WordPress Glossary
Your complete guide to WordPress terminology, plugin development concepts, and e-commerce definitions. Clear explanations without the jargon.
A
Action Hook
A specific point in WordPress code execution where developers can insert custom code. Action hooks allow plugins to add functionality without modifying core WordPress files. For example, the ‘wp_footer’ action hook lets you add code before the closing body tag.
Admin Dashboard
The backend interface of WordPress where site administrators manage content, settings, plugins, and themes. Accessed by adding /wp-admin to your site URL.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A set of functions and procedures that allow different software applications to communicate with each other. WordPress REST API enables external applications to interact with your WordPress site, retrieve data, or perform actions programmatically.
Auto-update
A feature that automatically installs updates for WordPress core, plugins, or themes without manual intervention. Helps maintain security and compatibility but should be tested on staging sites first for mission-critical installations.
B
Backend
The administrative side of WordPress that only logged-in users with appropriate permissions can access. This is where you manage content, install plugins, configure settings, and control your website.
Backup
A complete copy of your WordPress site including database, files, themes, plugins, and uploads. Essential for disaster recovery and should be performed regularly before updates or major changes.
Block Editor (Gutenberg)
WordPress’s modern content editor introduced in version 5.0. Uses a block-based approach where each piece of content (paragraphs, images, buttons) is a separate block that can be moved and styled independently.
Breadcrumbs
Navigation links showing the user’s path from the homepage to their current page. Example: Home > Shop > Category > Product. Improves user experience and SEO.
C
Cache
Temporary storage of website data to improve loading speeds. Caching plugins store static versions of your pages so WordPress doesn’t have to generate them from scratch for every visitor.
CDN (Content Delivery Network)
A network of servers distributed globally that deliver your website content from the server closest to the visitor. Reduces load times and bandwidth usage, especially for international audiences.
Child Theme
A theme that inherits functionality and styling from another theme (parent theme) but allows you to make customizations without modifying the parent theme files. Protects customizations from being lost during theme updates.
CMS (Content Management System)
Software that allows you to create, manage, and modify website content without needing to write code directly. WordPress is the world’s most popular CMS, powering over 40% of all websites.
Custom Post Type
A content type beyond the default Posts and Pages. Examples include Products (WooCommerce), Portfolio Items, or Events. Custom post types allow you to organize different types of content with unique structures and fields.
cPanel
A web hosting control panel that provides tools for managing your hosting account, including file management, database administration, email accounts, and one-click WordPress installation.
D
Database
A structured collection of data where WordPress stores all your content, settings, and user information. WordPress uses MySQL or MariaDB databases. Your posts, pages, comments, and plugin settings are all stored here.
Debug Mode
A WordPress feature that displays PHP errors, warnings, and notices on your site. Essential for developers troubleshooting issues but should be disabled on live sites as it can expose sensitive information.
Deprecated Function
A function in WordPress code that is outdated and scheduled for removal in future versions. Developers should update code to use newer replacement functions to maintain compatibility.
Domain Name
Your website’s address on the internet (e.g., yoursite.com). Registered through domain registrars and pointed to your web hosting server via DNS settings.
E
Excerpt
A short summary of a post or page, typically displayed on archive pages or blog listings. Can be manually written or automatically generated from the first few sentences of content.
Ecommerce Plugin
A WordPress plugin that adds online store functionality to your website. WooCommerce is the most popular, allowing you to sell physical or digital products, manage inventory, and process payments.
F
Featured Image
The main representative image for a post or page, displayed in listings and often at the top of the post. Also called “post thumbnail” and used by themes for visual appeal and social media sharing.
Filter Hook
A WordPress hook that allows you to modify data before it’s displayed or saved. Unlike action hooks that add functionality, filters change existing data. For example, the ‘the_content’ filter modifies post content before display.
Frontend
The public-facing side of your WordPress website that visitors see. This is what your theme controls and displays to anyone who visits your site’s URL.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
A method for uploading and downloading files between your computer and web server. FTP clients like FileZilla provide direct access to your WordPress files for troubleshooting or manual installations.
G
GPL (General Public License)
The open-source license under which WordPress is distributed. Ensures that WordPress and GPL-licensed themes/plugins remain free and that modifications can be freely distributed.
Gutenberg
The code name for WordPress’s block editor, introduced in version 5.0. Named after Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press. Represents a fundamental shift in how WordPress content is created and edited.
H
Headless WordPress
Using WordPress as a backend content management system while displaying content through a different frontend framework (like React or Vue.js). WordPress provides content via REST API while another technology handles the presentation layer.
Hook
A mechanism in WordPress that allows developers to modify or add functionality without editing core files. Hooks include both action hooks (for adding code) and filter hooks (for modifying data).
Hosting
The service that stores your WordPress website files and makes them accessible on the internet. Types include shared hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, and managed WordPress hosting.
.htaccess
A configuration file used by Apache web servers to control directory-level settings. WordPress uses it for permalink structure, redirects, and security configurations. Editing incorrectly can break your site.
I
i18n (Internationalization)
The process of designing WordPress themes and plugins so they can be easily translated into different languages. Properly internationalized plugins use translation functions for all user-facing text.
Import/Export
WordPress tools for moving content between sites. Export creates an XML file containing posts, pages, and settings. Import brings content from one WordPress site into another.
J
JavaScript
A programming language used to add interactive elements to WordPress sites. Modern WordPress relies heavily on JavaScript, particularly with the block editor which is built with React.
jQuery
A JavaScript library included with WordPress that simplifies HTML manipulation, event handling, and animations. Many WordPress plugins and themes use jQuery for interactive features.
L
Local Development
Running WordPress on your personal computer rather than a live web server. Allows safe testing of themes, plugins, and updates before deploying to production. Tools include Local, XAMPP, and MAMP.
Login URL
The web address where users log into your WordPress site, typically yoursite.com/wp-admin or yoursite.com/wp-login.php. Can be customized with security plugins to prevent unauthorized access attempts.
M
Media Library
The WordPress interface for managing uploaded files including images, videos, PDFs, and audio files. Provides organization, editing, and insertion tools for media content.
Membership Site
A WordPress website where content is restricted to registered members, often with paid subscriptions. Plugins like MemberPress enable membership functionality, user management, and subscription billing.
MemberPress
A popular WordPress membership plugin that allows you to create paid memberships, restrict content, manage subscriptions, and handle user registration. Integrates with payment gateways and provides comprehensive member management.
Menu
Navigation links on your WordPress site. Created and managed through Appearance > Menus, allowing you to organize pages, posts, categories, and custom links in a hierarchical structure.
Meta Box
A draggable box in the WordPress editor that contains settings or options. Plugins often add custom meta boxes to collect additional information for posts or pages.
Migration
The process of moving a WordPress site from one location to another, such as from local to live server, between hosting providers, or from one domain to another. Involves transferring files and database while updating URLs.
Multisite
A WordPress feature that allows you to create a network of multiple sites from a single WordPress installation. Each site has its own content but shares plugins, themes, and users at the network level.
MySQL
The database management system that WordPress uses to store all content, settings, and user data. Modern WordPress sites may also use MariaDB, a MySQL-compatible alternative.
N
Namespace
A PHP feature that prevents naming conflicts in plugin code by grouping related functions, classes, and constants under a unique identifier. Modern WordPress plugin development uses namespaces to avoid conflicts with other plugins.
Nonce
A “number used once” security token in WordPress that verifies requests came from your site and not from an unauthorized source. Protects against CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) attacks.
O
Open Source
Software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and distribute. WordPress is open source, allowing developers worldwide to contribute, improve, and extend the platform freely.
P
Page Builder
A plugin or theme feature that provides drag-and-drop interfaces for creating page layouts without coding. Popular examples include Elementor, WPBakery, and Divi Builder.
Permalink
The permanent URL structure for your posts and pages. WordPress allows custom permalink structures like /post-name/ or /category/post-name/ which are more SEO-friendly than default numeric URLs.
PHP
The server-side programming language that WordPress is built with. WordPress requires PHP 7.4 or higher, with PHP 8.0+ recommended for better performance and security.
Plugin
An extension that adds specific functionality to WordPress without modifying core files. Plugins can add contact forms, SEO tools, e-commerce capabilities, security features, and virtually any other functionality.
Plugin Repository
The official WordPress.org directory where free plugins are listed, rated, and downloaded. Contains over 60,000 free plugins. Premium plugins are typically sold through developer websites.
Post
A type of content in WordPress typically used for blog entries. Posts are displayed in reverse chronological order and can be organized by categories and tags.
Post Meta
Additional data associated with a post or page, stored in the database as key-value pairs. Used by plugins and themes to store custom information like view counts, custom field data, or settings.
R
Responsive Design
Web design approach that ensures websites display properly on all device sizes from phones to desktop monitors. Modern WordPress themes are responsive by default.
REST API
WordPress’s programming interface that allows external applications to communicate with your site using HTTP requests. Enables headless WordPress, mobile apps, and integrations with other systems.
Revisions
WordPress automatically saves previous versions of posts and pages, allowing you to restore earlier content if needed. Can be limited or disabled to reduce database size.
Role
A set of permissions assigned to users. Default roles include Administrator (full access), Editor (manage content), Author (publish own posts), Contributor (write but not publish), and Subscriber (read-only access).
S
Sanitization
The process of cleaning and validating user input to prevent security vulnerabilities. WordPress provides sanitization functions that plugins and themes should use for all user-submitted data.
Scheduled Post
A post set to automatically publish at a specific future date and time. Useful for planning content in advance and maintaining consistent publishing schedules.
Shortcode
A WordPress-specific code snippet enclosed in square brackets [like_this] that executes functions and displays complex content. Plugins use shortcodes to insert features like contact forms, galleries, or custom layouts into posts and pages.
Sidebar
A widgetized area in WordPress themes, typically displayed alongside main content. Can contain widgets like search bars, recent posts, categories, or custom content. Not always literally on the side.
Slug
The URL-friendly version of a post, page, or category name. For a post titled “How to Install WordPress,” the slug might be “how-to-install-wordpress” appearing in the URL as yoursite.com/how-to-install-wordpress.
SQL Injection
A security vulnerability where attackers insert malicious SQL code through input fields to access or manipulate database data. Prevented by using WordPress’s prepared statements and data sanitization functions.
SSL Certificate
A security certificate that encrypts data transmitted between your website and visitors, enabling HTTPS. Essential for security, SEO, and user trust. Most hosting providers now offer free SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt.
Staging Site
A duplicate copy of your WordPress site used for testing updates, new plugins, or design changes without affecting the live site. Changes are pushed to production only after verification.
T
Taxonomy
A method of organizing and grouping content in WordPress. Default taxonomies include Categories and Tags. Custom taxonomies can be created for organizing custom post types.
Template
A PHP file that controls how different types of content are displayed in WordPress themes. Examples include single.php (single post), page.php (pages), and archive.php (category listings).
Theme
A collection of files that control the visual design and layout of your WordPress site. Themes can be changed without affecting content. WordPress.org offers thousands of free themes, with premium themes available from developers.
Transient
A way to temporarily store cached data in WordPress database with an expiration time. Used by plugins and themes to store data that doesn’t need to be queried repeatedly, improving performance.
U
Update
New versions of WordPress core, themes, or plugins that fix bugs, patch security vulnerabilities, or add features. Regular updates are crucial for security and performance.
User Meta
Additional information about WordPress users stored in the database beyond basic profile data. Plugins use user meta to store custom user preferences, subscription status, or other user-specific data.
W
White Screen of Death (WSOD)
When WordPress displays a blank white screen instead of your website, typically caused by PHP errors, plugin conflicts, or memory limits. Usually requires accessing files via FTP to troubleshoot.
Widget
Small blocks of content that can be added to widgetized areas like sidebars or footers. Examples include recent posts, search boxes, custom menus, or text blocks. Managed through Appearance > Widgets.
WooCommerce
The most popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress, powering millions of online stores. Provides complete shop functionality including product management, shopping cart, checkout, payment processing, and order management.
WordPress Coding Standards
Official guidelines for writing PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code for WordPress. Following these standards ensures code quality, readability, and compatibility with the WordPress ecosystem.
WordPress Multisite
A feature allowing multiple WordPress sites to run from a single installation. Popular for universities, corporations, or franchises needing many related sites. Each site has separate content but shares core files, themes, and plugins.
WP-CLI
A command-line interface for WordPress that allows developers to manage WordPress installations, update plugins/themes, perform database operations, and automate tasks without using a web browser.
wp-config.php
WordPress’s primary configuration file containing database connection details, security keys, and advanced settings. One of the most important and sensitive files in a WordPress installation.
wp-content
The WordPress directory containing themes, plugins, and uploads. This folder holds all your customizations and should be included in backups. Core WordPress files outside wp-content can be replaced without losing customizations.
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