Advanced Topics

Fresh

Deep dives into MainWP's advanced capabilities for power users and developers.

Topics

Topic	Description
System Requirements	Server specs, PHP settings, hosting compatibility
WP-CLI Integration	Command-line management of MainWP
OpenSSL Encryption	How MainWP secures Dashboard↔Child communication
Migration	Moving your Dashboard or child sites

Architecture Deep Dive

Key Concepts

Communication Protocol

MainWP uses a custom HTTP-based protocol with OpenSSL encryption:

1. Dashboard generates RSA key pair during activation
2. Public key is stored on each child site during connection
3. All requests are signed with the Dashboard's private key
4. Child verifies signature before executing any action
5. Responses are encrypted with the Dashboard's public key

Data Storage

Data Type	Location	Table Prefix
Site records	Dashboard DB	mainwp_wp_
Sync data	Dashboard DB	mainwp_wp_sync_
Extension data	Dashboard DB	Extension-specific
Child auth	Child site DB	options table
Temporary data	Both	WordPress transients

Cron Jobs

MainWP uses WordPress cron (or system cron) for:

• Site syncing — every 24 hours (configurable)
• Uptime checks — every 5 minutes
• Update checks — every 12 hours
• Report generation — per schedule
• Backup scheduling — per job config

System Cron Recommended

For reliable scheduling, disable WP-Cron and use system cron:

# Add to crontab
*/5 * * * * curl -s https://your-dashboard.com/wp-cron.php > /dev/null 2>&1

Then add to wp-config.php:

define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);