What Is WordPress? Why It’s Popular and How It Actually Works

Source: Dev.to

What is WordPress?

• WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that powers over 40% of all websites on the internet.
• It’s an open‑source platform that allows users to create, manage, and modify their websites without needing extensive coding knowledge. Whether you’re a blogger, business owner, or developer, WordPress offers tools and features to suit your needs.

What is a CMS (Content Management System)?

• A Content Management System (CMS) is a software application or platform that allows users to create, manage, and modify digital content without requiring specialized technical knowledge.
• CMSs are designed to simplify the process of website and content management by providing intuitive interfaces and tools for content creation, editing, organization, and publishing.

What is Domain Name System (DNS)?

The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system that translates human‑readable domain names into IP addresses, enabling users to access websites easily.

• Converts domain names (e.g., www.google.com) into IP addresses.
• Eliminates the need to remember numerical IP addresses.
• Works using a hierarchical structure of servers.
• Supports caching to improve speed and reduce network traffic.

Types of Domains

DNS helps manage a wide variety of domain types to organize the vast number of websites on the internet. Here are the primary categories:

Generic Domains

These include top‑level domains like .com, .org, .net, and .edu. They are widely used and recognized across the world.

Country Code Domains

These domains represent specific countries or regions, such as .in for India, .us for the United States, .uk for the United Kingdom, and .jp for Japan.

Why Choose WordPress?

• Free and open‑source
• Beginner‑friendly
• Highly customizable
• Extendable with plugins
• SEO‑friendly

Key Features of WordPress

Themes

Easily change the design of your website with thousands of free and premium themes.

Plugins

Extend the functionality of your site with plugins for SEO, e‑commerce, security, and more.

Gutenberg Editor

Introduced in WordPress 5.0, Gutenberg offers a block‑based editing experience that simplifies content creation.

Ways to Use WordPress

WordPress.com

A free, hosted platform that allows you to create a website with a subdomain (e.g., yourname.wordpress.com). This is a great option for beginners, but customization options are limited.

Self‑Hosted WordPress

Provides complete control over your website. You’ll need to purchase web hosting and a domain name, but this opens doors to endless customization and functionality.

How WordPress Actually Works

WordPress, like other web content management systems, relies on a dynamic database to store content and website structure information. With WordPress, you can create and manage any type of website.

Final Thoughts

WordPress is popular because it just works. You don’t need to be a developer, and you don’t need to know everything upfront. Once you understand what WordPress is and how its pieces fit together, the best way to learn is to actually use it: create something small, break a few things, fix them, and keep going. With its huge community and endless resources, WordPress remains one of the easiest and smartest ways to get started on the web.