What Is WordPress?

WordPress is a free open source content management system that powers a large portion of the modern web. Launched in 2003 as a simple tool for bloggers, it has since grown into a versatile platform used by everyone from solo writers to international news organizations and major enterprises. Today more than forty percent of all websites run on WordPress.

The heart of WordPress is its separation of design and content through the use of themes and a block based editor. A theme controls colors, fonts and layouts so you can transform your site’s appearance in seconds without writing any code. The block based editor lets you create pages by stacking content blocks for headings, paragraphs, images and galleries, offering a familiar drag and drop experience that scales from simple blogs to complex landing pages.

WordPress truly stands out because of its rich ecosystem of plugins. Plugins are small software modules that you install to add features such as contact forms, search engine optimization tools, social media feeds, membership systems or fully integrated online stores powered by WooCommerce. With more than fifty eight thousand plugins available in the official directory and many premium options elsewhere, you can extend your site’s functionality with just a few clicks.

A thriving global community of developers, designers, translators and enthusiasts supports WordPress through regular contributions to its core software, themes and plugins. WordPress events around the world give users a chance to learn best practices and share solutions. Ongoing security updates and a dedicated team of volunteer auditors work to keep new installations safe every month.

Because WordPress is translated into more than two hundred languages and can be hosted on shared servers, managed hosting services or private clouds, it makes professional web publishing accessible to everyone. A freelance writer can launch a blog in minutes, a local bakery can take orders online, a nonprofit can manage donations and volunteer sign ups, and a multinational corporation can host high traffic portals with developer documentation and community forums. In every scenario WordPress provides a flexible, reliable and easily managed foundation for websites of all kinds.