WordPress is one of the most popular and powerful software for creating WordPress websites and online apps, as well as publishing web content. Among the public websites, WordPress is the core behind 34% of them. Putting it simply, WordPress powers more than a third of all known websites in the blogosphere and online businesses.
But do you know how WordPress works? You need to learn a few aspects of this powerful yet simple software to understand how it works. Knowing WordPress behind the scenes helps you to maintain your installation healthy. This post is meant to teach you the basics of how WordPress works behind the scenes.
The Structure
WordPress has the “front” and “back” interfaces. The front is the public access part of your website where visitors see your products or read your blog posts. That is the part you can customize with themes to create the appearance you need for creating WordPress sites.
You can further decide what to show your users on the front page of your WordPress website through post options and plugin support. For instance, you can make the general information public. However, when creating online learning platforms on WordPress, you may want to hide some information and only show it to subscribed members.
The WordPress back end is usually known as the dashboard. People with admin rights have access to the WordPress dashboard. The editors, publishers, and contributors access the dashboard to carry out various activities that affect the content on the WordPress sites.
However, only web admins have the right to change everything on the website through the dashboard. The admin users can add, edit, and delete other users. They can assign the roles the users can perform on the website. They are also responsible for updating the software, themes, plugins, and various features on the website.
As a WordPress site owner, you need to log in to the dashboard to carry out various maintenance practices to keep the website functional and up-to-date with relevant information and functionality. You do not need any technical expert knowledge to do the tasks.
Other WordPress Aspects You Need to Know
Apart from the front page and the administration dashboard, WordPress also entails other aspects to complete the usability and functionality of your website. Three things power up the website. You should accustom yourself to these to ensure that you can manage your blog or website flawlessly without hiring any experts.
- WordPress Themes
When you visit any website, you will notice its distinct appearance. You can design your website to look as you want to create uniqueness in your brand. In WordPress, the themes provide the required set of tools to customize the website’s look on the front page.
Without employing any programming knowledge, you can customize how each section of your website looks by using your theme. You can buy WordPress themes online, download free themes from the WordPress repository, or create your awesome themes once you learn to code.
Whenever you want to customize your content layout, colors, logo, and other features on your WordPress blog, you can use the theme. From your WordPress administration dashboard, go to the customization menu. You can apply colors and content location (widgets) on your theme with the theme customizer.
- WordPress Plugins
The plain WordPress installation can help you to publish content for your audience. But it offers minimal features for a complete business website. There is a reason, therefore, to add the features you need on your site to meet your users’ needs. The WordPress plugins help you to achieve the goals you need for any WordPress site.
In simpler terms, plugins help you to create any website you can think of with WordPress. The extensibility is one of the main reasons why WordPress is popular across the globe. Depending on the features you want on your site, you can download or purchase the appropriate plugin that meets your needs.
- The Core
The core (or WordPress Core) is the original software code that you download to install on your web server. When you install the plugins and themes on WordPress, their code is also added to WordPress core on your server. The core files determine what happens when a user takes action on your website.
To access the core of your WordPress installation, you need a file manager. With a file manager, and depending on the server you are using, you can change the file permissions, edit individual files, and upload or download the files you may need to update.
In most cases, the WordPress core should remain intact. You should carry out your operations on the dashboard. Only edit the files if you are good at coding and the features you want to modify are not accessible from the admin interface. You can also edit the core if your theme or plugin author advises you to do so.
It is also necessary to understand the core file structure so that you can identify if someone is tampering with your website. Hackers can upload extra files on your server to monitor, copy, or modify your content and infuse inappropriate links on your website. To keep your site healthy without confusing it with your server-specific files, consider installing WordPress in a subdirectory.
About the Server
When you want to set up a website on WordPress, you need a web server to host all your files and database. Your choice depends on your needs and preferences. However, you should ensure that the server supports PHP and employs MySQL as the database tool. Without the two, your website will not install or run on the server.
Summing Up
It is easy to deploy WordPress for your business. It makes it easy to manage your site without mastering various development and coding techniques. Your website can run on either a Windows or Linux powered server. Remember to contact the web host to verify if they support WordPress hosting before you purchase it.
