In simple English
This is the source code for the world's most popular website builder. Developers use it to test and create new features for future updates. You need a local server and some technical knowledge to run it. It is free to use and modify under an open-source licence.
What it is
This repository is a Git mirror of the official WordPress core code. It includes everything needed to run, test, and develop the publishing platform locally.
What it is good for
Plugin developers and core contributors who want to test their work against upcoming WordPress versions. It helps you run a local test server to check if your code breaks anything.
- Official development repository synced directly from the core project.
- Includes pre-configured Docker tools to spin up a local server instantly.
- Full test suite for PHP and JavaScript to verify changes.
- Requires Docker (a way to run a program inside its own sealed box, so it cannot break anything else on your server) and Node (a JavaScript runtime used for developer tooling) installed on your machine.
- Not intended for standard website hosting without a build step.
- Demands familiarity with the command line and Git workflow.
Manual core downloads and traditional local server stacks like XAMPP for WordPress development.
Docker Desktop for running the local container environment during development.
- WordPress/WordPress21k stars
This is the official read-only release repository, whereas wordpress-develop contains the active source code and build tools.
- wp-cli/wp-cli5.2k stars
A command-line tool for managing WordPress installations, often used alongside the development environment.
- facebook/docusaurus67k stars
A static site generator from Meta that turns Markdown files into a documentation website.
- mkdocs/mkdocs23k stars
Turns a folder of Markdown files into a documentation website, controlled by one settings file.
- squidfunk/mkdocs-material28k stars
Turns a folder of Markdown files into a searchable documentation website, with every formerly sponsor-only feature now included.
git clone https://github.com/WordPress/wordpress-develop.git cd wordpress-develop npm install npm run build:dev npm run env:start npm run env:install