We've continued improving the underlying technology in Cloud ahead of some exciting new capabilities coming later this Summer. We've improved the documentation, made the Dashboard faster to work with, updated to the latest MODX releases including 2.3.5, updated the web server stacks and more. You can also now enable Two-factor Authentication (2fA) for MODX Cloud Dashboard logins, improving security and keeping your data safe.
Highlights of MODX Cloud Updates
<li>We added Two-factor Authentication for increased security for user logins. Read more about and how to use <a href="https://modxcloud.com/userguide/accounts-and-billing/two-factor-authentication.html" title="Two-Factor Authentication">Two-factor Authentication</a>.</li>
<li>We rolled out an update that dramatically improves the responsiveness and speed using the Cloud Dashboard. This should help you get your work done faster than ever.</li>
<li>More secure phpMyAdmin installations, with easier access from the MODX Cloud Dashboard. We now suggest a generated install location with access button and URL reference in the Cloud edit view. Read more about <a href="https://modxcloud.com/userguide/using-modx-cloud/tools-and-configuration/database-management-phpmyadmin-and-remote-tools.html" title="Database Management—phpMyAdmin & Remote Tools—MODX Cloud">managing your website databases</a>.</li>
<li>MODX Cloud users have asked for the ability to download Snapshots and Backups to their local computer for secure storage or in case they need to move to another host. Now you can. Read how to download <a href="https://modxcloud.com/userguide/using-modx-cloud/backups/download-a-backup.html" title="Download a Backup">Backups</a> and <a href="https://modxcloud.com/userguide/using-modx-cloud/snapshots/download-a-snapshot.html" title="Download a Snapshot">Snapshots</a> for full details.</li>
<li>Email deliverability is a growing challenge. To help offer solutions, we added complete documentation related to sending email with cloud and reaching the inbox. See the new <a href="https://modxcloud.com/userguide/using-modx-cloud/email.html" title="Email—MODX Cloud">email deliverability documentation</a> and get your emails delivered.</li>
<li>Updated <a href="https://modxcloud.com/userguide/using-modx-cloud/tools-and-configuration/web-rules-rewrites-redirects-tweaks.html" title="Web Rules—Rewrites, Redirects and other Cloud Tweaks—MODX Cloud">documentation on Web Rules</a> covers things like redirecting site visitors to your SSL site and doing things as recommended by Google to increase page performance (and search rank, too).</li>
<li>MODX Revolution 2.3.5 was released on June 25, 2015. Upgrade now with a <a href="https://modxcloud.com/userguide/using-modx-cloud/clouds/upgrading-modx.html#one-click-upgrade" title="Upgrading MODXâMODX Cloud">single click</a> (<a href="https://youtu.be/iqItZOcLfY8?t=3s" title="Upgrading MODX Revolution in MODX Cloud - YouTube">watch the video</a>) or, if you have custom Extras or you’re extra cautious, follow the <a href="https://modxcloud.com/userguide/using-modx-cloud/clouds/upgrading-modx.html#safe-upgrades" title="Upgrading MODXâMODX Cloud">safe upgrade</a> procedures.</li>
<li>If you use the command line, we’ve added the nano text editor to all MODX Clouds for easy, lightweight editing via SSH, as a user-friendly alternative to Vim.</li>
<li>For those on the original legacy account plans, you can now access all the statements directly from the Dashboard as expected.</li>
<li>And finally, of interest to site builders and developers, we’ve made the following PHP updates including 5.4.40, 5.4.41 and 5.4.42.</li>
Prepare for PHP 5.6
Speaking of PHP, but we wanted to let you know that in the coming weeks, MODX Cloud will upgrade PHP to 5.6.x and nginx to 1.8.x, corresponding with PHP 5.4.x coming to its end of support. Cloud account holders will receive a notice via email as well. We will make a test server available for users that wish to test the build in Cloud.
We have tested PHP 5.6 with MODX Revolution in Cloud, and all things function normally. We do not expect that MODX Revolution installations will have any issues, however, we do encourage you to investigate the differences between PHP 5.4 and 5.6 as it may relate to custom code built for your site. Learn more about the differences between PHP 5.4 and 5.5, and PHP 5.5 and 5.6.
If you are no longer in contact with your web developer, you may wish to ask about this from a MODX Professional or the MODX Services team to discuss an audit for your site.
Stay Tuned for More
Stay tuned over the next days and weeks to hear about great changes to make MODX Cloud better for you and for your customers.