WordPress REST API: An Introduction for Beginners
Hello WordPress NUGS. In this article, we will start a new playlist for the WordPress REST API. The REST API is an essential tool for developers who want to build applications that interact with WordPress sites.
API stands for Application Programming Interface, and REST stands for Representational State Transfer. Simply put, the WordPress REST API allows you to send and receive data between two different sites or applications. This is particularly useful when building mobile apps, web apps, or integrating third-party services with your WordPress site.
WordPress REST API Base Path
To access the WordPress REST API, you need to use the base path of your WordPress site followed by /wp-json/. For example, if your site URL is https://example.com, your REST API base path would be https://example.com/wp-json/.
WordPress API Namespace
The WordPress API namespace is used to organize the different endpoints of the REST API. The default namespace for WordPress is /wp-json/wp/v2/, where “/wp” is the namespace and “v2” is the version of the API.
API Routes
An API route is a specific endpoint that you can access to retrieve or modify data. For example, /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/ is the route for retrieving all posts in your WordPress site.
Using the WordPress REST API
To use the WordPress REST API, you can make HTTP requests to the different endpoints using tools like curl or Postman. You can also use JavaScript libraries like Axios or Fetch to interact with the REST API from your web applications.
Conclusion
The WordPress REST API is a powerful tool for developers who want to build applications that interact with WordPress sites. By using the REST API, you can retrieve and modify data in your WordPress site, as well as create custom endpoints for your plugins or themes.