Changelog for Disembark

Added

• Database Batch Export: Implemented a new batching system for database exports. The plugin now intelligently groups small tables (under 200MB and 1 million rows) into combined .sql.txt files. This dramatically reduces the number of API requests and zip operations, resulting in a much faster database backup.
• Session ID & Manifest Regeneration: The UI now displays a Backup Session ID after the initial analysis.
  • A new "Regenerate Session" refresh icon allows you to update the file manifest with new exclusions without re-scanning the entire file system.
  • This session ID can be used with the CLI (--session-id=...) to reuse the generated manifest.
• New sync CLI Command: Added the disembark sync command to the CLI instructions display, which works with the new session ID feature.
• Database Row Count: The database table list now fetches and displays the row count for each table, helping to identify large tables more easily.

Changed

• Smarter Backup Start: The "Start Backup" button will now only regenerate the file manifest if you have changed your file/folder exclusions. If no exclusions have changed, it reuses the existing manifest, making the backup start almost instant.
• UI Reset on Cleanup: Clicking the "Cleanup Temporary Files" button now fully resets the plugin's UI to the initial "Analyze Site" screen. This prevents errors from trying to use a stale session after its files have been deleted.
• Checksums Enabled by Default: The file scanning process now generates MD5 checksums by default.
• Improved CLI Copying: The CLI commands in the UI are now on separate lines, making it easier to copy a single command at a time.

• Fix: Database listings for new .sql.txt extension

• New Feature: Decoupled Filesystem Support (e.g., Flywheel)

  • Reworked the file scanning, zipping, and streaming logic to fully support hosting environments where the WordPress core (ABSPATH) and the web root (dirname(WP_CONTENT_DIR)) are in separate locations.
  • The file scanner now identifies and scans both the web root and core root if they are different, using a seen_files log to prevent duplicates.
  • The zipping process now correctly locates files in either the web root or core root before adding them to the archive.
  • The File Explorer's streaming endpoint has been updated to find and stream files from a separate core directory, ensuring previews and downloads work correctly on decoupled sites.

• Improvement: Database Export Compatibility

  • Database export files are now saved with a .sql.txt extension instead of .sql.
  • This bypasses security rules on certain managed hosts that block the direct download of .sql files.

• Improvement: Added Checksum Generation Support

  • The Backup class can now optionally generate and include md5_file checksums in the file manifest during the scan step.
  • The /regenerate-manifest REST endpoint was updated to accept an include_checksums parameter to trigger this behavior, which is useful for external CLI validation.

• Dev: New API Endpoints & UI Functionality

  • Added a /zip-sync-files endpoint to create a zip archive from an arbitrary list of files sent from a client.
  • Added a /regenerate-token endpoint and a corresponding "Regenerate Token" button in the UI's Tools menu.
  • Added a "Regenerate Session" button in the UI to allow re-running the file manifest generation with the current exclusions without starting a new session.

• New Feature: Added a "CLI Commands" panel to the main interface. The disembark backup command shown in this panel now dynamically updates to include all file (-x "path") and database table (--exclude-tables=...) exclusions selected in the UI.
• Security/Improvement: Changed the /stream-file REST endpoint from GET to POST. The file path and token are now sent in the request body instead of query parameters, improving security.
• Improvement: Updated the File Explorer's "Preview" and "Download" features to work with the new POST streaming endpoint. File downloads are now handled via JavaScript to support the new method.
• UI/UX: Replaced the "Connection Info" menu with a new "Tools" menu. This new menu provides a helper command for installing the Disembark CLI and retains the "Cleanup Temporary Files" functionality.
• Dev: Added a new delete_backup_file method and a corresponding /cleanup-file REST endpoint to allow for the deletion of individual backup files (e.g., files-1.zip, database.zip) via the API.

• Plugin Merger: "Disembark Connector" and "Disembark Interface" have been combined into this single plugin.
• New Integrated UI: A full backup interface is now available directly in the WordPress admin under Tools > Disembark.
• New File Explorer: You can now browse your site's file structure, preview code and images, and download individual files from within the plugin.
• New Granular Exclusions: Added a visual interface to exclude specific files, folders, and database tables from your backup.
• New Dark Mode: Added a dark mode theme with a toggle that saves your preference.
• Enhanced Large Site Support: The file scanning process was rebuilt to use a multi-step, chunked approach to prevent timeouts on very large sites.
• Improved Workflow: The UI has been redesigned for a clearer state-driven process: Analyze, then Configure, then Backup.
• Better Progress Feedback: The interface now provides more detailed feedback during the site scan and backup.
• Easy Access to Connection Info: Your site's connection token and CLI commands are now easily accessible from a menu in the plugin's UI.
• Upgrade Path: Users of the "Disembark Connector" can upgrade directly to this plugin and should deactivate the old Connector plugin.

• Fixed bug with file section introduced with v1.2.0
• Changed directory scan limit from 25 to 75
• Changed file chuck limit from 100mb to 150mb

• Refactored the file scanning and manifest generation into a step-by-step process that uses significantly less memory, improving support for very large websites.
• Added PclZip as a fallback for creating zip archives, increasing compatibility with hosting environments where the ZipArchive PHP extension is not enabled.
• Introduced a new REST endpoint for securely streaming individual files directly from the server.

• Added the ability to exclude files and folders from file backups.
• Added a new REST endpoint to retrieve a complete file manifest without generating manifest files.
• Refactored and expanded the default list of excluded files and backup directories.

• Fallback for view details link on bad response

• WordPress version bump
• Exclude WP Engine protected file wp-content/mysql.sql.

• New WP-CLI commands: wp disembark backup-url, wp disembark cli-info and wp disembark token [--generate]
• Tweaked plugin updater priority

• WordPress version bump
• If updater check fails use local plugin manifest

• Exclude Disembark directory and others from backup zip
• Zip large database tables individually

• New advanced options. Ability to backup only files or database. Ability to include certain database tables or certain files or paths.
• New instructions for Disembark CLI
• Analyze site when pasting site URL and token
• Improve backup progress
• Split large database tables into smaller exports
• Fix endpoints cleanup and download to only respond with plain text
• Cleanup unused backup code

• Improved database exports for Local
• Cleanup endpoint to purge uploads/disembark folder after successful download.
• One click connection string to Disembark

• Initial release of Disembark. Allows for full site WordPress backups to be made from Disembark.host