What is WordPress?
WordPress is free, open-source software for building websites and blogs. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL or MariaDB database. It powers a large portion of the websites on the internet, from personal blogs to news sites and online shops.
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com
- WordPress.org is the free software you install on your own hosting. You have full control over themes, plugins and code. This is what most professionals use.
- WordPress.com is a hosted service with plans and some limits.
This course covers the self-hosted WordPress.org software.
What you need
- A domain name such as
example.com - Web hosting with PHP and MySQL (most shared hosts qualify)
- HTTPS (an SSL certificate, often free from your host)
Installing WordPress
Most hosts have a one-click installer. To install manually:
- Download WordPress from wordpress.org.
- Create a database and a database user in your hosting control panel.
- Upload the files to your hosting folder.
- Open your domain and follow the five-minute install: enter the database details, site title, admin username, a strong password and email.
Local development
For learning, install WordPress on your own computer using a tool such as LocalWP, or XAMPP, so you can experiment safely without a live website.
After installation checklist
- Settings > General: set the site title and timezone
- Settings > Permalinks: choose Post name
- Delete the sample post and page
- Use a strong admin password and do not use the username
admin - Keep backups
Practice
Install WordPress locally, change the permalinks to Post name and create your first post.