Ever wonder how WordPress “works”? Of course you have, but can you break it down? The image you see here does that pretty well, but … maybe like so many others you didn’t even realize WordPress “has a database”!

Until you get to safety, and backups, and maintenance, maybe you don’t care. But if you self-host WordPress, you’ll need to understand at least a bit about the WordPress Database.

This week we came across a question about the WordPress database that won’t matter for most folks, but is pretty basic:

Where Does The WordPress Database Come From?

Is is automatic?

Not exactly. You either need to create your WordPress database using the MySQL tools on your server (or through your host’s control panel/tool), or by using the one-click install procedure from your host assuming there is one.

If you can avoid it please do not use one-click installs; usually, what you get is less than clean or standard

The simple answer is that WordPress creates the 11 standard tables in the WordPress database using a script in its install procedure. That script runs the MySQL command (“create tablename”) using the prefix you specify. The default name includes “wp_” and this is why you see those characters in all the WordPress database table names in most WordPress installations.

If you set up a server from scratch, or if you have a reason you avoid the WordPress famous five-minute install,  your mileage may vary. But … that’s it! Need to know more? Contact us here.

<center>The WordPress Helpers: Making WordPress Work</center>

Article Title:

The WordPress Database

Subject:

Where the WordPress Database comes from? Dull topic, right? But the WordPress Database is what makes WordPress work. So what MAKES the WordPress Database?

Author:

The WordPress Helpers