Introduction to WordPress Plugins
In this post, we'll get to know the plugins. As I have already indicated in previous posts, this blog was created (also) with the aim of trying to bring the world of WordPress closer to those who have never met it in plain language.
In an educational way, I try to keep a compass in front of the dear reader, so that it will be easier to get information in this area in the future.
Plugins, also known as plugins, are a variety of add-ons for the WordPress framework.
But why do we need extensions?
WordPress is basically designed for blogging, which is why it (also) performs this basic function. *However, due to its open source nature, many developers started to develop plugins and plugins for it. These add-ons are designed to add additional features to your WordPress toolbar. Kind of like a swiss. So, in fact, the functions can be expanded in this way. For example, the creation of a closed subscriber system, or the creation of an educational platform with the help of a plugin, or an online news portal, etc. These extra functions are made possible by plugins.
*(Open Source means open source. That is, the source code (DNS-e) of WordPress is freely available to anyone)
This is how an endless number of WordPress plugins were created. Today (2021-11-24) you can download 59,512 free plugins from WordPress.org. It's an astonishing number.
Free WordPress plugin?
Well, yes. There are free and paid plugins between the plugins. Let's take a quick look at these and related reasons. How can a plugin be free? The essence of Open Source (an important one) is that it is available to everyone, so many developers create a free plugin to help others. Many people do the same for fun or practice. When I write this post, I am learning the process of developing the plugin myself. So it's likely that my first plugin will be available for free to anyone, and you'll probably know little or just one thing.
Paid WordPress plugin!
Of course, where there is demand... There appeared companies, organizations, freelancers, who, seeing the opportunity, began to develop paid extensions. When it comes to paid plugins, it's worth noting that where you pay for something, you can expect to get value. That is, the plugin is constantly updated, so it receives regular updates. If you pay for it, you also get Support, so if anything goes wrong with the plugin or something doesn't work properly, Support can help you. (That's why I always buy original plugins from the developer.) The payment method can be different. There are so-called LTD lifetime licenses, which are ‘lifetime’ subscriptions. Even if it's not for the rest of your life, it's for the rest of the company's life. And there are also monthly or annual fee extensions.
If the plugin is not yours, i.e. you have not bought it, but you are using a broken plugin or a plugin purchased by others, or you have obtained a licence, there is a risk that you will not be able to contact anyone in case of a problem, as ‘the product is not purchased in your name’. The other case is when someone cancels this subscription and you don't get an update for it anymore. Why this is dangerous, I'll tell you about it in another post. But it could be that the broken plugin created a security vulnerability that could attack your website, and I could list it.
So when you start creating a website, you will already know that if you have a special request, it is possible that it can be built into your website in the form of a paid plugin, which is why it can increase costs. One-off, monthly or yearly.
Okay, but if it's free and there's so much, then surely it can be solved somehow, can't it?
I'll explain that in a moment. There is also a version to pay for extensions. When you can use the plugin for free, but only with limited features. Here, too, it should be borne in mind that it serves certain needs, but you will certainly have to pay for premium things. Let's look at a simple example. WooCommerce, the webshop module that connects to WordPress, is free. In other words, you can open an online store for free. But let's keep looking. If you have an online store, you need a lot more. Payment processor, an extension that allows you to pay online (unless it's PayPal). Here you may have to pay for the extension, depending on who you choose. (e.g. SimplePay is paid for). You might want to put a special filter in the shop (because, say, you want to put a multidimensional filter that filters a combination of colors and brands (maybe there is such a free one just for the example)). You can do this with a special plugin that has a one-time or annual fee. The line can be continued and this is limited only by the imagination and the wallet.
Therefore, it is not possible or very difficult to give a quote without specific planning and coordination. Because even with the most thorough offers, you can run into things that you thought should be a basic function in every today's webshop, and then it turns out that it is not.
Well, by now, I think you're getting to know what plugins are.
