Development workflow Practical
Adding an SCSS build, and whether to commit the output
WordPress themes are expected to deploy without a build step, which leads to the opposite conclusion from ordinary application code — and to its own costs.
Technote
WordPress guides for Developers
For developers who work on WordPress as code: hooks and filters, WP-CLI, Git workflow and deployment automation.
25 articles· Developers
Security Practical
Choosing authentication: cookies, application passwords, tokens
These three differ in threat model, not convenience. Whether the caller is a browser, your own server, or a third party decides the answer for you.
Development workflow Practical
Running scripts with eval-file, and the argument trap
It runs your own PHP file inside a fully loaded WordPress. Flags starting with -- never reach your script, though, because WP-CLI consumes them first.
Performance optimization Practical
The object cache: what Redis actually removes
Repeated identical lookups disappear. One slow query does not. Miss that distinction and you will wire up Redis and then ask why nothing got faster.
Development workflow Practical
pre_get_posts: miss two guard lines and the admin changes too
This hook fires for every WP_Query — menus, widgets and admin list tables included. Without guards, screens you never meant to touch change quietly.
Development workflow Practical
Database sync: why a raw SQL replace corrupts serialised data
WordPress stores serialised PHP arrays in options and meta, with string lengths written inside them. A SQL REPLACE changes the value and leaves the length behind.
Development workflow Practical
Your own endpoint: namespace, permission callback, schema
permission_callback is not optional. Omit it and the route is public, with a core warning to match. An args schema then keeps validation out of your handler entirely.
Performance optimization Practical
The N+1 problem: get_post_meta in a loop, and priming
WP_Query primes caches for its own results only. A hand-built list of IDs gets none of that for free — and that difference decides your query count.
Themes & plugins Practical
Template parts: give shared markup a single owner
Duplicated markup always drifts. You fix one copy, the other stays wrong, and nobody notices until the two screens disagree.
Development workflow Practical
Safe search-replace: serialisation, guid and dry runs
Replace a domain with raw SQL and widget and theme settings quietly go blank. Serialised data stores string lengths — and switching tools removes the problem entirely.
Development workflow Practical
Priority wars: whoever speaks last wins
Priority is a queue position, not authority. Raising your number is a move the other side can also make, and jumping behind a translation filter sends the untranslated…
Security Practical
wp-config and secrets: keeping per-environment values out of the repo
A committed secret is a leaked secret. Rewriting history does not take it back, and the only remaining fix is rotation.