WP Admin Speedboost – a free, open-source WordPress plugin I built to make wp-admin faster and quieter: 17 switchable modules plus one-click database cleanup, downloadable straight from GitHub.
WP Admin Speedboost is an open-source WordPress plugin I designed, built and maintain for the admin tasks that kept coming up on client sites. It puts switchable modules, database cleanup and server recommendations in one place. Each module has its own control, so an administrator can choose the changes that fit the site rather than accept a fixed collection of tweaks.
The brief
The same problems appeared across the sites I maintained: unnecessary dashboard requests, promotional notices, repeated editing tasks and settings that needed a small custom fix. I wanted a tool I could configure per site. WP Admin Speedboost brings those jobs together, but keeps decisions visible. Some changes affect integrations or login access, so optional controls and clear warnings matter as much as removing work from the dashboard.
What I built
- Heartbeat and dashboard controls – The heartbeat module keeps the editor and post list working with autosave and post locking. Other controls remove dashboard widgets and selected background probes. Direct security and PHP tests remain available rather than being hidden with the slower checks.
- Less visual clutter – Admin bar cleanup and promotional-notice controls reduce the items shown around the working area. Errors and the Updates screen remain visible. Optional script controls cover emoji, front-end oEmbed discovery and jQuery Migrate, with a separate setting for lazy-loaded avatars.
- An admin menu editor – Administrators can hide, rename and reorder menu entries. Hidden entries also block their associated pages. Dashboard, Profile and the plugin screens have lock-out guards, and a configuration constant can disable the module from outside the dashboard.
- Draft duplication and editing – The duplicate action copies supported posts with their content, custom fields and taxonomies into a new draft. The copy belongs to the current user and does not reuse the original slug. A separate module enables the classic editing interface.
- Optional access controls – The plugin can block anonymous requests to the REST user endpoints and disable XML-RPC. Hiding the login URL is optional and is not a replacement for authentication. Application-password disabling is also opt-in because it can break integrations.
- Database cleanup with review – Cleanup begins with a read-only scan and shows the records in each category. Users can deselect categories before confirming. Deletion is limited to the scanned records, runs in batches and uses a site-wide lock to prevent overlapping cleanup jobs.
- Server recommendations – The settings show suggested WordPress configuration constants and live OPcache and JIT status, with PHP configuration values to copy. These are recommendations to review, not a claim that the plugin has changed the hosting environment itself.
- Updates and developer controls – GitHub releases supply updates through the normal WordPress plugin screens. Developer filters cover details such as retained heartbeat screens, duplication behaviour and cleanup batch size. Relevant modules also detect overlapping plugins and stand down with a notice.
How the WP Admin Speedboost plugin works
After installing WP Admin Speedboost, an administrator opens Speedboost in the WordPress sidebar, reviews the modules and saves the choices that suit the site. The menu editor has its own screen. Login changes deserve particular care: the new address should be bookmarked before saving. Disabling application passwords also needs a check against the site’s existing authenticated integrations.
Database cleanup is a separate, deliberate action. WP Admin Speedboost first lists what it found, including revisions, expired transients and orphaned metadata. The user reviews those records and confirms that a backup exists before anything is removed. Cleanup permanently deletes data, so I keep that warning explicit. Progress reflects the rows removed, and records created after the scan are left alone.
Result
WP Admin Speedboost gives site administrators a single place to review common admin changes and carry out selected maintenance tasks. They can duplicate content into drafts, adjust menus and inspect cleanup records before deletion. The source is available on GitHub, and the controls remain reversible where the underlying action allows it. Database deletion is the clear exception and requires a backup.
Need a custom WordPress plugin?
I build tools around the work your site needs to do. Tell me what you need and I will scope it properly.
