WordPress Plugin

Learn Crash Shield setup, heartbeat streaming and basic troubleshooting steps.

Reading time
5 min reading
Updating
Mar 2026

Requirements

Crash Shield technical requirements
Component Minimum Notes
WordPress 5.8+ Requires at least 5.8 in the plugin title.
PHP 7.4+ Requires PHP 7.4 in the plugin header.
REST API Accessible The Heartbeat endpoint is published on the WordPress REST API.
mu-plugins Writable recommended MU helper and verify shim are copied automatically.

Installation

  1. Install Crash Shield .zip package

    Upload the .zip package from WP Admin > Plugins > Add New > Install Plugin.

  2. Activate the plugin

    When enabled, the plugin tries to install the MU helper and verify shim files.

  3. Open the Settings screen

    The administration screen appears under Settings > AnchorUptime Crash Shield.

  4. Register the verification token

    The plugin token is not a public field; first the ownership verification token is registered, then the plugin tries to auto-establish the panel connection.

Signal and Control Range

Timings related to Heartbeat
Mechanism December Description
Heartbeat probe Same as the plan The panel calls the heartbeat endpoint in the site's normal check cycle if there is an active plugin token.
Fatal report Instant When the plugin shutdown handler detects fatal, it sends a report to the /fatal endpoint.
Diagnostics Optional The Run diagnostics button on the admin screen is manual; it uses a short 60-second cache.

In a nutshell, the plugin itself does not ping the panel at regular intervals; the actual heartbeat stream is the panel polling the WordPress endpoint.

WP-Cron and Server Cron

WP-Cron is not required for Heartbeat.

Since the current plugin runs heartbeat with a REST endpoint, wp-cron.php is not mandatory. For general WordPress maintenance, though, real server cron behaves more consistently.

CRON
*/5 * * * * php /var/www/html/wp-cron.php

Plugin Working?

Examine the Heartbeat column in the last control records on the Site Detail screen on the dashboard side. If the plugin token is not connected, the system will indicate it as Plugin token not connected; if it is connected, the heartbeat_status and heartbeat_reason fields will start filling.

  • In WordPress, go to Settings > AnchorUptime Crash Shield and see Connected, Site ID and masked token information.
  • Run diagnostics to run panel access, token health, heartbeat and well-known endpoint tests together.
  • If Heartbeat fails, check REST API access, security plugins and WAF/edge rules.