What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open source Content Management System (CMS), which allows the users to build dynamic websites. One of the most popular content management system solutions in use, WordPress is used by 42.8% of the top 10 million websites as of October 2021.
The WordPress CMS was originally created as a blog-publishing system but has evolved to support other web content types including more traditional mailing lists and forums, media galleries, membership sites, learning management systems (LMS) and online stores.
Features include a plugin architecture and a template system, referred to within WordPress as Themes. Every WordPress website requires at least one theme to be present, but users may install and switch among many different themes. Themes allow users to change the look and functionality of a WordPress website without altering the core code or site content.
WordPress’ plugin architecture allows users to extend the features and functionality of a website or blog. Plugins offer custom functions and features enabling users to tailor their sites to their specific needs.
WordPress also features integrated link management; a search engine–friendly, clean permalink structure; the ability to assign multiple categories to posts; and support for tagging of posts. Automatic filters are also included, providing standardized formatting and styling of text in posts (for example, converting regular quotes to smart quotes). WordPress also supports the Trackback and Pingback standards for displaying links to other sites that have themselves linked to a post or an article.
WordPress posts can be edited with the content creation interface using HTML (aka “Text”) or the visual editor (aka “Visual”), and/or using one of a number of plugins that allow for a variety of customized editing features.