WordPress.com has been rewritten from scratch in what is said to be the platform’s biggest update ever.
Not to be confused with the self-installed version of WordPress, WordPress.com is the fully hosted version of the content management system.
What’s changed under the hood will likely be interesting only to developers — what it equates to for the average blogger is a refined experience on the web, and an all new desktop application.
Here are some of the new technical changes which make this possible:
- WordPress.com now interacts with the WordPress core like other third-party application out there. A REST API is used to fetch posts, publish new ones, upload photos and more.
- In lieu of PHP and MySQL, the new WordPress.com was built with JavaScript and API calls. This means the server will distribute a functional WordPress client that runs mostly within the browser.
- It has been built as a Singe Page Application, which results in a minimum of loading screens and a fully responsive experience on any device.
- WordPress.com open source and on GitHub. So long as you comply with the GNU General Public License version 2, you can do with it as you wish.
As mentioned, a new desktop app for Mac is available, which uses the new technology implemented on the web to create an experience which is more or less identical. Apps for Window and Linux are being bored on as well.
WordPress.com being completely rewritten is potentially a sign that the company is trying to keep up with modern web publishing platforms like Medium.
While the web version of WordPress still lacks some of the more advanced customization possible in the self-installed version — it is a clean, fast, and powerful upgrade that will keep WordPress.com in the game against rising competition.
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