Changelog

Servebolt Optimizer

Today we released version 2.1.2 of the Servebolt Optimizer WordPress Plugin. Both version 2.1.2 and version 2.1.1 are minor bug fixes, mostly related to the plugins backend JavaScript.

We have implemented a feature which automatically add timestamp query strings to assets (stylesheets and scripts) in Servebolt Optimizer for WordPress. This feature is available in the settings of the plugin, and is configurable using WP CLI.

Automatic version parameter to asset URLs

We now to a better job at purging archives and other related URLs. We have also added new filters to control the amount of archive pages to purge when then archive is paginated.

Read more about the v2.1 update of Servebolt Optimizer on Github

Passwords to SSH/SFTP and database are automatically created when creating a Bolt, and a new site on an existing Bolt. These are now shown in the control panel after you create a new Bolt or site, and will only be displayed once. We do not store the passwords in the control panel for security purposes, and therefore the passwords can only be displayed once after they are set.

Be sure to copy the passwords after creating a Bolt or a site, and store your passwords somewhere safe.

Making the control panel accessible to everyone is an important goal for us. Now we have made one more contribution to that goal, making the Control Panel available in Dutch.

Click the “Edit” button in the My Account widget on your Control Panel dashboards to change the language of the Control panel.

We have also launched a version of our public website in Dutch at servebolt.nl

We have noticed that many users forget to turn off development mode when it’s not needed anymore. Now the development mode is automatically turned off after 3 hours on production sites.

Ability to turn off cache on production sites removed

We have removed the ability to turn caching completely off for production sites. Development mode is now the only way to completely bypass cache. Safer and more scalable for everyone.

We have noticed that many users forget to turn off development mode when it’s not needed anymore. Now the development mode is automatically turned off after 3 hours on production sites.s

Technical contacts for a Bolt can now upgrade the Bolt on behalf of the owner. These upgrades will be logged, and the technical contact is responsible for making sure the upgrade is accepted by the owner

Owners and technical contacts can now delete dedicated Bolts

We have fixed a bug where owners and technical contacts were unable to delete Bolts on dedicated servers.

After months of hard work, we have finished one of the largest internal projects ever here at Servebolt. The new version of the control panel consists of over 700 commits, which most likely is a new record at Servebolt. Not a record we want to break anytime soon. 

The project started with the goal of enabling our clients to pay with their credit card automatically, and ended with us changing the look and feel on the control panel in addition to lots of other improvements.

Annual and monthly plans

Another improvement we have implemented together with our new billing system is that we now offer annual and monthly plans, in addition to our quarterly plans. If you choose to pay annually we even give you one month for free.

Have a Bolt and want to convert it to a monthly plan, or maybe even go annual and get the discount? Just go in to your Bolt, and click change plan.

Buy additional storage and sites

With our new upgrade experience it is easy to adjust the add-ons to a Bolt, like disk space or sites. The pricing on these add-ons has been lowered, to reflect the automation benefits. We want our customers to gain from these improvements just as much as we do.

New Upgrade experience

The switch from manual billing to automated billing comes with a completely new upgrade experience. You can now upgrade at any time, and the upgrade will be valid from the millisecond you do the upgrade. This means that if you upgrade mid-term, you will at the time you upgrade only pay the difference between your old plan, and your new plan, for the rest of the period.

The new upgrade experience also enables you to buy additional storage and extra production sites. So from now on, if you need 5 GB of storage, you can buy a High Performance 4 GB plan with 1 additional GB, instead of having to upgrade to the High Performance 8 GB plan.

All this makes growing with Servebolt more cost effective for all our clients.

Pay with Credit Card, PayPal or Direct Debit

The day is finally here where all our clients can pay for their subscription with their preferred payment method. Credit Card and PayPal payment is available to all Servebolt clients, and Direct Debit is available to clients in the EU-zone and Sweden.

In our new billing portal you can add your preferred payment method, choose what payment method should be charged for each individual subscription, and download all past invoices generated by our new billing system.

Easier SSL

To order, validate, issue and configure SSL correctly can be a pain. With Servebolt this process has always been easy, and it just got easier. If the domain you want an SSL certificate for is pointing to your Bolt everything is automated. Just place the order, and we fix the rest automatically. 

We create the validation files on the server, we notify the certificate authority that they can validate the domain, we receive the certificate, we push it to the server and we activate it for the domain. All you do is place the order. Easy, right?

See the latest Servebolt articles on your account dashboard

We don’t write new articles every day, but every day we do it’s worth reading! That’s why we have added a feed of all the articles from Servebolt.com on the account dashboard so that also our existing clients can easily find them.

What’s new? Check the changelog

Some time ago we decided to keep a changelog of all updates to the control panel and parts of our hosting-stack. This chargelog has been publically available on Servebolt.com for almost a year, and now you can even see it on your account dashboard in the control panel. Keeping up with what’s new at Servebolt just got much easier!

We have made an update with improvements of the SSH configuration on our servers. This update includes disabling some older legacy cryptography algorithms, which can cause problems with outdated SSH, SFTP and MySQL clients.

If you receive a new error message from your client, check if it has an update available.

Making new Bolts has never been easier. The Add Bolt form is completely re-done, and has design elements that makes it super easy to make the correct type of Bolt, in the right Servebolt Cloud Region with a few clicks.

Boltcash and Promo codes are retired

In preparations for a renewed billing system, we have retired Boltcash and promo codes. These are no longer applicable, but may be re-introduced some time in the future.

Breadcrumbs

As part of our ongoing do-we-need-this clean-up process, we have retired breadcrumbs in the admin panel. Data suggested very few used it, and that frees up desktop space for other purposes. Let us know if you really miss it!

First and last names

Despite what it says in the canonical article Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names, we have updated our systems to start collecting two names for every customer, because that’s a requirement of the billing system we are implementing. Sad but true. This also means, that your name is migrated. Please review your name, to check that your name is split in two the correct way, and that you have both a first, and a last name!

We’ve made several improvements to how the server environment is setup for customers using Magento 2. This will make it even easier to get started and use Magento 2 with us.

Public website improvements

Following the launch of our new public website we’ve made several improvements, with new pages, functions, graphics and much more. This to benefit both existing and new customers of ours.

New version of Nano editor

A new major version of the Nano text editor has been rolled-out site-wide. Read our separate post about it for more info.

Adminpanel updates

Several minor updates/fixes has ben done to our control panel.

A new version of the nano text editor has been added to all servers. It’s easily available through SSH, using the command “nano”. Here are some highlights in the new version release:

• Shift + arrow-keys highlights text
• Highlighted text can be deleted using the Del-key (Alt + U to undo)
• Highlighted text can be intended using the Tab-key, ur unindented using Shift + Tab.
• Alt + arrow-key up/down to scroll without moving cursor
• CTRL + arrow-key left/right to jump between words
• CTRL + arrow-key up/down to jump between sections
• CTRL + Del-key to delete whole words
• CTRL + R opens a new file in a new buffer (CTRL + T opens file browser when file name is requested)
• ALT + arrow-key left/right to switch between open fill buffers

Softwrap is enabled by default, so you can see the whole line on screen, and it won’t cause any line wrap/cut issues. Nano can now also be started with --mouse to enable mouse support. Not necessarily useful, but it may be fun.

We’ve reviewed the code for our admin panel, for future IPv6 support.

Quota bug in admin panel

A (rather tricky) bug related to the quota function in our admin panel has been fixed.

Git delete feature added

The Git management section in our admin panel now supports deletion of Git repositories.

After many months with design, illustrations, content production and hard core web development our brand new Servebolt.com website is live!

A super big thank you to Prototypen.no for helping us create better content, Simpleness for designing our new site and Emil Fabio for doing our awesome illustrations.

The site runs on WordPress, tailored to our needs by Thomas Audunhus, with some assistance from Erlend Eide!

To ensure a best possible user experience, the site is hosted in all our Servebolt Cloud regions, and runs Cloudflare geo load balancer and Argo smart routing to ensure the best possible load times from any corner of the World.

Enjoy! 🎉

We now offer our performance services in the South-East Asian market through a new Cloud Region in Singapore. Read more here: Servebolt Cloud Region South-East Asia – Singapore.Improvement

Improved logging in admin panel

We’ve further improved the logging of events in our admin panel. This will benefit future functions for our customers.New

Increased permission for contacts

Partners and technical contacts/developers can now order and manage SSL-certificates for their clients websites.