WordPress

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a content management system that runs on a web server. It is written in PHP and stores content in a MySQL or MariaDB database, and site owners write posts and pages in a browser-based dashboard while themes control a site’s design and plugins add features. The software can be downloaded free from WordPress.org and is licensed under the GPL, so anyone may install, modify and redistribute it, and most web hosts offer quick installation.

Editing is built around the block editor, developed under the name Gutenberg and introduced in WordPress 5.0 in 2018. Paragraphs, images, galleries, buttons and embeds are separate blocks, and block themes extend the same approach to headers, footers and page templates through full site editing. Plugins from the WordPress.org directory and commercial vendors turn sites into online stores with WooCommerce, membership sites, forums, course platforms or multilingual publications, and a REST API lets developers use WordPress as a back end for apps and headless websites.

The open-source project is separate from WordPress.com, a commercial hosting service run by Automattic that takes care of installation, updates and security for its customers. WordPress 7.0, released on May 20, 2026, added an AI client that gives plugins a shared, provider-agnostic way to work with generative AI models, a Connectors screen for managing external services and a refreshed admin design; WordPress 7.1 followed on August 19, 2026. According to W3Techs, WordPress was used by 40.2 percent of all websites and 58.8 percent of sites with an identifiable content management system in September 2026.

Key features of WordPress

1. 01

   Block editor

   Content is assembled from blocks such as paragraphs, images, columns, buttons and embeds, which authors can rearrange, style and save as reusable patterns without writing HTML.

2. 02

   Themes and site editing

   Themes define a site’s layout and styling, and block themes let site owners edit headers, footers, templates and global styles visually in the Site Editor.

3. 03

   Plugin architecture

   Tens of thousands of free plugins in the WordPress.org directory, along with commercial ones, add features such as online stores, contact forms, search engine optimization, caching and memberships.

4. 04

   Users, roles and multisite

   Built-in roles such as administrator, editor, author and contributor control who can publish, and a multisite mode runs a network of many sites from one installation.

5. 05

   REST API

   A JSON REST API exposes posts, pages, users and other content so developers can build mobile apps, integrations and headless front ends in frameworks such as React.

6. 06

   Automatic updates

   WordPress installs minor security releases automatically by default, and site owners can also turn on automatic updates for major versions, plugins and themes.

7. 07

   AI client and Connectors

   Since WordPress 7.0, a built-in AI client gives plugins a common way to call generative AI models from different providers, and a Connectors screen manages the external services a site uses.

8. 08

   Media and publishing tools

   A media library stores images, video, audio and documents, and publishing tools include scheduled posts, revisions, categories, tags, comments and RSS feeds.

Who uses WordPress?

• Bloggers and independent writers publish personal sites on self-hosted WordPress or on WordPress.com.
• News organizations and large publishers run high-traffic websites on WordPress, often through enterprise hosts such as WordPress VIP.
• Small businesses build marketing sites and online stores, adding WooCommerce for product catalogs, checkout and payments.
• Web agencies and freelance developers create custom themes and plugins so clients’ non-technical staff can update their own websites.
• Universities, nonprofits and government agencies use WordPress to manage large multi-author websites and networks of department sites.

History of WordPress

WordPress began when Matt Mullenweg, then a student in Houston, and Mike Little in England forked b2/cafelog, a blogging tool whose developer had stopped working on it. Their first release came on May 27, 2003, and the name was suggested by Mullenweg’s friend Christine Selleck Tremoulet. Plugins arrived in 2004 and themes in 2005, and a 2004 licensing change at the rival Movable Type pushed many bloggers toward the free alternative. Major versions are traditionally named after jazz musicians.

Mullenweg founded Automattic in 2005 and set up the WordPress Foundation in 2010, when the WordPress trademark was transferred to it. The block editor debuted in 2018. In 2024 Mullenweg’s dispute with the host WP Engine spilled into the project: WordPress.org blocked the company’s access and replaced its Advanced Custom Fields plugin listing with a fork called Secure Custom Fields. Automattic cut back its sponsored contributions to WordPress in January 2025 before resuming them that May, and WordPress 7.0 shipped in May 2026 with a built-in AI client.

1. 2003

   Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little release the first version of WordPress on May 27.

2. 2004

   WordPress 1.0 is released in January, and a plugin system arrives later that year.

3. 2005

   Theme support arrives, and Automattic launches the hosted WordPress.com service.

4. 2010

   The WordPress trademark is transferred to the newly created WordPress Foundation.

5. 2018

   WordPress 5.0 makes the Gutenberg block editor the default editing experience.

6. 2024

   A dispute with WP Engine leads WordPress.org to block the host and fork its ACF plugin.

7. 2026

   WordPress 7.0 adds a built-in AI client and a refreshed admin, and 7.1 follows in August.

WordPress pricing

WordPress alternatives

Well-known alternativesDrupal, Joomla, Wix, Squarespace, Ghost and Webflow

WordPress: frequently asked questions

Sources

1. WordPress.org wordpress.org
2. WordPress 7.0 “Armstrong” wordpress.org
3. Usage statistics of content management systems, W3Techs w3techs.com
4. WordPress, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org

Last reviewed September 17, 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.