What are WP Plugins?
WP Plugins are add-on code modules that you can install to extend and customize the functionality of your WordPress website. Plugins enable you to tailor your site to your specific needs.
Why aren’t WP Plugins part of the core WordPress Installation?
The wonderful people who give us WordPress (Automattic, Inc.) intentionally work to keep the core WordPress code lean and somewhat generic, to maximize flexibility and performance. A “plugin” system allows for open source community development and customization.
“Open source” means that the code that makes WordPress work is available for anyone to view or edit for their own use. But it doesn’t make sense for one person, or a even a group of people, to customize the core WordPress code because WordPress is so widely used, and the core is actively supported and developed by Automattic. Editing the core code would create an unsupported ”software fork” and render the installation incompatible with future upgrades of the core code. To prevent this, the developers of WordPress factored in the need for customization, and have provided a handy system of code “hooks”, which allow open source community members to write independent function/feature code modules, and then easily tie those into the core code without altering it.
Who makes WordPress Plugins?
Anyone can make a WordPress Plugin! If you have an interest in building your own plugin, there are plenty of plugin development resources available to help you. You will need a little knowledge of programming using WordPress “hooks”, HTML, and PHP (those are coding languages).
But wait! Before going to the length of building a feature or function for yourself, it makes sense to look first to see if someone else has already built it. So many people have already created WordPress Plugins that there is a wide variety and selection of Plugins to choose from.
Where can I find WordPress Plugins?
The Official WordPress Plugins Repository is located and maintained at WordPress.org. To be listed in this official plugin directory, a plugin must meet certain requirements. Since not all plugin developers adhere to the requirements, there are quite a few plugins available that are not listed — to find unlisted plugins, do a Google search for:
“wordpress plugins” , “wp plugins“, or ”wp plugin [insert keyword to describe the function you seek]”
The Google search results will include a variety of links to WP plugin reviews, forum threads that discuss plugin troubleshooting, plugin developer homepages, and unofficial plugin lists. Or, you can always “Ask WordPressZen.com” for a plugin recommendation!
