What are WordPress plugins?
2022.01.03.
Introduction to the world of WordPress plugins
In this post we will get to know the plugins. As I’ve indicated in previous posts, this blog was (also) created with the goal of trying to bring the world of WordPress closer to those who have never met it in plain language.
As an educator, I try to keep a compass in front of my dear reader to make it easier to find my way around this area in the future.
Plugins, also known as plugins, are various add-ons to the WordPress framework.
But why do you need extensions?
WordPress was basically developed for blogging, which is why it performs (also) this basic function. * However, due to its open-source, many developers are starting to develop plugins and extensions for it. These add-ons are intended to add additional functionality to the WordPress toolbar. It’s a bit like a swiss. So, in fact, the features can be expanded that way. For example, the creation of a closed subscriber system or an educational platform can be created using a plugin, possibly an online news portal, etc. These extra features are made possible by extensions.
* (Open Source means open source. That is, the source code (DNS) of WordPress is freely accessible to anyone)
This is how the endless multitude of WordPress plug-ins came into being. Today (2021-11-24) 59,512 free plugins can be downloaded from WordPress.org. Awesome number.
Free WordPress plugin?
Well, yes. There are free and paid plugins among the plugins. Let’s take a quick look at these and related reasons. How to make a plugin free? The essence of Open Source (one important) is that it is available to everyone. that’s why many developers make free plug-ins to help others. Many people do this for practice or even for fun. As I write this post, I’m learning the process of developing the plugin myself. So it is likely that my first completed extension will be available for free to anyone and you will probably know little or nothing but specifically 1 thing.
Paid WordPress plugin!
Of course, where there is demand … Companies, organizations, freelancers have appeared and, seeing the opportunity, have started to develop paid extensions. When it comes to paid extensions, it’s worth noting that where you pay for something, you can expect to get value. That is, the update is constantly being updated (updated), so that regular updates are received. If you pay for it, Support comes with it, so if there is any problem with the plugin or something is not working properly, Support can help you. (that’s why I always buy original plugins from the developer). There are several ways to pay. There are so-called LTD lifetime licenses. These are “lifetime” subscriptions. If not for the rest of your life, but for the rest of your company life. And there are also monthly or annual fee-based extensions.
If you do not own the plugin, ie you did not buy it, but use a plugin that was broken or purchased by others, you may have a license that you will not be able to contact in case of a problem because “the product was not purchased in your name “. The other case is when someone unsubscribes from this subscription and you no longer receive an update. Why this is dangerous, I will talk about in another post. But it may be smooth with the hacked extension that the hack created a vulnerability that could make your website vulnerable and I could even list it.
So when you think about creating a Website, you will already know that if you have a special request, you may be able to build a website in the form of some paid plugin, which is why you can increase your costs. On a one-time, monthly, or annual basis.
Okay, but if you have it free and there are so many, you sure can solve it somehow right?
I’ll explain that right away. There is even a version for rewarding extensions. When you can use the plugin for free, but with limited features. Here, too, you have to keep in mind that it caters to certain needs, but you definitely have to pay for premium stuff. Let’s look at a simple example. WooCommerce, a webshop module for WordPress, is free. That is, you can open a web store for free. But let’s keep looking. If you have a webshop, you need a lot more. The 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). You may want to put a special filter in the shop (because let’s say you want to put a multidimensional filter that also filters for a combination of colors and brands (maybe there’s one for free just because I brought this up)). You can do this with a special extension that has a one-time or annual fee. The line can be continued and this is limited only by your imagination or your wallet.
Therefore, it is not possible or very difficult to bid without specific planning and consultation. Because even with the most accurate offers, you can run into things that you thought should be a basic feature of every webshop today, and then it turns out that it isn’t.
Well, by now, I think you’re looking at what extensions are.