Inside WordPress 6.8: Key security, performance and editor improvements

Performance that actually performs. Meet speculative loading

Let’s start with the coolest new feature that you’ll never actually see working (which is kind of the point). WordPress 6.8’s integration of speculative loading into Core WordPress marks a notable step in improving page speed and user experience for enterprise WordPress sites. By leveraging the Speculation Rules API, speculative loading allows browsers to prefetch URLs dynamically as users interact with a site, reducing the time it takes for the next page to load.

When someone hovers over a link on your site (or taps it on mobile), WordPress starts loading that page in the background. If they click through, boom – the page appears almost instantly. If they don’t click, no harm done, the preloaded data just gets discarded.

This translates into tangible improvements in key performance metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), a crucial factor in search rankings and user engagement. This solitary feature has already demonstrated a ~1.9% improvement in LCP passing rates across tens of thousands of WordPress sites – and that’s with conservative settings enabled by default.

The best part? It happens automatically. No plugins to install, no settings to configure (unless you want to). WordPress 6.8 just makes your site feel faster without you lifting a finger.

Security gets a major upgrade. Hello bcrypt!

If you’ve been using WordPress for a while, you might remember when password security wasn’t exactly… robust. Initially, for WordPress websites, the passwords used to be stored using portable PHP password hashing framework, phpass. Relying on MD5 hashing, it was considerably weaker against common WordPress threats. But now, WordPress 6.8 has upgraded the security with the introduction of bcrypt encryption as the default security algorithm.

Bcrypt comes with a built-in “work factor” that makes it exponentially harder for attackers to crack passwords, even if they somehow get hold of your password hashes. Plus, application passwords and security keys now use the BLAKE2b hashing algorithm, providing a modern and robust method for securing credentials.

The transition happens automatically when users change their passwords or log in – you don’t need to do anything to benefit from the improved security.

Editor improvements that actually improve your workflow

The style book goes universal

One of the most requested features finally arrives for classic theme users. The Style Book is now available with classic themes that have editor styles or a theme.json file. The Style Book has been updated with a more structured layout, making it easier to preview site colors, typography, and block styles.

For those who haven’t used the Style Book yet, think of it as a comprehensive style guide built right into your WordPress dashboard. You can see all your site’s design elements, colors, fonts, block styles, in one organized place, making it much easier to maintain consistent design across your site.

Data views get smarter

The updated Data Views in WordPress 6.8 deliver a consistent interface for browsing content. Pages, posts, and media now support Content preview. So you can glimpse page content directly in the list view—saving time and improving workflow efficiency.

You can also customize table density with options like Comfortable, Balanced, and Compact, because not everyone likes their content lists the same way. It’s a small change that makes managing large amounts of content much more pleasant.

Query loop block gets more flexible

Content creators will appreciate the enhanced Query Loop block, which now includes the ability to ignore sticky posts, giving you more control over how you display your content. Other enhancements include pagination, block spacing enhancements, filtering by year and fetching results with an offset.

These might sound like technical improvements, but they translate to real flexibility when building dynamic content displays.

Behind the scenes improvements that matter

More efficient block registration

For developers and sites with lots of custom blocks, A new function wp_register_block_types_from_metadata_collection(…) will allow plugins to register multiple block types with a single call – making everything more efficient and reducing overhead.

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Better internationalization

Updates include new and refined translation functions, consistency fixes, and improved support for plural forms. Making it easier to build plugins, themes, and interfaces that are fully translatable and globally accessible.

Accessibility improvements

34 tickets focused on accessibility were addressed in this release, including removing redundant title attributes that can confuse screen readers and improving overall compatibility with assistive technologies.

Navigation and social blocks get polish

The Navigation block continues to evolve with better management of complex menus. Menu names are now displayed in the List View for easier orientation, and a Clear option was added to the color picker for faster design implementation.

The Social Icons block gets some love too, with support for Discord, an easier method to clear color options, and streamlined adding of social links. Small touches, but they add up to a smoother design experience.

Developer friendly updates

Interactivity API enhancements:
Improvements to the Interactivity API include support for asynchronous handlers, giving developers more flexibility in creating interactive experiences.

Block hooks API:
This API allows users to dynamically add blocks to block themes, and WordPress 6.8 focuses on improving its capabilities.

HTML API improvements:
New features include safe composable HTML templating and inner and outer HTML support. These API improvements provide developers with more powerful tools to create dynamic, interactive websites while maintaining performance and security.

Should you update?

The short answer: absolutely. WordPress 6.8 is the kind of update that makes your existing site better without changing how you work. The performance improvements from speculative loading alone make it worthwhile, and the security upgrades are essential in today’s threat landscape.

WordPress 6.8 brings meaningful refinements across performance, design, and security. Developers are regarding it as one of the most polished releases yet, with everything from speculative loading for performance to bcrypt encryption for security.

Plus, because it’s focused on polish rather than major feature additions, the upgrade process should be smooth for most sites. As always, back up your site first, but WordPress 6.8 maintains strong backward compatibility.

The bottom line

WordPress 6.8 proves that sometimes the best updates are the ones that make everything work better without getting in your way. Faster loading times, stronger security, smoother editing experience, and better design tools, all delivered with minimal disruption to your workflow.

In a world where everyone’s chasing the latest shiny features, WordPress 6.8 focuses on making the fundamentals excellent. Your visitors get faster page loads, your passwords get stronger protection, your editing experience gets smoother, and your site gets more stable.

That’s the kind of update we can all get behind.