18 WordPress Developer interview questions and answers

WordPress is a secure platform by default, but like any other system, it is susceptible to attacks. To enhance security, you should:

• Use strong, unique passwords for database and admin access.
• Keep WordPress, along with its themes and plugins, updated.
• Choose a secure WordPress hosting provider.
• Install a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri for active security monitoring.
• Enable SSL to encrypt data transmitted between your server and users’ browsers.
• Limit login attempts and change the default wp-admin login URL.
• Regularly back up your WordPress site.

WordPress is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL. It's used widely to create websites, from small personal blogs to large corporate sites. WordPress is highly customizable through themes and plugins, making it adaptable for almost any type of website.

Key features of WordPress include:

• Ease of installation and setup.
• A user-friendly administrative dashboard.
• Extensive theme system which allows for the customization of site aesthetics.
• Plugin architecture that enables adding extra functionality.
• Strong SEO capabilities, enhanced by plugins like Yoast SEO.
• Responsive and mobile-friendly design.
• Robust community support and continuous development.

Plugins are pieces of software containing functions that add specific features and extend the functionality of a WordPress website. Plugins integrate seamlessly with WordPress, allowing you to add features like shopping carts, galleries, contact forms, and more without needing to write any code.

To create a WordPress plugin, follow these steps:

• Create a new folder in the wp-content/plugins directory.
• Inside this folder, create a PHP file with a unique name.
• Start the file with a PHP comment block that contains the plugin’s metadata (Plugin Name, Plugin URI, Description, Version, Author, License).
• Write the PHP code to add your desired functionality.
• Activate the plugin through the WordPress admin panel.

While WordPress is extremely flexible, it has limitations:

• It can become slow with excessive plugins or custom edits.
• As it is database-driven, high traffic can lead to performance issues unless properly optimized.
• Customization often requires knowledge of PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Frequent updates are necessary for security and functionality, which can sometimes break existing plugins or themes.

To run WordPress, your host needs:

• PHP version 7.3 or greater.
• MySQL version 5.6 or greater, or MariaDB version 10.1 or greater.
• HTTPS support.
• Apache or Nginx as the most robust server options.

A fresh WordPress installation creates 12 default tables in the database. These tables store everything from posts and pages to comments, users, site options, and more.

To change the table prefix:

• Edit the $table_prefix line in the wp-config.php file to something unique.
• Use a database management tool like phpMyAdmin to rename existing database tables to the new prefix.

If your WordPress site is compromised:

• Immediately change all passwords and user credentials.
• Update all plugins, themes, and core WordPress files.
• Scan your site with a security plugin to identify and remove malicious code.
• Restore from a backup if necessary.
• Implement stronger security measures to prevent future attacks.

WordPress can be updated using one of these methods:

• Automatic updates: For minor releases and security updates.
• Manual updates: By downloading the latest version from WordPress.org and using FTP to upload it to your server, replacing all files of the previous installation.

• Posts are part of a blog and appear in reverse-chronological order (newest items displayed first). Posts are usually timely or informational updates about a certain topic or event.
• Pages are static and are not tied to a timeline. A page might include an About Us or Contact Information section. Pages are used for content that is less likely to change frequently.

Yes, custom post types can be created to handle specific content types like products, reviews, or services in a structured way. You can create custom post types by adding code to your theme's functions.php file or by using a plugin like Custom Post Type UI.

WordPress stores content within the MySQL database. For example, posts and pages are stored in the wp_posts table, whereas settings are stored in the wp_options table.

Deactivated plugins do not slow down WordPress because they are not loaded by the system. However, for security reasons and to keep your site clean, it is recommended to delete any deactivated plugins that are not intended for future use.

The Loop is a PHP code used by WordPress to display posts through a repeated process. It checks for posts, and as long as posts are available, it displays these posts according to how it is called in the theme.

• Go to the Discussion settings in WordPress and uncheck "Allow people to submit comments on new posts".
• Disable comments on existing posts individually through the Quick Edit option for each post in the dashboard.

The primary configuration file in WordPress is wp-config.php. It contains settings related to database connections, security keys, and WordPress salts. Editing this file allows you to enable/disable certain features and behaviors of WordPress.