Enhance and Speed Up WordPress Website Development with One-Click Settings

Our default options accommodate most sites and serve as a solid foundation to expedite the setup process and fine-tune plugin settings more efficiently.

We’ll utilize Defender within the WordPress admin in this walkthrough demonstrating how to work with configs.

Defender’s dashboard includes a section titled Preset Configs, which allows you to view and manage existing setups and establish unlimited preset configs.

Defender comes installed with two Configs featuring our recommended default protection settings:

• Basic Config – This is generated from your site’s current configuration upon initial plugin installation.
• Default Security Config – This can be applied instantly from your Hub. Note: This is a system config and cannot be removed.

Click the dropdown arrow next to the config to see its specifics and check which security features are enabled or disabled.

This site was secured with one click using Defender’s Basic Configs.

Clicking on the gear icon allows you to make various changes to a saved configuration:

• Apply – Apply the saved configuration to your Defender installation.
• Download – Download the saved configuration as a .json file. This feature is beneficial for non-Hub users wishing to upload configs to other sites.
• Name & Description – Modify the name and description of your saved configuration.
• Delete – Permanently remove your saved configuration.

To apply the settings from any saved config, click the gear icon adjacent to that config and select Apply. Your site’s current settings will be overridden by the new settings when you hit the Apply button, so ensure to back up before proceeding with this action.

The configuration will also be accessible within The Hub under Configs > My Configs, allowing you to apply it to all other sites in bulk (more details on this shortly!).

Having covered the use of default configs, let’s now explore …

Creating Custom Configs

Creating a custom config enables you to tailor plugin configurations to meet your specific needs and preferences.

You can establish custom configs either directly in your WordPress site or through The Hub and apply them across unlimited WordPress sites.

Let’s create a custom config within WordPress. Once more, we will use the Defender plugin for this illustration.

First, activate the modules you want and adjust Defender’s settings to your liking.

Afterward, navigate to Preset Configs and click on Save New.

Provide a Name and Description for your config and click Save.

All your current settings will be retained and accessible as a new config in the Preset Configs section.

Utilize the new custom config to apply (or reapply) the saved settings to your site, or download it to implement it on as many other sites as desired.

As previously mentioned, all your custom configs will also be found in The Hub, under Configs > My Configs.

Speaking of The Hub, let’s demonstrate how to swiftly and effortlessly apply configs to unlimited sites with just a few clicks.

Adding Configs in The Hub

In The Hub, click on the Configs tab. The Configs screen showcases Default Configs created for you and the My Configs tab displaying all the custom configs you’ve developed.

It’s the same process to apply either default or custom configs to a site, so for this illustration, we’ll apply a default config.

Within the Default Configs tab, you’ll find the option to Apply to site(s) and an ellipsis beside each listed config.

Click Apply to site(s) and choose one, multiple, or all sites. Websites where the plugin isn’t installed or is inactive will be grayed out and unavailable for selection.

Click the “Apply to X sites” button to enforce the config on your selected sites.

To see the settings of the config, click on the ellipsis and select Details. This will show you a screen that lists the config’s creation date as well as active/inactive modules and any automated features.

You can also reach the Apply to site(s) screen from this view by clicking the Apply button.

Want more convenience?

Configs can also be enabled directly from The Hub Overview.

Here’s an instance of saving or applying an Uptime config.

If you click on the ellipsis, a dropdown will appear offering options to Save Config and Apply Config.

Moreover, if you scroll down the Overview page, you’ll discover config dropdown menus available for inactive services within the Recommended services section.

If you want to save even more time configuring various services for a WordPress site, here’s a much simpler and convenient feature…

Quick Configs Site Setup

After establishing various configs for different plugins, you can seamlessly add them to individual sites all at once using the Quick Setup feature.

To access this feature in The Hub, select a site and navigate to the Overview screen. Then, either click the Open Quick Setup button in the top screen’s horizontal toolbar (if visible) or click the ellipsis in the upper-right corner and select Quick Setup.

You can either select our recommended default configuration or craft your own custom setup by selecting the Advanced Options tab.

Select the service(s) you wish to activate by checking the corresponding boxes (note: greyed-out features indicate the service has already been activated on your site), and then choose any available preset configs (including custom configs) from the Select Config dropdown menu.

Once you’ve selected all your configurations, click the Start Setup button.

Save hours of effort … set up fully configured services for your sites in mere seconds!

That’s all there is to it! The Hub will automatically process your site and configure all selected services using preset configs.

Note: We recommend against utilizing configs for brand-new sites. It’s preferable to establish your plugins and features first to avoid any disruptions in functionality (for instance, if you enable a Defender config on a brand new site with masked login turned on, you may find yourself unable to log in).

Take Advantage of Uptime Configs

Our uptime tool allows you to monitor both downtime and uptime, configure notification thresholds, and designate the email recipients you wish to keep informed about your selected site.

Uptime configs also function somewhat differently from our standard plugin configs, and custom uptime configs can serve as a valuable resource for agencies or freelancers managing numerous websites, allowing them to prioritize differently.

For instance, you could create specific uptime configs specifically for clients on your premium plans, where alerts would instantly notify your lead developers.

Conversely, for lower-tier sites, you might set a 10-minute downtime alert, which goes to your intermediate developers.

Then, simply save these two distinct setups as configs, applying them to relevant sites according to their priority.

That’s just one example. The essence is that you can get inventive with how you personalize this particular config tool to leverage it effectively.

Like the others, Uptime configs can be applied through both default and custom config tabs.

For more information on Uptime, be sure to check out our plugin documentation.

Go Big and Config

As you can see, configs are a substantial asset in managing your WordPress installations. They empower you to take control of your WordPress site settings!

Configs simplify everything, eliminating the need to tweak settings for each of your sites. They present an excellent one-and-done solution.

Make sure to explore configs on unlimited sites with our supported plugins and Uptime. If you don’t yet have The Hub and wish to experience all the features mentioned, sign up for membership … it’s totally risk-free! You’ll gain access to all our award-winning premium plugins, 24/7 support, and much more!

[Editor’s note: This post was initially published in July 2021 and updated in April 2024 for precision.]