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Pretty much the title. I learned Webflow a few months ago as a student, then came across WordPress. I started learning how to use it, however I am bugged by the hosting in WordPress. When I am developing a website with the WordPress docket, can I manage the website’s backend at the code level?
I am aware that I can use plugins to add various functionalities. But I want to know how in-depth customisations can be made to the backend at code level.
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Probably. What do you mean by backend? What is it specifically that you want to do?
“Bugged by the hosting in WordPress” doesn’t give enough information to understand your concerns.
Modifying the WP core is generally discouraged. If you want to modify the WP core you’ll have to accept that you’re making your own knockoff version of the genuine WP codebase and your work is likely to break or be overwritten if you try to update the core in the future.
Or you can learn how to modify and extend WordPress with plugins (and themes). There are lots of resources about WordPress plugin development that you can find via Google.
Yes. But you need to be more specific. “Backend” means a lot of different things.
If you’re talking about the backend looks or how it functions for different registered user roles, yes, it can be modified to very extreme to the point nobody will be able to tell it’s WordPress.
How long will it take you to do that? 🤷
Since WordPress is open source, you can literally do anything you want with the code, including create a whole new fork of WordPress and call it something else.
If you’re asking about editing the theme and plugin files within an install of core WordPress, yes, you can do this by either making your own theme, a child theme, or a plugin to add/change functionality and you can edit it via FTP or whatever floats your boat for getting the code in there.
As long as you don’t use something like [WordPress.com]) which uses a completely locked down version of [WordPress]) (see subreddit pinned post for the differences between both), then you’ll be able to do whatever you want with [WordPress.org]) when self-hosted via some other hosting company.
> the backend at code level.
Yea, FTP into the server where WordPress is. Then you can do whatever you want.
If you are using WordPress.com, no. If you are using WordPress.org, yes. There are guides for creating themes and plugins that alter the code.
As others have said, while you could edit core files downloaded from WordPress.org you’d risk either having your changes overridden when it updated or else you’d be responsible for merging all changes.
Luckily WordPress was basically written to be enhanced with code added outside of the core files. It’s set up to automatically look through selected folders for overrides. Seek out and prioritize plugin and theme code, and execute… quite a few code hooks and filters. All in an order that prioritizes changes over core behavior. (Except where that would be dumb.)
So think of core WordPress as an engine and chassis you can build a seriously custom vehicle on top of. Doesn’t matter if most people choose standard “off the shelf” components. You can make WordPress seriously weird and still benefit from its heavily tested and optimized core functionality.
That said, contrary to too much out of date lore, you don’t have to touch any code at all to build perfectly functional sites. Because there are seriously good plugins that have a solution for basically anything you have a use case for.
If it was me I’d recommend that anyone new to WordPress should build at least a couple websites without writing any code at all before they start writing their own code. It’s just too easy to come in saying “ok, what git repo do I open first with my IDE to get started with WordPress.”
WordPress is a self contained content management system first and a development platform second. As the old time machinist used to say, first learn the trade, then learn the tricks of the trade.”
You want/need ti lookup and learn about child themes. Do not touch the WordPress code base itself as any changes you make will disappear when it is next updated.
you could edit every line of the source code if you wanted. But the recommended way to alter wordpress is via the various hooks – plugins, custom themes, and the various action/filter hooks. It’s a very extensible platform.
If you’re using wordpress.com you’re more limited. But using the actual platform with wordpress.org you can quite literally do whatever you want.
I developed custom themes and plugins for our clients.