how wordpress works
users of wordpress can select from two basic versions of the service the first of these is the hosted version of wordpress which is accessible at wordpress com this version allows users to launch a website that is hosted on wordpress s own servers as such it is often favored by non technical users who may wish to avoid the complexity of hosting a website on their own private server as an additional benefit the hosted version of wordpress is automatically updated to the latest version of the wordpress software which can help mitigate against potential security breaches for more advanced users it is also possible to simply download the latest version of wordpress from wordpress org by selecting this option the user must make their own arrangements to host the software either on their own private server or from a third party hosting provider the user is then free to customize the software as they see fit but must also be responsible for manually uploading any subsequent updates because of its large user base wordpress websites are a popular target among hackers who often seek to exploit outdated versions of the software which might possess known security vulnerabilities for this reason it is likely prudent to avoid self hosting the service unless you are confident in your ability to secure and update the service alongside any additional plugins you may have installed wordpress is designed from the ground up to be highly customizable its application programming interface api covers everything from its database to theme modifications and customizations by keeping everything standardized developers can focus on building functionality on top of wordpress knowing that it will work on all installations that are kept up to date real world example of wordpressthere are many different companies that provide wordpress plugins and themes designed to extend its functionality for example woocommerce has become one of the most popular ecommerce tools for wordpress enabling users to accept orders track shipments and add other ecommerce functionality to their existing wordpress website 1 among the many other examples of plugins for wordpress are those concerned with search engine optimization seo contact forms newsletter marketing on site social media and commenting features and various design features designed to make sites more visually appealing 