WordPress
WordPress is a popular open source content management system. Originally, WordPress is a tool for maintaining weblogs. The first version was released in 2003 by developers Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little. Today, the application is maintained and developed by a broad community. It is free software available for free under the GNU General Public License.
Because WordPress is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database, it can be installed on virtually any hosting environment.
There are also providers that offer WordPress as a hosted service, including WordPress.com. A hosted version of WordPress means less technical handling but also limited ability to customize the website.
Plugins and templates
Thanks to the built-in plugin system and the ability to work with templates, blogs and websites can be customized and expanded as desired. For example, plugins are available for SEO and hosting an online shop.
The appearance of the Web site is determined by the template used. Developers can write their own template, or use one of the many templates provided by others for free or for a fee.
Safety
It has been claimed that a quarter of all websites on the Internet use WordPress. This also makes the cms a popular target of hackers. The openness of the source code makes finding vulnerabilities extra easy. When malicious parties discover a leak, this can affect a huge number of websites at once.
Therefore, it is important to maintain installations of the package properly. Updates are regularly released that close security holes in WordPress. Critical updates can be automated.
In practice, the biggest risk consists of used plugins and templates. Unlike WordPress itself, there is often only one developer responsible for these, or a small group. Some plugins and templates are poorly or not at all supported and further developed. Before installing third-party plugins or templates, it is therefore important to look carefully at the reputation of the developer, the quality of the extension in question and any better alternatives.
