WordPress architecture describes the structural design decisions that determine how a WordPress site is built, deployed, and scaled — covering the data model (which custom post types and taxonomies organize content), the server stack (PHP version, MySQL or MariaDB, web server, caching layers), the plugin architecture (must-use vs. regular plugins, separation of business logic from theme), and the frontend delivery model. The three primary architectural approaches for WordPress are: traditional (PHP-rendered templates with a classic or block theme), headless or decoupled (WordPress as a JSON content API powering a separate React or Next.js frontend), and hybrid (server-side rendered PHP for most content, JavaScript for specific interactive features). Architectural decisions are difficult to reverse once content and integrations are built on top of them, so they warrant deliberate evaluation at the start of a project rather than being inherited by default.
Glossary entry
