Divi is one of the most popular WordPress themes available today, and it’s used by web designers and business owners all over the world. Elegant Themes, the company behind Divi, is constantly working to improve their product, and they’re currently in the beta phase for the upcoming Divi 5. This major upgrade promises to deliver some significant improvements over the current version, Divi 4.
There won’t be any new features introduced but it will be much faster and won’t break your website if you upgrade from Divi 4.
So, what can you expect from the upcoming Divi 5 release? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what’s new and improved in Divi 5 and what benefits it will bring to your website.
What is Divi 5?
Divi 5 is a foundational update that rewrites Divi’s core technologies from the ground up. Elegant Themes has been working on this update for years, and it’s designed to be more performant, stable, scalable, and extendable than the current version of Divi. It’s built with the latest coding standards and technologies, and it will ship with a new API that will make it easier for developers to create custom modules and features.
Why does Divi 4 need such a massive revamp?
Divi 4 has been criticized for having long, bloated code that causes performance issues. Some files contain tens of thousands of lines of code, making them less maintainable and harder to understand. This issue has resulted in performance bottlenecks, which have been temporarily handled multiple times. However, it is only a matter of time before these bottlenecks resurface, especially as Elegant Themes has added more and more features to Divi 4.
To address this issue, the upcoming Divi 5 update implements a new approach that keeps one exported function per file for better code maintainability and scalability. This will ensure that Divi 5 offers better performance and stability than its predecessor.
Release Phases
Divi 5 is expected to be released in phases. This approach is different from the previous version’s release strategy. By dividing the release into phases, Elegant Themes can ensure that each phase is stable and ready for release. This also gives developers the opportunity to provide feedback and make changes before the final release.
- Dev Alpha: Unfinished version of Divi 5.0 API. Developers get a sneak peek into the future of Divi so they can plan how to adapt current Divi extensions.
- CURRENT PHASE: Dev Beta: Unfinished version of Divi 5.0 with finished Divi 5.0 API. Developers can update extensions early, before official Divi 5.0 release.
- Public Alpha: Public alpha starts with “lite” version of Divi 5.0. Fully-functional, but lacking some of Divi’s current features and modules.
- Divi community can test Divi 5.0 and offer feedback.
- Public Beta: Fully-functional version of Divi 5.0, but still a beta version. Site owners can test on non-production sites and report any bugs they find.
- Official Release: Divi 5.0 officially released as a normal update in the WordPress dashboard.
- Update all your Divi sites to Divi 5.0 and enjoy the new features and improvements!
Elegant Themes has not announced a scheduled release date at this time and I imagine it will be difficult to predict until they get enough beta testers to help work out the bugs during development.
What are the Benefits of Divi 5?
You may be wondering why the team at Elegant Themes decided to make the big decision of halting the addition of features (for the most part) in Divi 4 and putting their best effort into redoing Divi from the ground up. I won’t get into the specific code that will be changing, but let’s touch on some of the major benefits that will make it worth the time and effort of refactoring the whole code base.
Better Performance and Stability
One of the most significant benefits of Divi 5 is better performance and stability. The update uses the latest technologies and coding standards to ensure that it runs smoothly on all devices and browsers. This means that your website will load faster and be more responsive, which is essential for a positive user experience. The new version of Divi is also designed to be more stable than its predecessor, reducing the likelihood of crashes and other technical issues.
More Scalable and Extendable
Divi 5 is designed to be more scalable and extendable than its predecessor. This means that it will be easier for developers to create custom modules and features that are tailored to your website’s specific needs. This will give you more flexibility and control over your website, which is essential for business owners who want to stay ahead of the competition. After all the Divi theme’s flexibility is one of its biggest selling points.
Better User Experience
Divi 5 is also designed to provide a better user experience for both you (the developer and designer) and your visitors. Its user interface is more intuitive and user-friendly, which means that you can create and edit your website more easily. This will save you time and frustration, and it will also make your website more attractive and engaging to your visitors.
Future-Proof
Divi 5 is designed to be future-proof. The update is a launchpad for future versions of Divi, making it a bridge from the current version of Divi to the future. The update is also designed to handle existing mechanisms while preparing for future updates. This means that you won’t have to worry as much about updating your website every time a new version of Divi is released.
This version will not be adding new features, instead it is laying a strong foundation for new features to come.
How and when to Upgrade to Divi 5
If you don’t have the Divi theme yet, you can get a Lifetime License to Divi here. The license even comes with premium plugins for social sharing (Monarch plugin) and email optins (Bloom plugin).
If you’re currently using Divi version 4, you may be wondering how to upgrade to version 5. Divi 5 is currently in the beta phase of development, so it’s not yet available for general use. However, you can prepare for the upgrade by ensuring that your website meets the minimum requirements for Divi 5.
The minimum requirements for Divi 5 include:
- WordPress version 6.1.1 or higher
- WooCommerce version 7.3.0 or higher (if you have WooCommerce installed)
Once Divi 5 is released, you can download the latest build and activate it on your site. However, it’s important to note that Divi 5 is still in active development, so you should only use it on a development or testing site. Do not install it on your production site until it has been fully tested and released.
You can request access to to the Beta testing version now if you are a developer and want to make sure your extensions and plugins will work with Divi 5. If you’re not a Divi extension developer but want to test how well your current sites will perform and see what is changing before the final release, you may want to wait for the Public Beta release since it will be the most stable version before public release.
In general, we like to wait a while after any Divi update before we install the update on our websites. There is always the possibility of introducing new bugs along with the fixes, and any custom work you’ve had done should be checked for compatibility on a staging site before updating.
For a major release, especially if you don’t need the benefits of the update right away, most of like to play it safe and wait for the first minor update to come before applying it to a new website. For example, it would probably be safest to wait until enough people install Divi 5.0 and report all the bugs they find. Then you can update it a couple weeks after Divi 5.0.1 is released.
Here is Nick Roach’s Dev Beta announcement:
Conclusion
Divi 5 is looking to be an exciting new upgrade to the Divi WordPress theme that will offer many benefits for web designers and business owners alike. It provides better performance and stability, more scalability and extendability, and a better user experience.
If you’re currently using Divi version 4, you should start preparing for the upgrade by ensuring that your website meets the minimum requirements for Divi 5. Then, when Divi 5 is released, you can download the latest build and start enjoying its many benefits. Stay tuned for more updates on the release of Divi 5, as we still have a way to go!
We use Divi exclusively on on all of our website designs and we are following its evolution closely.
How about you? Do you use Divi on your website(s)? Let us know your thoughts on Elegant Themes’ direction with Divi in the comments below!
And of course, if this seems like too much and you need some help with your website, check out our website care plans, or you can book a quick call to see if we can help maintain or update your site for you.
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