In a nod to LVMH’s organizational structure, Ian will lead in the style of a maison head, ensuring that every part of WordPress.com remains the best managed WordPress experience available. He has been a part of the WordPress.com team for over 14 years, and we’re excited to see what changes he will implement on WordPress.com in this new role.

“I got involved with WordPress after growing tired of using Blogger for my personal blog,” Ian says. “This quickly led to the demise of my regular blogging habits as I spent most of my time messing around with my theme…My fooling around with WordPress themes quickly became a delightful obsession as I tried to publicly figure out what I thought about them.”

We’re grateful for your obsession with WordPress, Ian, and we certainly know the feeling.

Please join us in welcoming Ian in his new role.

However, what exactly is PHP, and why is it so important?

The short answer is that it’s a general-purpose, server-side scripting language. That said, unless you are already knowledgeable in programming and web development, that probably doesn’t make things much clearer. 

In order to help you better understand this topic, we’ll cover PHP in detail below. You’ll learn what PHP is, why it matters, and how it relates to WordPress and pretty much everything you do online. We promise you’ll be surprised to hear how much you likely rely on PHP every day.

1. What is PHP? History, features, and benefits
   1. PHP features
   2. Benefits of PHP
2. How PHP works: Creating dynamic web content
3. PHP and WordPress: The CMS’ heart and soul
   1. Powering themes and plugins
   2. Without PHP, there would be no WordPress
4. PHP in everyday life: You rely on it more often than you think
   1. Other abilities of PHP
5. What is PHP? It is the web’s backbone

What is PHP? History, features, and benefits

The original developer of PHP was a Danish-Canadian programmer named Rasmus Lerdorf. He first created the language in the mid 1990s to build tools for his own website; that’s why PHP originally stood for “Personal Home Page.” Today, it stands for the recursive acronym “Hypertext Preprocessor” and development and support has been taken over by the PHP Group.

PHP features

PHP has some notable features, many of which are applicable to the way WordPress works:

Open Source: The first thing that is important to note is that, like WordPress, PHP is open source. That means it does not belong to any one business entity. It also means that it’s free to download and use for any purpose.

Also like WordPress, PHP is maintained by a number of volunteers around the world. The next major release, 8.4, will be available November 21, 2024.

Finally, both WordPress and PHP are community-funded––while WordPress has the WordPress Foundation, The PHP Foundation’s mission is to “ensure the long-term prosperity of the PHP language.” Automattic is a proud Platinum Sponsor of The PHP Foundation.

Server Side: PHP is a server-side language, which means it executes on the server and not in the user’s browser.

For example, PHP’s most frequent application is for creating HTML documents for websites. Even though there are PHP files on the server, the browser does not receive the PHP code; instead, it receives the finished HTML documents for display. This is different from client-side languages like JavaScript where the processing happens directly in the user’s browser after downloading the JavaScript files.

To make things clearer, server-side languages are a bit like going to a restaurant. You send an order to the kitchen, they prepare the meal, and it arrives at your table ready to eat. Client-side languages, on the other hand, are like meal-delivery services. While they provide you with all the necessary ingredients, you still have to put them together in your own kitchen.

General Purpose: PHP is also a general-purpose programming language. You can use it for command-line scripting, creating desktop applications, and more. However, its primary application is in web development. 

Ubiquitous: According to W3Techs, the language is present on 75.7% of all websites. That includes some famous ones, as you will see below.

In addition, it forms the backbone of many content management systems like Drupal, Joomla!, and—the most popular of them all—WordPress.

PHP is one of the biggest open source success stories, as much of the modern Internet depends on it to work.

Benefits of PHP

You might be asking yourself why the usage of PHP is so widespread. There are many good reasons for that, but here are just a few:

• Beginner-Friendly: PHP is relatively easy for beginners to learn due to its intuitive syntax. There are also plenty of tools and frameworks available to make coding easier.
• Wide Community: The language has a vast and active community of developers worldwide. This means there are loads of online resources, forums, and other places where users can seek help and find ready-made solutions to common problems.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: PHP is compatible with popular operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, Linux, and Unix. It also works on various web servers such as Apache, NGINX, and Microsoft IIS.
• Database Connectivity: In addition, it works with a number of different database formats, such as MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, and more. PHP can execute SQL queries, retrieve, update and delete data, and handle database connections and transactions.
• Cost-Effective: As we have already learned, the programming language is free to use, distribute, and modify. That eliminates the need for expensive licensing fees and reduces development costs, making it an economical choice for web development projects.
• Scalability: PHP is capable of handling high traffic loads and can easily scale. You can use it together with caching techniques and other optimization strategies to enhance performance. Plus, it’s generally faster than some other programming languages, such as Python.

How PHP works: Creating dynamic web content

One of the main reasons why PHP is so popular for web development is that it seamlessly integrates with various technologies and services commonly used in this area. Examples include HTTP, POP3, IMAP, and more. 

One of its main advantages is that it is highly compatible with HTML, the main language used to create and display websites. In fact, it’s possible to use PHP code in HTML files and vice versa.

<div class="about__section is-feature has-subtle-background-color">
	<div class="column">
		<h2><?php _e( 'Shape the future of the web with WordPress' ); ?></h2>
		<p><?php _e( 'Finding the area that aligns with your skills and interests is the first step toward meaningful contribution. With more than 20 Make WordPress teams working on different parts of the open source WordPress project, there’s a place for everyone, no matter what your skill set is.' ); ?></p>
		<p><a href="<?php echo esc_url( __( 'https://make.wordpress.org/contribute/' ) ); ?>"><?php _e( 'Find your team &rarr;' ); ?></a></p>
	</div>
</div>

Above you can see how both languages appear in the same file. The PHP markup is delineated by opening and closing brackets (<?php and ?>) so that the server knows where it ends and begins. However, the PHP code itself is inside an HTML <p> element. The _e function is a WordPress function used for localization, which allows for easy translations across the WordPress software.

The main benefit of this is that using PHP allows web developers to display dynamic content in otherwise static web pages. For example, PHP is able to pull content directly from databases, making it great for templating. You can create a fixed layout for all web pages but then display different content depending on the page a user is on.

This is vastly different from pure HTML, where the content needs to be hard-coded in the page file in order for the browser to show it. PHP, on the other hand, can add it on the fly as needed. That’s one of the main benefits of this programming language—the ability to dynamically combine and display content from different sources and of different kinds according to what the user requests.

PHP and WordPress: The CMS’ heart and soul

As a WordPress user, PHP is especially important. The programming language forms the basis of much of what WordPress can do. It’s what allows you to create, edit, and delete pages, posts, media, and other content. That’s why you see that a lot of files that end in .php when you look in the directory of any WordPress installation.

It’s also why, when installing WordPress on a server, the system requirements insist that PHP be present. In recent years JavaScript has been playing a bigger and bigger role in the WordPress ecosystem, mainly because of the adoption of the Gutenberg editor. That said, PHP is still the main workhorse in the background.

Powering themes and plugins

What are some of WordPress’ main tasks powered by PHP? Before the advent of block themes, WordPress themes were all written mostly in PHP, especially page template files. In fact, if you look at the template hierarchy, you can see that WordPress has PHP files for pretty much all pages and theme components.

Why? So we have the ability to create a single layout for one type of content and then dynamically display what’s saved in the database for a particular piece of content.

That way, if you have 300 pages of the same kind on your site, you don’t need a file for each as you would on a pure HTML website. Instead, you just need one single page template file; PHP can then populate each individual page with its specific content.

PHP also makes it easy to compartmentalize different parts of your theme. For example, it’s very common to not have the markup for a footer in each file. Instead you can create a separate footer.php file and call it into your templates where needed. That way, if you want to modify the footer layout, you only have to make changes in a singular place—the footer.php file.

The same is true for plugins, aka collections of PHP files that contain the necessary markup for adding extra functionality to your WordPress site. When you activate a plugin, it gets added to the rest of your website code and can provide the functionality you are looking for.

Without PHP, there would be no WordPress

All of the above is only made possible by the flexibility that PHP offers. Besides the benefits we have discussed before, this is the main reason why WordPress relies on PHP to the extent that it does; PHP offers a ton of flexible functionality specifically for web development. PHP’s capabilities in content management, working with databases, and its modularity all make it a perfect candidate for powering the most popular website builder there is.

This also means that if you know PHP, it opens up a lot more possibilities to modify your WordPress website. You can write custom plugins, make changes to (non-block) themes and page templates, introduce functionality to functions.php, and so much more. So, if you want to improve your WordPress skill set, learning PHP is not a bad place to start.

PHP in everyday life: You rely on it more often than you think

Besides WordPress, you might actually be unaware how much of your general everyday online interactions are enabled by PHP. There are a number of very well-known websites that use PHP to run and many common processes that the programming language performs online:

• Facebook: The largest social network in existence was initially built using PHP. While they have moved away from the programming language over time, it still plays a significant role in their infrastructure.
• Wikipedia: The world’s biggest online encyclopedia also relies heavily on PHP for its back end operations, content management, and user interactions.
• Tumblr: This microblogging and social networking platform employs PHP to power its vast network of user-generated content and social interactions. We’re actually in the process of migrating Tumblr’s backend to run on WordPress; if you’re interested in being a part of this exciting project, leave your information here.
• Slack: This widely-used team collaboration and communication platform utilizes PHP for its back-end operations, real-time messaging, and API integrations.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are countless other examples of well-known web staples that exist in part because of PHP.

Other abilities of PHP

Up until this point, we’ve mostly talked about PHP in the context of creating and outputting HTML markup; however, the programming language is involved in a lot more that you probably take advantage of on a daily basis:

• Form Processing: PHP can process and validate data submitted by users via forms. It’s also capable of performing actions such as storing data in a database, sending email notifications, or generating dynamic responses based on user input. Plus, it comes with encryption to keep the submitted data safe.
• User Authentication: It can also handle user authentication by verifying login credentials. PHP allows you to implement user registration and login/logout functionality, and it can control access to different areas of your website or application. For example: user roles.
• Session Management: PHP can also manage user sessions, store session data, and track user activity. Among other things, this allows you to save user preferences. PHP can also set cookies and receive cookie data.
• File Manipulation: The programming language provides a wide range of functions for file manipulation, such as reading and writing files, uploading files from forms, creating directories, and modifying file permissions. This comes in handy for managing files on the server through other applications (like WordPress).
• Email Handling: PHP comes with functions to send emails from a server. This allows you to build features like contact forms, email notifications, and automated email responses.
• Third-Party Communication: With PHP you can interact with external APIs and web services. It makes it possible to integrate with other applications, retrieve data from remote servers, and perform actions like posting to social media platforms.

What is PHP? It is the web’s backbone

If you’re an everyday WordPress user or non-developer, you probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how much of your online experience is possible thanks to the humble PHP. However, the more you dive into this topic, the more you’ll realize how much you rely on it.

Who knew an open source solution was at the heart of what makes the World Wide Web tick? From the largest content management system in the world to well-known web entities, so much of what we take for granted exists because of it.

There are good reasons why it’s so widespread; from its powerful capabilities over its wide support system to ongoing development and support, there is a lot that speaks for PHP as the go-to solution for web projects.

Since it’s also beginner friendly, learning some PHP skills is definitely a good place to start if you want to dive deeper into the technical aspects of WordPress and web development.

As a reminder, you can access a range of beautiful premium themes on the Personal plan and above, or you can even add your own third-party themes with the Business and Commerce plans. So it’s worth taking a look at the WordPress.com hosting plans and checking out all available themes in case there’s an even better fit for your site.

Let’s take a closer look at this month’s featured themes:

Dossier

Dossier brings a sophisticated, minimalist design to your site, making it perfect for professionals looking to showcase their skills and accomplishments. The theme emphasizes clean typography and ample white space, creating an elegant digital portfolio or resume. With customizable sections for projects, skills, and testimonials, Dossier puts your work front and center with a polished, modern layout.

Explore Dossier →

StartOrg

StartOrg is designed for nonprofits, startups, and organizations looking to make a strong impression. The theme’s structured layout, vibrant accent colors, and intuitive design help you communicate your mission, highlight team members, and share updates. Whether you’re showcasing research, community projects, or educational programs, StartOrg’s versatile sections make it easy to connect with your audience and grow your reach.

Explore StartOrg →

Impressionist

Inspired by the Impressionist art movement, this theme offers a refined space for visual storytelling. With a minimalist layout, delicate typography, and emphasis on white space, Impressionist is ideal for showcasing artwork or creative content. The design draws from the aesthetics of an art gallery, allowing your visuals to take center stage. For artists, designers, and historians, Impressionist provides a beautiful online gallery to exhibit your creations.

Explore Impressionist →

Podbase

Podbase is designed specifically for podcasters who want a sleek, modern platform to host their episodes. Its dark theme with vibrant accents highlights podcast cover art and episode descriptions, creating a visually engaging experience. Integrated features like an audio player, episode lists, and subscription buttons make it easy for listeners to navigate your content. Podbase is a great choice for podcasters looking to build a dedicated following with a professional theme that reflects the quality of their content.

Explore Podbase →

Ready to give your site a makeover? Try any of these themes on for size by clicking the Demo button on each theme page to see which one speaks to you. Whether you’re showcasing professional achievements, building a community, sharing artistic creations, or launching a podcast, you might just find the perfect starting point with one of these themes.

Most premium themes are available to use at no extra charge for customers on the Personal plan or above. Partner themes are third-party products that can be purchased for $99/year each on the Business or Commerce plans, so if you haven’t found what you’re looking for today, there are plenty of alternatives available.

You can explore all of our themes by navigating to the “Themes” page, which is found under “Appearance” in the left-side menu of your WordPress.com dashboard. Or you can click the button below:

If you’re following the series, be sure to check out past posts:

• Using WordPress Components and Tailwind CSS in our Local Development App.
• Maintaining High Performance in Our Local Development App for Enhanced UX

As a reminder, Studio is our free and open source local WordPress development app.

How Studio connects to other open source projects

Studio relies on various open source projects, with the primary one being WordPress Playground which provides a local WordPress server, handling everything from running PHP code to serving static files and managing a database. This allows developers to test WordPress sites, plugins, and themes in a local, sandboxed environment.

WordPress Playground utilizes Emscripten to compile the PHP interpreter to WebAssembly, enabling PHP to run in the browser and other platforms—a significant leap for WordPress development.

By way of WordPress Playground, Studio also makes use of other open source tools like the SQLite integration plugin.

Studio itself is open source, which means the codebase is available for review, contribution, and forking by the community. This openness fosters collaboration, encourages innovation, and enables rapid identification and resolution of issues.

Because of the open source nature of Studio and the projects it uses like WordPress Playground, we are not blocked by missing or undesired behavior of our libraries but can instead help uncover issues or opportunities for enhancement in these projects and contribute the necessary fixes and improvements. Instead of building workarounds, we can directly enhance Studio’s performance and capabilities by submitting fixes to the actual problems. 

This creates a virtuous cycle of improvement, showcasing how open source collaboration drives innovation and helps solve complex challenges.

Challenges we discovered working with WordPress Playground

WordPress Playground is powerful, but since it makes WordPress run in an unusual environment–the browser instead of a server–some things work differently than developers expect. While using it to power Studio allows us to achieve all the good things, like a fast setup, we also had to overcome some challenges:

1. Cross-platform compatibility: Ensuring that WordPress Playground runs smoothly on different operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux) and across browsers requires extensive testing and fine-tuning.
   
2. Performance: Managing multiple resources (PHP interpreter, WordPress site, database, and file system) while running multiple sites in Studio can strain performance. You can learn more about how we maintain high performance in Studio here.

3. Plugin and theme compatibility: Although WordPress Playground creates a full environment for running sites, some plugins and themes rely on extensions that are not included in WordPress Playground by default. Adjustments are often necessary to accommodate support for the different plugins and themes.
   
4. Database handling: WordPress Playground uses an SQLite database instead of MySQL, fundamentally altering how WordPress operates. This shift requires adaptations for database queries and compatibility with plugins and themes.

These complexities sometimes lead to incompatibilities, bugs, or performance issues. However, we believe the benefits of WordPress Playground far outweigh the challenges, and we are committed to addressing them by contributing to the Playground project. Thus not only Studio works better, but everyone who uses Playground has a better experience.

In turn, Studio also benefits from contributions from other Playground users.

Our recent contributions to WordPress Playground and other open source projects

As part of our contributions to the Studio app, we recently focused on improving the compatibility of plugins, themes, and workflows in sites. The following are some of the fixes we made that contributed to the projects.

MySQL database compatibility

With a pull request, we helped improve the compatibility of sites connecting to MySQL databases, making Studio more flexible in handling various site configurations and expanding its capability to support more diverse WordPress setups.

Symlink support

We submitted two contributions (PR 1, PR 2) to add crucial support for handling symlinks in sites, greatly improving file system compatibility and flexibility. This enhancement significantly improves the development workflow, enabling developers to maintain cleaner project structures and more efficiently manage their themes and plugins across multiple projects. It also facilitates easier version control and collaboration by allowing links to external repositories without duplicating files.

Windows media upload fix

A fix resolved critical issues with uploading media on sites when using the Windows version of the Studio app, ensuring a smoother experience for Windows users. This contribution addressed a significant functionality gap, ensuring that Studio provides a consistent and reliable media management experience across all supported operating systems.

WordPress core and extension upgrades

Another contribution fixed the process of upgrading versions of WordPress, plugins, and themes. This improvement streamlined the update process within Studio, allowing developers to maintain their WordPress installations and associated extensions easily.

WooCommerce compatibility

This pull request significantly improved compatibility with the WooCommerce plugin, expanding Studio’s utility for e-commerce development. This contribution addressed specific database queries and operations that were incompatible with the SQLite database used in sites created with Studio. The SQLite integration plugin involves different complexities to allow seamless integration with the WordPress ecosystem, and this contribution addresses one of the main pain points of using WooCommerce in local WordPress environments.

cURL extension compatibility

We contributed the ability to enable the cURL extension on PHP used with Playground which turned out to be a requirement by a significant number of plugins for external API calls or remote data fetching. This broadens the range of plugins that can be used effectively within Studio and WordPress Playground.

File creation compatibility

A fix improved compatibility with plugins that create files using umask to set file permissions, enhancing the file system operations. This was crucial for plugins that generate caches, create custom CSS or JavaScript files, or manage uploads in non-standard ways. By resolving these file operation issues, we ensured that a broader range of plugins could function correctly within Studio, providing a more accurate representation of how sites would behave in a production environment.

All the above examples demonstrate how collaborative contributions help Studio evolve, making it more compatible with the vast array of plugins and themes in the WordPress ecosystem.

How to contribute

If this post has inspired you to contribute to open source projects (we’re big fans), here’s how you can get involved with some of our favorite open source projects:

• Contribute to the Studio app project
• Contribute to the WordPress Playground project
• Contribute to the WordPress project

Together we can build incredible tools for the community!

Ready to build?

If this information has piqued your interest, or if you’re developing WordPress sites, start leveraging the power of Studio today. It’s free, it’s open source, and it seamlessly integrates into your development workflow.

After downloading Studio, connect it to your WordPress.com account (free or paid) to unlock features like Demo Sites.

Automattic, WordPress.com’s parent company, is excited to be part of this movement and to support the Foundation’s vision for a healthier, more diverse social web.

What is the Social Web Foundation?

Founded by leaders in the open social networking space, including Evan Prodromou, Tom Coates, and Mallory Knodel, the Social Web Foundation is focused on fostering a financially sustainable, decentralized social web. It will empower users and creators by enhancing platform diversity, encouraging innovation, and promoting user safety across the fediverse.

The Social Web Foundation’s immediate focus is on building the infrastructure needed to connect users and developers across platforms. The Foundation will also work to educate the public, policymakers, and developers about the benefits of the fediverse while continuing to improve the ActivityPub protocol and the tools that power it.

Automattic’s role in supporting the Social Web Foundation 

Automattic has a long history of championing open source software and open standards, and we believe the fediverse plays a critical role in shaping the future of the web. That’s why Automattic is eager to collaborate with the Social Web Foundation to ensure a stronger, more open ecosystem for all users.

Matthias Pfefferle, Open Web Lead at Automattic, said, “We’re excited about the launch of the Social Web Foundation and its mission. We’re eager to collaborate with the Foundation to expand platform diversity and enhance the support for various content types—especially long-form content—within the fediverse, fostering greater interoperability across the ecosystem.”

Alongside Automattic, companies like Mastodon, Flipboard, Ghost, and Meta have expressed their support for the Foundation’s mission. As Eugen Rochko, Founder and CEO of Mastodon, states, “Mastodon is committed to the fediverse and proud to back the Social Web Foundation’s efforts to build a stronger, more open, and dynamic social web for all.”

Federating WordPress.com with ActivityPub

For creators using WordPress.com, there’s already an easy way to join the fediverse. The ActivityPub plugin federates your WordPress.com site, allowing readers on other fediverse platforms like Mastodon and Pixelfed to follow your site directly. This integration gives creators even more control and reach, offering a seamless way to distribute content across multiple networks while maintaining ownership of what you publish.

Why this matters

As the Social Web Foundation builds out its program, Automattic and WordPress.com are proud to be part of the next wave of social networking. The ability to control your own data, interact across platforms, and have a say in the future of the social web aligns perfectly with our own values as an organization dedicated to empowering creators and users worldwide. And with the ActivityPub plugin, WordPress.com users can easily join in, helping to build a more open and federated web.

To learn more about the Social Web Foundation, visit their website, or follow them at @swf on the fediverse.

Also be sure to catch up on all things fediverse with our five-part YouTube series, The Fediverse Files.

Individuals can contribute in a number of ways, from writing code to organizing meetups to working on WordPress’s accessibility. Companies can contribute by permitting their employees to allocate part-time or full-time hours to WordPress. 

For the latest WordPress release Automattic provided over 3,500 core contributions—over half of all WordPress 6.6 contributions—at the hands of 105 individual contributors. 

Given that WordPress powers over 40% of your favorite websites, it’s in the best interest of every company that benefits from WordPress to give back to the project and community. 

This idea is codified in WordPress’s Five for the Future initiative. Any company that profits from the software—including every business offering hosting for WordPress—is encouraged to put 5% of its resources back into WordPress development.

At Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, we take this responsibility very seriously. 

Automattic employs just under 2,000 people. Over 100 of them work on the WordPress project full-time. In terms of workforce hours, this puts the company at almost exactly 5%. 

Contributor day at WordCamp Europe 2024.

Though this is not a requirement and it is not policed by the WordPress Foundation, every company that profits from WordPress should think about the long-term health and vibrancy of the WordPress ecosystem. At Automattic and WordPress.com, we’re proud to give back and to constantly be thinking about bettering WordPress as a whole when we’re working on features, squashing bugs, and generally doing our best to democratize publishing for the entire world.

As a customer—whether you’re a developer at an agency or an aspiring creator—you have a say in the future of WordPress. You have options when it comes to hosting. We recommend that the dollars you spend go towards a WordPress host that acts as a good steward of open source philosophy—like WordPress.com.

Partygurl

Tap into your brat summer vibes all year round with our brand new Partygurl theme. Inspired by the now-iconic bright green and simple typography from Charli XCX’s Brat album, this styling will immediately identify you as someone who’s done with the “clean and polished” aesthetic of sameness that you see across the web.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

RecipeBook

RecipeBook is a warm, vibrant theme made for foodie content creators who want their recipes to shine. Inspired by the charm of old-school cookbooks, RecipeBook pairs eye-catching colors with bold typography. The homepage invites discovery with a handy category list and flexible Query Loop block, making it easy to showcase your culinary creations. Whether you’re sharing recipes or creating food collections, RecipeBook offers a playful yet functional design to help you dish out your passion for cooking.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

Goodskin

Goodskin is a great theme for beauty bloggers and skincare enthusiasts. With its light, calming aesthetic and clean layout, Goodskin provides an elegant space for sharing your routines, product reviews, and more. The theme includes thoughtful features like a sidebar for easy navigation and a product rating pattern to highlight your favorite finds. Available in three soothing color variations—Jojoba, Blush, and Eyeshadow—Goodskin offers a serene, sophisticated platform that allows your content to glow.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

Luxus

Luxus is the perfect look for beauty salons wanting to make a sleek, no-fuss impression. Designed with simplicity in mind, Luxus gives the essentials—services, location, hours, and contact information—right away on the homepage, making it easy for clients to find what they need.

Optimized for mobile right out of the box with a clean, single-column layout, Luxus offers a seamless experience for your busy, on-the-go clientele. With the luxurious Ojuju font for headings and the classic Hanken Grotesk for body text, this theme exudes elegance while keeping the focus on what matters most.

Click here to view a demo of this theme.

To install any of the above themes, click the name of the theme you like, which brings you right to the installation page. Then click the “Activate this design” button. You can also click “Open live demo,” which brings up a clickable, scrollable version of the theme for you to preview.

Premium themes are available to use at no extra charge for customers on the Personal plan or above. Partner themes are third-party products that can be purchased for $99/year each on the Business plan and above.

You can explore all of our themes by navigating to the “Themes” page, which is found under “Appearance” in the left-side menu of your WordPress.com dashboard. Or you can click below:

This collective effort ensures WordPress remains accessible, secure, and innovative. Plus, it’s a chance to work alongside passionate individuals who share a love for WordPress and the open web.

When you contribute, you not only get that warm fuzzy feeling that comes with giving back, but you also get a virtual badge on your WordPress.org profile. Today’s post is going to explore the ins and outs of these meaningful additions to your WordPress C.V.  

What are WordPress.org profile badges?

In the WordPress community, badges aren’t just for scouts—they’re symbols of contributors’ dedication to the power of the open web and professional achievement. No matter your role in the WordPress ecosystem, profile badges highlight your contributions to the open source project that powers over 40% of the web.

If you’ve been part of the WordPress open source project in any capacity, you have a WordPress.org profile that looks something like this (you can find Daniel’s, which is pictured below, here: https://profiles.wordpress.org/danielbachhuber): 

Note: this is your WordPress.org profile, not your WordPress.com profile. 

What may be different about your own profile are all those cool badges—or lack thereof. If you don’t have (m)any, you’re probably thinking, “Those are cool! How do I get those?” 

Think of these badges as your WordPress resume. They are visual markers that help showcase your contributions to the core WordPress project. As you can see, these badges appear on your WordPress.org profile, giving others a glimpse into your involvement and expertise.

Badges are earned for a number of contribution types—in fact, there are 30 different badges you can show off. Whether you’re writing code, answering questions in the forums, helping translate WordPress into other languages, or organizing meetups and WordCamps, there’s a badge for nearly every type of contribution.

Beyond just being a fun visual, though, profile badges are a way to build your reputation within the WordPress ecosystem and signal to others that you’re an engaged, knowledgeable, and reliable member of the community.

Why badges matter 

Profile badges are more than just digital stickers—they come with a few tangible benefits: 

• Get recognized for your efforts: Whether you’re a plugin developer or an accessibility contributor, badges are a public way of being recognized for your hard work. It’s a way for the community to say, “Thank you!” 
• Build credibility: If your career is related to WordPress, your badges are a symbol of your expertise and commitment. Potential clients or hiring managers can see your dedication to the platform, which can set you apart from other providers or job candidates.
• Increase your networking opportunities: Badges can also serve as a way to connect with others who share similar interests. If you’re active in the WordPress community, your badges show that you’re invested, making it easier to forge connections with others who are just as passionate.

Badges are a reflection of your journey within the WordPress community.

All the possible WordPress.org profile badges. 

How to earn WordPress.org profile badges

Earning WordPress badges is all about getting involved. All you need to do is create your profile (if you haven’t already) and start contributing. Here’s a breakdown of some common badges and how you can earn them:

1. Core Contributor

The Core Contributor badge is awarded to those who contribute directly to WordPress Core. This can include submitting code patches, testing new features, or reporting bugs during development cycles.

To earn this badge, you don’t have to be a coding wizard—there are plenty of ways to contribute to WordPress core, even if you’re just getting started with development. Testing, providing feedback, and reporting bugs are all valuable contributions that can help you earn this badge.

2. Meetup Organizer

If you’re passionate about building local WordPress communities, organizing a meetup is a great way to get involved. To earn this badge, you’ll need to officially register your meetup group through WordPress.org and organize regular events. It’s a fantastic way to contribute to the community and make connections with fellow WordPressers in your area. 

Don’t forget about WordPress.com’s free hosting offer for any local meetup website. 

3. Accessibility

This badge is awarded to contributors who help ensure that WordPress remains inclusive and usable for everyone. Work in this area includes testing themes and plugins for accessibility compliance, contributing code that improves accessibility features, and helping write documentation and best practices. Your efforts here make WordPress more user-friendly for all. By working towards this badge, you’re playing a crucial role in making the web a more accessible place, one improvement at a time. 

4. Polyglots (Translation) 

WordPress is a global platform, and the Polyglots team is responsible for translating it into hundreds of languages. If you’re multilingual, contributing to translations is an incredibly valuable way to give back to the community.

To earn this badge, you can join the Polyglots team and start translating WordPress Core, themes, and plugins into your native language. Every contribution counts, whether it’s a single string or an entire project.

5. Support 

The WordPress support forums are a lifeline for users around the world, and those who actively help others solve their WordPress problems can earn the Support badge. Whether you’re answering questions, providing advice, or sharing your knowledge, this badge is for those who make the forums a valuable resource.

Earning this badge is simple: Get involved in the support forums and help other users navigate their WordPress questions.

This is just a sampling of what’s available. Remember, there are 30 total badges to earn! 

Show your commitment to the WordPress community 

While digital trophies are fun and all, WordPress.org profile badges are more than that—they’re a visual and visible reflection of your commitment to the WordPress community and open source project. No matter the type of contribution you’ve made, every badge tells a story of how you have helped make WordPress what it is today. 

Whether you have one badge or all thirty, every contribution pathway is meaningful. Make it your own and go deep, go wide, or do both in contributing to this one-of-a-kind project and community.

No matter your skill level, there’s always more to do in this grand quest of democratizing publishing for the entire world. Get involved, make a difference, and show off your badges with pride. 

A simple website can, in fact, change the world. 

You are the future of the web 

At WordPress.com, we know that students are at the forefront of driving online culture. Michael Dell founded Dell while he was a student at the University of Texas. Google came to life when Larry and Sergey were at Stanford. Mark Zuckerberg was 19 when he started Facebook. We could keep going. 

To kickstart your own world-changing ideas, we want to give you a free website. 

Starting this week, university students can get a free Premium WordPress.com website for one year. We’re offering this opportunity to the first 1,000 students who sign up.

Investing in yourself—here’s what you get with a WordPress.com premium plan  

A website is more than a tool. It’s an investment in your future. As the job market becomes increasingly competitive, having an online space where you can display your work, write about your passions, and connect with like-minded people is invaluable. From resumes to portfolios to blogs, your WordPress.com site will grow as you do.

Here’s what’s included when you take advantage of this free website offer: 

• Free custom domain name for the first year: Choose a personalized domain that reflects your identity.
• Premium themes: Kickstart your site with professionally designed, fully customizable templates.
• 13 GB of storage: Plenty of room to host your photos, videos, and other media, with ownership that’s entirely yours.
• SSL certificate: Your site is secure and protected by industry-standard encryption.
• Ad-free experience: Build and manage your site without ads distracting your visitors.

No matter what you’re creating, WordPress.com’s Premium plan gives you all the tools you need to succeed.

How to secure your free website 

Here’s how you can grab this amazing deal:

1. Submit the interest form ASAP: Head over to our campaign landing page and fill out the form with your details. Be quick—only the first 1,000 students will get the free site!
2. Verify your student status: After you’ve submitted the form, you’ll receive an email asking you to verify your student status through VerifyPass. This step ensures that our offer goes to real students.
3. Claim your free website: Once your student status is verified, you’ll receive a unique coupon code that allows you to create a new Premium plan website for free.
4. Build your site: Choose your domain, select a theme, and start building! 

This offer is perfect for students looking to stand out in their personal and professional journeys. Don’t miss out on this chance to create a space that’s truly your own.

Get started right away  

Having your own website is a game-changer in an online world increasingly controlled by social media algorithms. You’ll stand out by breaking the mold and announcing yourself as an individual, unmoved by the platform of the moment. 

WordPress.com is here to help you take that leap.

Take control of your digital identity. Sign up now and claim your free website while spots are still open!

Today, we’re making it easier than ever for agencies to connect with potential clients by presenting the new WordPress.com Partner Directory. This directory lists top-tier agencies for our customers who are looking for a partner for their web development projects.

If your agency’s growth is top of mind, there’s no better time to join Automattic for Agencies. In addition to saving time and money, your company could be eligible for a listing in our official partner directory, paving the way for more qualified leads and, ultimately, happy clients.

Get your agency in front of eager customers 

When someone needs a professional website, it can be hard to find the right agency to work with. Sifting through search engine results and going through credentials takes a lot of time and energy, which can leave them exhausted before they even get to your digital door. With the launch of the partner directory, we’re making it easier for consumers to find and connect with vetted, talented agencies—like yours.

When you apply to the agency directory, your application will be reviewed to assess critical areas like security, performance, and adherence to different business requirements. Accepted agencies can showcase their profile across the Woo, Jetpack, and Pressable brand directories via a single listing.

Visit our knowledge base for information about detailed application steps and criteria for inclusion as well as agency tiering and benefits.

Join Automattic for Agencies today

In addition to our curated directory, the Automattic for Agencies program brings together powerful hosting and a professional suite of plugins and tools in a flexible platform that allows your team to focus on building beautiful and functional websites.

At its core, Automattic for Agencies allows for the bulk purchasing and reselling of WordPress.com hosting plans (along with WooCommerce and Jetpack plugins). Our platform also equips you with direct referrals and invoicing, license management, and monitoring tools to assess security and performance needs across all your sites.

As an added bonus, Automattic for Agencies gives your agency access to volume discounts for your clients. Your first WordPress.com site starts at $30 per month; but with ten or more sites, the price drops to just $10 per site, per month. (All WordPress.com sites purchased through the agency program are on our powerful Business plan.)

Those savings coupled with our referral incentives make Automattic for Agencies a potent combination for growing your agency’s offerings and profitability.

Get started today and connect with new clients

Ultimately, our goal is to funnel more business your way, so that you can keep doing what you do best.