Part 1: WordPress REST API – what it can do and how can it be of use to you

What is WP REST API?

Originally, the REST API had a form of an external plugin to the WordPress version 4.4 Clifford. Its addition to WordPress core is being hailed as the revolutionary step that will significantly shape the future of the platform. The API opens new ways of how to work with WordPress. In short, the REST API is a universal connector between WordPress and other software applications. It enables WordPress to communicate with other web properties no matter what programming language they’re written in.

API brought about new opportunities

As we already mentioned, API allows you to link WordPress to other applications, no matter what languages they are written in. Its main benefits include the ability to work with content and also administer WordPress websites.

• Integrating third-party content. Because API allows you to communicate with other technologies, it’s possible to get content from almost anywhere. The WordPress platform allows programmers to use it as an authoring system for their own content stored outside of WordPress, or vice versa, the contents of the WordPress Web site can be used in another application using the API (see a specific example below).
• A new form of administration. The API also brought new capabilities in administration. It allows you to manage WordPress in addition to the standard administration backend and other tools that are typically written in JavaScript but can also be in the form of a mobile application. You can use, for example, WordPress for iOS and Android from Automattic.
• Simpler and closer to app developers. With the API, WordPress has also approached developers and programmers who have no WordPress experience. If they want to add specialized information to WordPress regularly, they can create a plugin or write their own application in a preferred programming language.

What does API do in practice?

We already know what the API can do in theory, but how best to use it in practice? Whether you have the idea of a new project or working on existing ones, the API offers you room for improvement and innovation. Let’s look at some examples.

• Unify content from multiple pages. Imagine leading a company with many affiliates, such as a bank or fast food franchise, and each of these branches has its own WordPress site. Your central website can then use the API to unify new posts from each page to the main one to give users news from all locations. This was used by Washington State University, which unified the content from the 1083 pages through the WordPress REST API.
• Synchronize content across multiple WordPress installations. With proper authentication, you can control the contents of your own backend with the API. This can be used, for example, by news sites to create a shadowed WordPress installation (available only on their intranet) where they collect and organize ideas, and will be separate from the main WordPress installation. Using APIs, they can link this shadow page to the main page and publish articles when they are done. This will keep the main page clear and safer, as the workspace is separate from the user page.

Do you want to start with the API in WordPress and use it in your project? Wait for the next part of the series! We will bring you a guide for beginners with many practical examples.