v3.18.0 is about control and confidence. Control, because you now have more direct levers for CDN and Shield behavior. Confidence, because common edge cases in migrations, restores, and sync workflows have been tightened up across both the InstaWP app and the Connect plugin.
Table of Contents
What’s New?
#1 – CDN & Shield Management
You can now manage CDN and Shield with significantly more clarity and flexibility.
What’s included in this release:
- CDN Settings API so you can work with CDN settings programmatically
- Cache configuration controls so you can tune cache behavior instead of guessing
- Detailed statistics that help you understand what the CDN is actually doing
On the security side, Shield management now includes:
- WAF for blocking common attack patterns before they hit WordPress
- DDoS protection to absorb and mitigate traffic abuse
- Bot detection to cut down on unwanted automated traffic
If you run client sites or multiple environments, this is the kind of control that reduces firefighting. You can tune performance and protection without needing workarounds.
#2 – ManageWP & ShortPixel Bypass
In v3.18.0, trusted services like ManageWP and ShortPixel can now connect through Shield protection without getting blocked. That means you can keep Shield enabled while still allowing these services to do their jobs reliably.
This is especially useful for agencies that rely on external maintenance workflows, reporting, or media optimization pipelines.
Improvements
#1 – Credit Card Updates for WaaS
If you have WaaS users on legacy plans, updating payment methods should not be a support ticket.
This improvement removes friction from card updates so legacy WaaS users can update their payment method without jumping through hoops.
#2 – Billing Usage Pagination
Billing history browsing is now paginated, so you can move through usage data without endless scrolling. This is a small change, but it directly improves the day-to-day “find the thing” experience when reconciling costs.
#3 – Plan Features Display in Site Creation Modal
The Site Creation Modal now shows plan features more clearly, so you can see what you are getting at creation time. This reduces misclicks and makes plan selection more transparent, especially when creating multiple sites quickly.
#4 – Scheduled Updates Restored
Scheduled updates are back in the Manage dashboard where they belong. If you rely on a consistent maintenance cadence for client sites, this puts a key control back in the most practical place.
#5 – PPU Backup Progress
Creating sites from PPU backups now shows installation progress. This matters because “nothing is happening” is one of the fastest ways to lose confidence in an operation, even when it is working fine.
Now you can see progress as the site is being created.
#6 – Template & Snapshot Labels
Subpages now clearly label whether you are looking at a template or a snapshot. It is a small UI clarity win, but it helps when you are moving fast and managing lots of assets.
Plugin Improvements ( InstaWP Connect Plugin)
#1 – Smarter Search-Replace (JSON-escaped URL handling)
Migrations are not only about files and DB rows. They are also about how builders store data.
This update improves search-replace by handling JSON-escaped URLs, which helps preserve builder data for tools like Breakdance and Elementor during migrations. In practical terms, it reduces the chance of layouts or builder-specific references getting damaged during URL replacements.
#2 – Dynamic Curl Timeouts
Large file transfers now get the time they need, without forcing everything else to wait. Dynamic timeouts are a quality-of-life improvement that reduces random failures when you have a mix of small and large assets moving through the same flow.
#3 – Connect Plugin Slow Mode (Restored)
Slow mode is back and working for workflows that need a gentler approach. If you are dealing with constrained hosting environments or sensitive operations, having a stable slow mode option matters.
Fixes
#1 – Critical Fixes
Resolved migrations getting stuck after 90% due to infinite loops
Fixed issue where expired sites could not be restored
Multiple billing and subscription stability fixes
#2 – Site Management
Fixed global SSH keys not appearing in the Account Dashboard
Widget changes are now correctly recorded under pending events for 2-Way Sync staging
Resolved “Not Allowed” login issue for sites created with Kadence AI
Fixed incorrect expiration of reserved shared (sandbox) sites
#3 – Migration & Restore
Resolved Elementor / Extendify hardcoded CSS asset migration issues
Improved admin user handling during WordPress restore
Fixed Bluehost migration issues:
- Failed plugin installs despite valid application passwords
- Blank progress bar during migration
Fixed WP version mismatch command returning unexpected response formats\
#4 – Plugin & Connect
InstaWP Connect
Updated deprecated namespace in the instawp-connect plugin for Cloudflare compatibility
Improved uninstall handling: fixed DB queries, updated Composer, and helper autoload cleanup
Fixed Pull API errors not being correctly returned to the server
IWP MU plugin removal scheduled for the next release
Conclusion
v3.18.0 is a practical release for people who ship real WordPress work: better CDN and Shield controls, safer bypasses for trusted services, and fewer “why is this stuck” moments across migrations and restores.
If you manage multiple environments or client sites, this release should feel like fewer sharp edges and more predictable operations.