WordPress Plugin Development (Core)

Last Updated: 2026-01-09 Latest Versions: WordPress 6.8+, PHP 8.0+ recommended Dependencies: None (WordPress 5.9+, PHP 7.4+ minimum)

Quick Start

Architecture Patterns: Simple (functions only, <5 functions) | OOP (medium plugins) | PSR-4 (modern/large, recommended 2025+)

Plugin Header (only Plugin Name required):

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: My Plugin
 * Version: 1.0.0
 * Requires at least: 5.9
 * Requires PHP: 7.4
 * Text Domain: my-plugin
 */

if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) exit;

Security Foundation (5 essentials before writing functionality):

// 1. Unique Prefix
define( 'MYPL_VERSION', '1.0.0' );
function mypl_init() { /* code */ }
add_action( 'init', 'mypl_init' );

// 2. ABSPATH Check (every PHP file)
if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) exit;

// 3. Nonces
wp_nonce_field( 'mypl_action', 'mypl_nonce' );
wp_verify_nonce( $_POST['mypl_nonce'], 'mypl_action' );

// 4. Sanitize Input, Escape Output
$clean = sanitize_text_field( $_POST['input'] );
echo esc_html( $output );

// 5. Prepared Statements
global $wpdb;
$wpdb->get_results( $wpdb->prepare( "SELECT * FROM {$wpdb->prefix}table WHERE id = %d", $id ) );

Security Foundation (Detailed)

Unique Prefix (4-5 chars minimum)

Apply to: functions, classes, constants, options, transients, meta keys. Avoid: wp_, __, _.

function mypl_function() {}  // ✅
class MyPL_Class {}          // ✅
function init() {}           // ❌ Will conflict

Capabilities Check (Not is_admin())

// ❌ WRONG - Security hole
if ( is_admin() ) { /* delete data */ }

// ✅ CORRECT
if ( current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) { /* delete data */ }

Common: manage_options (Admin), edit_posts (Editor/Author), read (Subscriber)

Security Trinity (Input → Processing → Output)

// Sanitize INPUT
$name = sanitize_text_field( $_POST['name'] );
$email = sanitize_email( $_POST['email'] );
$html = wp_kses_post( $_POST['content'] );  // Allow safe HTML
$ids = array_map( 'absint', $_POST['ids'] );

// Validate LOGIC
if ( ! is_email( $email ) ) wp_die( 'Invalid' );

// Escape OUTPUT
echo esc_html( $name );
echo '<a href="' . esc_url( $url ) . '">';
echo '<div class="' . esc_attr( $class ) . '">';

Nonces (CSRF Protection)

// Form
<?php wp_nonce_field( 'mypl_action', 'mypl_nonce' ); ?>
if ( ! wp_verify_nonce( $_POST['mypl_nonce'], 'mypl_action' ) ) wp_die( 'Failed' );

// AJAX
check_ajax_referer( 'mypl-ajax-nonce', 'nonce' );
wp_localize_script( 'mypl-script', 'mypl_ajax_object', array(
    'ajaxurl' => admin_url( 'admin-ajax.php' ),
    'nonce'   => wp_create_nonce( 'mypl-ajax-nonce' ),
) );

Prepared Statements

// ❌ SQL Injection
$wpdb->get_results( "SELECT * FROM table WHERE id = {$_GET['id']}" );

// ✅ Prepared (%s=String, %d=Integer, %f=Float)
$wpdb->get_results( $wpdb->prepare( "SELECT * FROM {$wpdb->prefix}table WHERE id = %d", $_GET['id'] ) );

// LIKE Queries
$search = '%' . $wpdb->esc_like( $term ) . '%';
$wpdb->get_results( $wpdb->prepare( "... WHERE title LIKE %s", $search ) );

Critical Rules

Always Do

✅ Use unique prefix (4-5 chars) for all global code (functions, classes, options, transients) ✅ Add ABSPATH check to every PHP file: if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) exit; ✅ Check capabilities (current_user_can()) not just is_admin() ✅ Verify nonces for all forms and AJAX requests ✅ Use $wpdb->prepare() for all database queries with user input ✅ Sanitize input with sanitize_*() functions before saving ✅ Escape output with esc_*() functions before displaying ✅ Flush rewrite rules on activation when registering custom post types ✅ Use uninstall.php for permanent cleanup (not deactivation hook) ✅ Follow WordPress Coding Standards (tabs for indentation, Yoda conditions)

Never Do

❌ Never use extract() - Creates security vulnerabilities ❌ Never trust $_POST/$_GET without sanitization ❌ Never concatenate user input into SQL - Always use prepare() ❌ Never use is_admin() alone for permission checks ❌ Never output unsanitized data - Always escape ❌ Never use generic function/class names - Always prefix ❌ Never use short PHP tags <? or <?= - Use <?php only ❌ Never delete user data on deactivation - Only on uninstall ❌ Never register uninstall hook repeatedly - Only once on activation ❌ Never use register_uninstall_hook() in main flow - Use uninstall.php instead

Known Issues Prevention

This skill prevents 20 documented issues:

Issue #1: SQL Injection

Error: Database compromised via unescaped user input Source: https://patchstack.com/articles/sql-injection/ (15% of all vulnerabilities) Why It Happens: Direct concatenation of user input into SQL queries Prevention: Always use $wpdb->prepare() with placeholders

// VULNERABLE
$wpdb->query( "DELETE FROM {$wpdb->prefix}table WHERE id = {$_GET['id']}" );

// SECURE
$wpdb->query( $wpdb->prepare( "DELETE FROM {$wpdb->prefix}table WHERE id = %d", $_GET['id'] ) );

Issue #2: XSS (Cross-Site Scripting)

Error: Malicious JavaScript executed in user browsers Source: https://patchstack.com (35% of all vulnerabilities) Why It Happens: Outputting unsanitized user data to HTML Prevention: Always escape output with context-appropriate function

// VULNERABLE
echo $_POST['name'];
echo '<div class="' . $_POST['class'] . '">';

// SECURE
echo esc_html( $_POST['name'] );
echo '<div class="' . esc_attr( $_POST['class'] ) . '">';

Issue #3: CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery)

Error: Unauthorized actions performed on behalf of users Source: https://blog.nintechnet.com/25-wordpress-plugins-vulnerable-to-csrf-attacks/ Why It Happens: No verification that requests originated from your site Prevention: Use nonces with wp_nonce_field() and wp_verify_nonce()

// VULNERABLE
if ( $_POST['action'] == 'delete' ) {
    delete_user( $_POST['user_id'] );
}

// SECURE
if ( ! wp_verify_nonce( $_POST['nonce'], 'mypl_delete_user' ) ) {
    wp_die( 'Security check failed' );
}
delete_user( absint( $_POST['user_id'] ) );

Issue #4: Missing Capability Checks

Error: Regular users can access admin functions Source: WordPress Security Review Guidelines Why It Happens: Using is_admin() instead of current_user_can() Prevention: Always check capabilities, not just admin context

// VULNERABLE
if ( is_admin() ) {
    // Any logged-in user can trigger this
}

// SECURE
if ( current_user_can( 'manage_options' ) ) {
    // Only administrators can trigger this
}

Issue #5: Direct File Access

Error: PHP files executed outside WordPress context Source: WordPress Plugin Handbook Why It Happens: No ABSPATH check at top of file Prevention: Add ABSPATH check to every PHP file

// Add to top of EVERY PHP file
if ( ! defined( 'ABSPATH' ) ) {
    exit;
}

Issue #6: Prefix Collision

Error: Functions/classes conflict with other plugins Source: WordPress Coding Standards Why It Happens: Generic names without unique prefix Prevention: Use 4-5 character prefix on ALL global code

// CAUSES CONFLICTS
function init() {}
class Settings {}
add_option( 'api_key', $value );

// SAFE
function mypl_init() {}
class MyPL_Settings {}
add_option( 'mypl_api_key', $value );

Issue #7: Rewrite Rules Not Flushed

Error: Custom post types return 404 errors Source: WordPress Plugin Handbook Why It Happens: Forgot to flush rewrite rules after registering CPT Prevention: Flush on activation, clear on deactivation

function mypl_activate() {
    mypl_register_cpt();
    flush_rewrite_rules();
}
register_activation_hook( __FILE__, 'mypl_activate' );

function mypl_deactivate() {
    flush_rewrite_rules();
}
register_deactivation_hook( __FILE__, 'mypl_deactivate' );

Issue #8: Transients Not Cleaned

Error: Database accumulates expired transients Source: WordPress Transients API Documentation Why It Happens: No cleanup on uninstall Prevention: Delete transients in uninstall.php

// uninstall.php
if ( ! defined( 'WP_UNINSTALL_PLUGIN' ) ) {
    exit;
}

global $wpdb;
$wpdb->query( "DELETE FROM {$wpdb->options} WHERE option_name LIKE '_transient_mypl_%'" );
$wpdb->query( "DELETE FROM {$wpdb->options} WHERE option_name LIKE '_transient_timeout_mypl_%'" );

Issue #9: Scripts Loaded Everywhere

Error: Performance degraded by unnecessary asset loading Source: WordPress Performance Best Practices Why It Happens: Enqueuing scripts/styles without conditional checks Prevention: Only load assets where needed

// BAD - Loads on every page
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', function() {
    wp_enqueue_script( 'mypl-script', $url );
} );

// GOOD - Only loads on specific page
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', function() {
    if ( is_page( 'my-page' ) ) {
        wp_enqueue_script( 'mypl-script', $url, array( 'jquery' ), '1.0', true );
    }
} );

Issue #10: Missing Sanitization on Save

Error: Malicious data stored in database Source: WordPress Data Validation Why It Happens: Saving $_POST data without sanitization Prevention: Always sanitize before saving

// VULNERABLE
update_option( 'mypl_setting', $_POST['value'] );

// SECURE
update_option( 'mypl_setting', sanitize_text_field( $_POST['value'] ) );

Issue #11: Incorrect LIKE Queries

Error: SQL syntax errors or injection vulnerabilities Source: WordPress $wpdb Documentation Why It Happens: LIKE wildcards not escaped properly Prevention: Use $wpdb->esc_like()

// WRONG
$search = '%' . $term . '%';

// CORRECT
$search = '%' . $wpdb->esc_like( $term ) . '%';
$results = $wpdb->get_results( $wpdb->prepare( "... WHERE title LIKE %s", $search ) );

Issue #12: Using extract()

Error: Variable collision and security vulnerabilities Source: WordPress Coding Standards Why It Happens: extract() creates variables from array keys Prevention: Never use extract(), access array elements directly

// DANGEROUS
extract( $_POST );
// Now $any_array_key becomes a variable

// SAFE
$name = isset( $_POST['name'] ) ? sanitize_text_field( $_POST['name'] ) : '';

Issue #13: Missing Permission Callback in REST API

Error: Endpoints accessible to everyone Source: WordPress REST API Handbook Why It Happens: No permission_callback specified Prevention: Always add permission_callback

// VULNERABLE
register_rest_route( 'myplugin/v1', '/data', array(
    'callback' => 'my_callback',
) );

// SECURE
register_rest_route( 'myplugin/v1', '/data', array(
    'callback'            => 'my_callback',
    'permission_callback' => function() {
        return current_user_can( 'edit_posts' );
    },
) );

Issue #14: Uninstall Hook Registered Repeatedly

Error: Option written on every page load Source: WordPress Plugin Handbook Why It Happens: register_uninstall_hook() called in main flow Prevention: Use uninstall.php file instead

// BAD - Runs on every page load
register_uninstall_hook( __FILE__, 'mypl_uninstall' );

// GOOD - Use uninstall.php file (preferred method)
// Create uninstall.php in plugin root

Issue #15: Data Deleted on Deactivation

Error: Users lose data when temporarily disabling plugin Source: WordPress Plugin Development Best Practices Why It Happens: Confusion about deactivation vs uninstall Prevention: Only delete data in uninstall.php, never on deactivation

// WRONG - Deletes user data on deactivation
register_deactivation_hook( __FILE__, function() {
    delete_option( 'mypl_user_settings' );
} );

// CORRECT - Only clear temporary data on deactivation
register_deactivation_hook( __FILE__, function() {
    delete_transient( 'mypl_cache' );
} );

// CORRECT - Delete all data in uninstall.php

Issue #16: Using Deprecated Functions

Error: Plugin breaks on WordPress updates Source: WordPress Deprecated Functions List Why It Happens: Using functions removed in newer WordPress versions Prevention: Enable WP_DEBUG during development

// In wp-config.php (development only)
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );

Issue #17: Text Domain Mismatch

Error: Translations don't load Source: WordPress Internationalization Why It Happens: Text domain doesn't match plugin slug Prevention: Use exact plugin slug everywhere

// Plugin header
// Text Domain: my-plugin

// In code - MUST MATCH EXACTLY
__( 'Text', 'my-plugin' );
_e( 'Text', 'my-plugin' );

Issue #18: Missing Plugin Dependencies

Error: Fatal error when required plugin is inactive Source: WordPress Plugin Dependencies Why It Happens: No check for required plugins Prevention: Check for dependencies on plugins_loaded

add_action( 'plugins_loaded', function() {
    if ( ! class_exists( 'WooCommerce' ) ) {
        add_action( 'admin_notices', function() {
            echo '<div class="error"><p>My Plugin requires WooCommerce.</p></div>';
        } );
        return;
    }
    // Initialize plugin
} );

Issue #19: Autosave Triggering Meta Save

Error: Meta saved multiple times, performance issues Source: WordPress Post Meta Why It Happens: No autosave check in save_post hook Prevention: Check for DOING_AUTOSAVE constant

add_action( 'save_post', function( $post_id ) {
    if ( defined( 'DOING_AUTOSAVE' ) && DOING_AUTOSAVE ) {
        return;
    }

    // Safe to save meta
} );

Issue #20: admin-ajax.php Performance

Error: Slow AJAX responses Source: https://deliciousbrains.com/comparing-wordpress-rest-api-performance-admin-ajax-php/ Why It Happens: admin-ajax.php loads entire WordPress core Prevention: Use REST API for new projects (10x faster)

// OLD: admin-ajax.php (still works but slower)
add_action( 'wp_ajax_mypl_action', 'mypl_ajax_handler' );

// NEW: REST API (10x faster, recommended)
add_action( 'rest_api_init', function() {
    register_rest_route( 'myplugin/v1', '/endpoint', array(
        'methods'             => 'POST',
        'callback'            => 'mypl_rest_handler',
        'permission_callback' => function() {
            return current_user_can( 'edit_posts' );
        },
    ) );
} );

Plugin Architecture Patterns

Simple (Functions Only)

Small plugins (<5 functions):

function mypl_init() { /* code */ }
add_action( 'init', 'mypl_init' );

OOP (Singleton)

Medium plugins:

class MyPL_Plugin {
    private static $instance = null;
    public static function get_instance() {
        if ( null === self::$instance ) self::$instance = new self();
        return self::$instance;
    }
    private function __construct() {
        add_action( 'init', array( $this, 'init' ) );
    }
}
MyPL_Plugin::get_instance();

PSR-4 (Modern, Recommended 2025+)

Large/team plugins:

my-plugin/
├── my-plugin.php
├── composer.json → "psr-4": { "MyPlugin\\": "src/" }
└── src/Admin.php

// my-plugin.php
require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
use MyPlugin\Admin;
new Admin();

Common Patterns

Custom Post Types (CRITICAL: Flush rewrite rules on activation):

register_post_type( 'book', array( 'public' => true, 'show_in_rest' => true ) );
register_activation_hook( __FILE__, function() {
    mypl_register_cpt();
    flush_rewrite_rules();
} );

Custom Taxonomies:

register_taxonomy( 'genre', 'book', array( 'hierarchical' => true, 'show_in_rest' => true ) );

Meta Boxes:

add_meta_box( 'book_details', 'Book Details', 'mypl_meta_box_html', 'book' );
// Save: Check nonce, DOING_AUTOSAVE, current_user_can('edit_post')
update_post_meta( $post_id, '_book_isbn', sanitize_text_field( $_POST['book_isbn'] ) );

Settings API:

register_setting( 'mypl_options', 'mypl_api_key', array( 'sanitize_callback' => 'sanitize_text_field' ) );
add_settings_section( 'mypl_section', 'API Settings', 'callback', 'my-plugin' );
add_settings_field( 'mypl_api_key', 'API Key', 'field_callback', 'my-plugin', 'mypl_section' );

REST API (10x faster than admin-ajax.php):

register_rest_route( 'myplugin/v1', '/data', array(
    'methods'             => 'POST',
    'callback'            => 'mypl_rest_callback',
    'permission_callback' => fn() => current_user_can( 'edit_posts' ),
) );

AJAX (Legacy, use REST API for new projects):

add_action( 'wp_ajax_mypl_action', 'mypl_ajax_handler' );
check_ajax_referer( 'mypl-ajax-nonce', 'nonce' );
wp_send_json_success( array( 'message' => 'Success' ) );

Custom Tables:

global $wpdb;
$sql = "CREATE TABLE {$wpdb->prefix}mypl_data (id bigint AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY, ...)";
require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-admin/includes/upgrade.php';
dbDelta( $sql );

Transients (Caching):

$data = get_transient( 'mypl_data' );
if ( false === $data ) {
    $data = expensive_operation();
    set_transient( 'mypl_data', $data, 12 * HOUR_IN_SECONDS );
}

Bundled Resources

Templates: plugin-simple/, plugin-oop/, plugin-psr4/, examples/meta-box.php, examples/settings-page.php, examples/custom-post-type.php, examples/rest-endpoint.php, examples/ajax-handler.php

Scripts: scaffold-plugin.sh, check-security.sh, validate-headers.sh

References: security-checklist.md, hooks-reference.md, sanitization-guide.md, wpdb-patterns.md, common-errors.md

Advanced Topics

i18n (Internationalization):

load_plugin_textdomain( 'my-plugin', false, dirname( plugin_basename( __FILE__ ) ) . '/languages' );
__( 'Text', 'my-plugin' );  // Return translated
_e( 'Text', 'my-plugin' );  // Echo translated
esc_html__( 'Text', 'my-plugin' );  // Translate + escape

WP-CLI:

if ( defined( 'WP_CLI' ) && WP_CLI ) {
    WP_CLI::add_command( 'mypl', 'MyPL_CLI_Command' );
}

Cron Events:

register_activation_hook( __FILE__, fn() => wp_schedule_event( time(), 'daily', 'mypl_daily_task' ) );
register_deactivation_hook( __FILE__, fn() => wp_clear_scheduled_hook( 'mypl_daily_task' ) );
add_action( 'mypl_daily_task', 'mypl_do_daily_task' );

Plugin Dependencies:

if ( ! class_exists( 'WooCommerce' ) ) {
    deactivate_plugins( plugin_basename( __FILE__ ) );
    add_action( 'admin_notices', fn() => echo '<div class="error"><p>Requires WooCommerce</p></div>' );
}

Distribution & Auto-Updates

GitHub Auto-Updates (Plugin Update Checker by YahnisElsts):

// 1. Install: git submodule add https://github.com/YahnisElsts/plugin-update-checker.git
// 2. Add to main plugin file
require plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) . 'plugin-update-checker/plugin-update-checker.php';
use YahnisElsts\PluginUpdateChecker\v5\PucFactory;

$updateChecker = PucFactory::buildUpdateChecker(
    'https://github.com/yourusername/your-plugin/',
    __FILE__,
    'your-plugin-slug'
);
$updateChecker->getVcsApi()->enableReleaseAssets();  // Use GitHub Releases

// Private repos: Define token in wp-config.php
if ( defined( 'YOUR_PLUGIN_GITHUB_TOKEN' ) ) {
    $updateChecker->setAuthentication( YOUR_PLUGIN_GITHUB_TOKEN );
}

Deployment:

git tag 1.0.1 && git push origin main && git push origin 1.0.1
# Create GitHub Release with ZIP (exclude .git, tests)

Alternatives: Git Updater (no coding), Custom Update Server (full control), Freemius (commercial)

Security: Use HTTPS, never hardcode tokens, validate licenses, rate limit update checks

CRITICAL: ZIP must contain plugin folder: plugin.zip/my-plugin/my-plugin.php

Resources: See references/github-auto-updates.md, examples/github-updater.php

Dependencies

Required:

WordPress 5.9+ (recommend 6.7+)
PHP 7.4+ (recommend 8.0+)

Optional:

Composer 2.0+ - For PSR-4 autoloading
WP-CLI 2.0+ - For command-line plugin management
Query Monitor - For debugging and performance analysis

Official Documentation

WordPress Plugin Handbook: https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/
WordPress Coding Standards: https://developer.wordpress.org/coding-standards/
WordPress REST API: https://developer.wordpress.org/rest-api/
WordPress Database Class ($wpdb): https://developer.wordpress.org/reference/classes/wpdb/
WordPress Security: https://developer.wordpress.org/apis/security/
Settings API: https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/settings/settings-api/
Custom Post Types: https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/post-types/
Transients API: https://developer.wordpress.org/apis/transients/
Context7 Library ID: /websites/developer_wordpress

Troubleshooting

Fatal Error: Enable WP_DEBUG, check wp-content/debug.log, verify prefixed names, check dependencies

404 on CPT: Flush rewrite rules via Settings → Permalinks → Save

Nonce Fails: Check nonce name/action match, verify not expired (24h default)

AJAX Returns 0/-1: Verify action name matches wp_ajax_{action}, check nonce sent/verified

HTML Stripped: Use wp_kses_post() not sanitize_text_field() for safe HTML

Query Fails: Use $wpdb->prepare(), check $wpdb->prefix, verify syntax

Complete Setup Checklist

Use this checklist to verify your plugin:

Questions? Issues?

Check references/common-errors.md for extended troubleshooting
Verify all steps in the security foundation
Check official docs: https://developer.wordpress.org/plugins/
Enable WP_DEBUG and check debug.log
Use Query Monitor plugin to debug hooks and queries

wordpress-plugin-core