Have you ever dismissed WordPress as just a blogging platform? You’re not alone. Many people think WordPress is a platform that can only be used to create blogs and simple websites.
They believe that if you want to create complex websites or custom web apps, you need to code them yourself.
However, the reality is you can create custom web apps using WordPress at any level of complexity.
In this article, you will explore more about the potential and benefits of WordPress and why you should at least try it.
Table of Contents
More Than Just a Page Builder
Many people don’t understand what WordPress really is. They think of it as a no-code website builder like Wix or Webflow.
However, WordPress is a generic web framework. It is more similar to React JS or Django than it is to something like Wix or Webflow. I’m not saying WordPress cannot be used as a no-code tool, but it is not limited to that.
WordPress is another framework, but it is a different type of framework than what you usually use when coding a website yourself. Different frameworks offer different levels of pre-built functionalities. On the low end, you have React JS which only renders your data. Somewhere in the middle, we have Ruby on Rails which sets up a lot more of your app.
At the high end of the spectrum, we have WordPress, which offers a ton of functionality out of the box that would save us months, if not years, if we were to recreate these functionalities ourselves.
And by using WordPress, we expand the opportunities that we have. We expand the amount of projects that we can take on.
Built-In Features that Save Time
Believe it or not, there are some websites that we simply can’t create using custom code in a reasonable amount of time.
Imagine this, If a local business asks us to create a website where they or their team can go on and add content to it, think about how many features we would need to implement for them to have a very usable website.
So a feature list could look like this:
- User login
- Different access levels (for managers vs employees)
- Visual Page Editor
- Content Version History
- Website Search
- Server-side rendering
- Uploading images, PDFs
- Database Setup
- Responsive Design
And Many More
If we were creating this with custom code, it would take us years to do it. But with WordPress, this allows us to take on projects like this.
Here are some of the core features that WordPress provides:
User Authentication and Access Control
- Secure ways for users to register, log in, and recover passwords
- Role-based access control (RBAC) with different roles like Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, etc.
- User-friendly way to manage user roles and what they can access
Setting up this type of functionality from scratch is very complex. It involves safely storing user credentials, creating authentication flows, managing roles/permissions, etc.
Visual Content Editor
- A visual editor that lets users create content with formatting like bold, italics, embed media, etc. – no need to know HTML/CSS
- Allows control over post categories, whether a post is visible or not, permalink (URL), and featured images through a visual panel
- WordPress renders the content properly across different website themes and screen sizes
Let’s say you’re building a website where the marketing team needs to add content. Now you have to build a visual editor from scratch. Recreating an editor with similar abilities would take months of development work.
Media Library and Image Optimization
- A central library to upload, store, and insert images/files into content
- Automatically creates different-sized versions of images for optimization on mobile, tablet, and desktop devices
- Handles delivering and caching images efficiently for performance
Developing this level of media management and optimization from scratch is extremely complex.
Comments and Moderation
- Built-in commenting system for user interactions and engagement
- Tools to moderate, approve, and reply to comments
- Anti-spam filters like Akismet to block spam comments
Building a robust commenting system with similar capabilities from scratch is very difficult.
And much more like built-in SEO tools, post-revision history, analytics integration, XML sitemaps, etc. WordPress packs years’ worth of development work that teams can use right away instead of rebuilding everything from scratch.
The Power of Custom Post Types and Plugins
While WordPress started as a platform for blogging, it has grown a lot over the years. The ability to create custom post types and use plugins has allowed WordPress to become a full application framework.
Plugins have played a big role in expanding what WordPress can do. Popular examples are:
- WooCommerce: Turns WordPress into an e-commerce platform.
- MemberPress: Enables creating membership sites and online courses.
- PowerPress: Transforms WordPress into a podcasting solution.
These are just a few examples; there are thousands of plugins for different needs. Whenever someone creates something new on WordPress, its capability expands.
But what about truly complex applications? WordPress lets developers create custom post types, which are like custom data types in the database. This is a game-changer because developers can structure data in a way that suits their specific app, just like when building a custom app from scratch.
Once custom post types are in place, developers can build custom APIs and functionality around these data types. This could include creating custom endpoints, integrating with other services, and implementing complex rules and logic.
WordPress is not just limited to PHP and MySQL anymore. It can work seamlessly with modern front-end technologies like React, Vue, and Angular, thanks to the built-in REST API.
You can use WordPress as a headless CMS, managing content and data, while building the front-end user interface with their preferred JavaScript framework. This allows for creating dynamic and interactive web applications while using WordPress’ power on the backend.
WordPress is open-source, and it has a vast community of developers. This means there is a constant flow of new plugins, themes, and integrations, keeping WordPress up-to-date with the latest web development trends and technologies.
The Advantages of Using WordPress
WordPress offers several advantages over custom coding for specific projects:
- Reduced Development Time: Existing features and plugins eliminate the need to build everything from scratch.
- Lower Costs: Faster development translates to lower development costs.
- Scalability: WordPress can handle simple websites and complex applications alike.
- Security: A large community actively maintains and updates WordPress, ensuring ongoing security.
- User-Friendly: A user-friendly interface allows for easy content management by clients.
Free WordPress Learning Resources
If you are convinced and want to learn WordPress, here are some excellent free resources to get you started with WordPress:
- WordPress Codex: The official WordPress documentation is a treasure covering everything from core concepts to advanced customization techniques. It’s an invaluable starting point for any WordPress developer: WordPress Codex
- WordPress.tv: This platform offers free video tutorials and workshops on various WordPress topics, including plugin development, theme building, and best practices for building custom functionality: WordPress.tv
- Learn WordPress: This official WordPress resource provides a structured learning path with interactive lessons and quizzes, perfect for beginners and those new to the platform: Learn WordPress
These resources provide a strong foundation for learning WordPress development and its capabilities for building complex web applications. With dedication and exploration, you can unlock its full potential.
Conclusion
WordPress is much more than just a blogging platform. It’s a powerful web development framework that allows you to build all kinds of websites and web applications quickly.
WordPress offers tons of pre-built functionalities that can save you a lot of time on specific projects. While custom coding everything has its place, WordPress has its own.
If you’re looking to streamline your web development process and expand what types of projects you can take on, it’s worth giving WordPress a try.
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