https://github.com/agkozak/smart-wp-db-error
A WordPress db-error.php drop-in that generates e-mails about database outages while displaying error messages to the general public
https://github.com/agkozak/smart-wp-db-error
wordpress wordpress-drop-in
Last synced: 5 months ago
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A WordPress db-error.php drop-in that generates e-mails about database outages while displaying error messages to the general public
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/agkozak/smart-wp-db-error
- Owner: agkozak
- License: other
- Created: 2018-06-22T04:57:26.000Z (over 7 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2025-01-01T20:01:21.000Z (9 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-05-08T23:09:12.351Z (5 months ago)
- Topics: wordpress, wordpress-drop-in
- Language: PHP
- Homepage:
- Size: 312 KB
- Stars: 2
- Watchers: 2
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# Smart WP db-error.php
## Overview
One of the most common problems facing a WordPress webmaster is the occasional drop in database connectivity. Left to its own devices, WordPress simply displays to the end user the message
The webmaster has no way of knowing that an error has occurred.
WordPress allows us to address this problem in the following way: if it cannot connect to its database, it will run the drop-in plugin `/wp-content/db-error.php` ([documentation](https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/functions/dead_db/)) if it exists. Smart WP db-error.php uses that built-in functionality to serve a 503 page informing users of the outage, while e-mailing webmasters to alert them to the problem -- but only at specified intervals (default: 5 minutes), so as not to overwhelm their mail servers and inboxes.
## Installation
To install Smart WP db-error.php, execute the following:
```sh
cd /path/to/wp-content
git clone https://github.com/agkozak/smart-wp-db-error.git
cd smart-wp-db-error
cp db-error.php.dist ../db-error.php
cd ..
```
At this point it is vitally necessary that you edit the new `/wp-content/db-error.php` file so as to include installation-specific information. The defaults are
```php
define( 'MAIL_TO', 'Firstname Lastname ' );
define( 'MAIL_FROM', 'example@website.com' );
define( 'ALERT_INTERVAL', 300 ); // In seconds.
define( 'SUPPRESS_CREDITS', false );
```
`MAIL_TO` and `MAIL_FROM` should be addresses chosen to cause the least trouble for spam filters (e-mail sent by PHP from a webserver is likely to need whitelisting). `ALERT_INTERVAL` is the number of seconds between attempts at mailing the webmaster.
## Notes
If `/wp-content/db-error.php` is accessed directly, the error page will be displayed, but only for the purposes of showing the webmaster what the error page looks like. No e-mail will be sent. A `noindex` meta tag reminds search engines never to index the error page (an unlikely event anyway, as the page is served with a 503 status).
If, on the other hand, `/wp-content/smart-wp-db-error/smart-wp-db-error.php` is accessed directly, the `MAIL_TO`, `MAIL_FROM`, and `ALERT_INTERVAL` constants will not have been defined, and the script will `die` quietly.