Switch to roots/wordpress and WP Packages

[retlehs]

This switches the template from johnpbloch/wordpress-core to roots/wordpress and from WPackagist to WP Packages. Submitted as a community contribution per the README's "you are welcome to contribute" note, in case anyone forking or referencing this template would benefit from a current state.

Disclosure: I maintain WP Packages and Bedrock.

Why

The current template uses two paths that have aged:

• WPackagist — still functional but slower, less open, and now WP Engine-owned
• johnpbloch/wordpress-core — still maintained, but Roots' equivalent is now the more featureful and ecosystem-aligned default

WPackagist vs WP Packages

	WPackagist	WP Packages
Launched	2012	2025
Operator	WP Engine (acquired March 2026, previously Outlandish)	Roots / community-funded via GitHub Sponsors
Track record	12+ years	New, less battle-tested
Composer v2 metadata-url	No	Yes
Update frequency	~1.5 hours	5 minutes
Cold Composer resolve	baseline	~17× faster (benchmarks)

johnpbloch/wordpress-core vs roots/wordpress

	johnpbloch/wordpress-core	roots/wordpress
Started	2013	2014
Maintainer	John P Bloch	Roots org
Track record	10+ years	10+ years
Build flavors	Single package	Meta-package family: roots/wordpress, -full, -no-content
Beta/RC releases	No	Yes (via roots/wordpress-full)
Companion installer	Required as separate dep (johnpbloch/wordpress-core-installer ^2.0)	Pulled in transitively by roots/wordpress
Ecosystem	Standalone	Pairs with Bedrock, Sage, Trellis

Changes

composer.json — dependencies:

• Repository URL: https://wpackagist.org → https://repo.wp-packages.org
• Replaced johnpbloch/wordpress-core-installer + johnpbloch/wordpress-core with a single roots/wordpress: ^6.0 (the meta-package pulls in the installer transitively, so no separate require is needed)
• wpackagist-plugin/akismet → wp-plugin/akismet
• Dropped three older default themes (twentytwentyone, twentytwentytwo, twentytwentythree) and added wp-theme/twentytwentyfive (current WP default)
• Updated allow-plugins to allow roots/wordpress-core-installer
• PHP requirement: >=5.6.20 → >=8.0 (matches the actual Platform.sh runtime in .platform.app.yaml)
• Added explicit extra.wordpress-install-dir: wordpress to ensure the install directory matches the existing installer-paths layout

composer.json — package metadata:
The package was previously named johnpbloch/wordpress with WordPress.org description, homepage, authors, and Trac/forum/IRC support links — all inherited from when the template was a fork of johnpbloch's package. Since this template is no longer that fork, the metadata is now updated to actually describe what it is:

• name: johnpbloch/wordpress → platformsh-templates/wordpress-composer
• description: WordPress.org boilerplate → "Platform.sh starter template for deploying WordPress via Composer."
• homepage: wordpress.org → the repo URL
• type: package → project (standard for a deployable site template)
• keywords: added composer and platformsh; dropped blog
• Removed authors block (was claiming "WordPress Community")
• support: simplified from WordPress.org Trac/forum/IRC to the repo's GitHub issues + source

composer.lock: regenerated (5 installs / 8 updates / 6 removals)

README.md: updated prose references from the johnpbloch fork to roots/wordpress; bumped "PHP 7.4" to "PHP 8.1" (the actual deployed runtime); "WPackagist" → "WP Packages"

Notes

I'm aware this repo is marked "no longer maintained" — opening this anyway in case it's useful for forks or anyone referencing the template. Companion PR: a similar refresh on platformsh-templates/wordpress-bedrock#1010, which had the same staleness pattern. Also related: a docs PR on platformsh/platformsh-docs#5557 updating the WordPress Composer guides.

Open to feedback. Happy to close if it's not the direction you want.