, feature additions, and support are streamlined. This eliminates the potential for compatibility issues that can occur when different sites run different plugins or versions, making the overall maintenance process more manageable.

Lastly, the development workflow on a productized platform like wildcloud is designed for efficiency and control. Instead of allowing direct plugin installations, which can introduce inconsistencies and security concerns, changes are implemented through code that can be version-controlled, tested, and deployed in a controlled manner. This ensures that any new features or updates adhere to the platform's high standards and do not disrupt the uniform environment that wildcloud aims to maintain.

In summary, the prohibition on tenant-installed plugins is an intentional design choice that supports wildcloud's productization philosophy. It upholds a standardized, secure, and scalable multi-tenant WordPress environment, enabling the platform to deliver a serverless, uniform SaaS experience to all its users.