# Beta channel and staged rollouts

> Offer a beta to sites that ask for it, and release a new version to a share of sites first.

## Beta channel

Give a product a **Beta version** and a **Beta file** (one of its downloadable zips) in the Licensing tab. Sites that ask for betas (`/update` with `channel=beta`) get the beta while it's newer than the latest version, through its own signed link. Every other site, and every site on `stable`, gets the latest version and never the beta file.

With the drop-in updater, pass `'channel' => 'beta'`.

## Staged rollouts

**Rollout (%)** beside the latest version offers it to that share of sites first. Raise it once the version looks good.

Each site's place in line comes from its license and instance ID, so it stays put between checks, and raising the share only adds sites. Sites not yet included hear that no update is available. The beta channel isn't held back.

Checked against ZealDen Sell Your Plugins 1.1.4 on main, 19 October 2026.