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Is WordPress a CMS, a framework, or PHP?
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that is built with the programming language PHP, but it can also be used as a framework. What does this mean?
Well, WordPress is an open-source platform that gives developers the ability to create their own custom plugins and themes for the CMS.
This means that WordPress provides many features out of the box, but it also leaves room for customization.
It has both “built in” features and modularity with its codebase.
In this post we are going to go over these differences and why choosing to go with WordPress is the best way to go for getting a website up and running fast!
What is WordPress and what does it do?
WordPress is a free and open source CMS and its main function is to help users create websites, blogs, and other digital content easily (all for free).
WordPress has many “built in” features such as: the ability to manage categories for your content; creating pages; uploading images and files; create and edit posts, etc.
WordPress gives you the tools to build whatever kind of website or blog you want. It doesn’t limit your creativity in any way (and it’s constantly evolving).
This means that WordPress users can add “plugins” which extend what WordPress does.
Understanding the difference between a CMS, framework, and programming language.
WordPress is a CMS, but it also has many framework-like features. It can be built upon to create websites with any functionalities that are needed.
WordPress runs on PHP and MySQL databases which are easy for web developers of all levels to work with.
The word “framework” describes more of a structure. WordPress was built on top of the open source programming language PHP and is an example of a CMS framework.
A web developer can build on this foundation to create any type website, including native applications for mobile devices.
This gives WordPress incredible flexibility as well as functionality.
Laravel is an example of a framework that is built on top of PHP, with its own set of functions and classes.
WordPress is not a framework in the same sense that Laravel or CakePHP are frameworks. WordPress was originally written in “plain” HTML when it first launched back in 2003.
Why should I use WordPress for my website platform?
WordPress has long been the go-to CMS for developers and agencies to build websites.
WordPress is easy to use, flexible, customizable, user friendly and comes with a huge community of contributors who are willing to help you out in case anything goes wrong.
WordPress allows you to easily add a blog, portfolio or eCommerce store. You can choose from thousands of WordPress themes and plugins that will help you achieve the look and feel your website needs.
Themes allow developers to create new designs for their websites without altering any code whereas WordPress plugins are small programs that extend the functionality of WordPress.
How does WordPress compare to other content management systems?
WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that works well for blogs, portfolios, small business sites and marketing pages.
When compared to other CMSs like Joomla or Drupal, WordPress is more popular because of its low cost and ease of use.
WordPress can also be used with custom or premade themes and plugins allowing you to easily create custom websites.
Why is it called WordPress if it’s built on PHP ?
WordPress is built on PHP, but many people refer to it as a CMS.
What makes WordPress so powerful and popular with developers is the fact that you can create websites using html/css/js, but also use WordPress’ built in functions to generate dynamic content.
WordPress is a CMS because it allows you to manage your website using an administrative panel that can be accessed by logging into the WordPress dashboard.
The word “CMS ” stands for Content Management System and not just websites built on PHP/MYSQL!
Frequently asked questions about WordPress:
How often will my WordPress website be updated?
Your WordPress website will be updated when there are updates released by the WordPress development team.
These can come in the form of security patches, new features and bug fixes.
Security is always a priority for WordPress developers because they realize that WordPress websites contain sensitive data like your private blog posts or customer information that may need to be protected from hackers.
Where can I find free themes/plugins for my WordPress site?
You can find free themes and plugins on WordPress.org as well as in the search bars in the themes and plugin sections of your WordPress dashboard.
Why are there so many updates available when I update my site?
Most WordPress updates are either security related and should be installed as soon as possible to protect your site from hackers!
WordPress also adds regular changes to its core that allow for additional features and bug fixes to be added.
What is the difference between self-hosted vs hosted by WordPress.com?
When you choose a self-hosted WordPress website, it means that your site is hosted on your own server or through an independent Web Hosting Provider.
The expense of hosting could be really cheap or very costly depending on your hosting plan. Shared hosting normally being the cheapest and Dedicated Server Hosting the most expensive.
Dedicated Server Hosting can be time consuming for maintaining your own Dedicated Server, but gives you full control over your site.
Whereas having your site hosted on WordPress.com means that your website is being hosted by WordPress.com and you have a limited number of options to customize your site’s design as well as which plugins you can install.
But everything, including security is all handled for you on the backend. This will essentially leave you free to just add content and or products if it’s ecommerce related.
Is WordPress a CMS, a framework, or is it built on PHP? Conclusions.
WordPress is built on PHP, but many people refer to it as a CMS. WordPress can be used with custom or premade themes and plugins allowing you to easily create custom websites.
A framework like Laravel on the other hand, is built using PHP, but it’s just a general purpose framework that allows developers to build many different types of applications.
WordPress can be used as an open source blogging tool or content management system, depending on how you use it. No coding required.
