What is WordPress?

What is WordPress and why does it power over 40% of websites worldwide?

WordPress is a content management system. You write in a browser, and the software saves the text, pictures and settings in a database. Usage surveys that the industry quotes put it on more than 40 percent of public websites, mostly because themes and plugins cover ordinary sites without a custom app. Benefits stay on why choose WordPress.

• It is open-source software from WordPress.org, not a page you rent from one host.
• Posts, pages and settings live in MySQL. The theme decides how they look.
• You administer it at /wp-admin on your own domain after it is installed.
• The same install can be a brochure, a magazine, a blog or a shop, depending on plugins.

The Hindi definition is WordPress क्या है. Use it when you want this explanation in Hindi. It is not a different product and it does not replace the benefits article.

What is the difference between self-hosted WordPress.org and hosted WordPress.com?

WordPress.org is the software you install on your own hosting. You own the files, the database and the plugin choice. WordPress.com is a service that hosts a copy for you and limits some plugins on lower plans. The full difference, including what you can move later, is on the comparison page. This section only separates the two products.

Read WordPress.com versus WordPress.org before you pick. This page does not repeat that comparison point by point.

How do WordPress themes, plugins, and the Gutenberg block editor work together?

A theme controls templates and how a page is arranged. A plugin adds a job, such as a form, a shop or a backup. Gutenberg is the block editor: each paragraph or image is a block. A block theme uses blocks for the whole layout. A classic theme still uses the customizer for site-wide design.

• One active theme at a time. Extra themes can sit installed, but only one paints the site.
• Plugins can be many. Two plugins for the same job, such as two SEO plugins, usually conflict.
• Blocks live in the content. The theme can still wrap that content in a header and a footer.
• A page builder is optional. It is another layer, not a requirement of WordPress itself.

What domain and hosting resources do you need to run a fast self-hosted WordPress site?

You need a domain name, a hosting account with PHP and MySQL, and a certificate so the site can use HTTPS. A small site can live on shared or WordPress hosting. One-click install through Softaculous is a cPanel feature, not part of every panel. The install guide lists the clicks, and the hosting page lists the plans.

• A domain you control, pointed at the hosting account before you expect the public URL to work.
• PHP and MySQL, HTTPS, and enough memory for the theme you actually use.
• Softaculous on cPanel hosting. Shared plans that use ControlPanel.Systems do not include cPanel or LiteSpeed.
• A backup you can restore, and updates for core, themes and plugins.

Follow how to install WordPress, then compare current plans on WordPress hosting. This page does not copy those prices.

Which types of websites should use WordPress — and when is custom development a better fit?

Use WordPress for a brochure, a blog, a magazine or a shop that plugins already run. Choose custom development when the product is the application, with unusual workflows or integrations a theme would fight. The Hindi page linked above is the same definition in Hindi, not a second answer to this question.