WordPress is a free and open-source blogging software and content management system (CMS) comprising PHP, MySQL, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
What is commonly known as WordPress is software that is open-sourced on WordPress.org and developed, translated, and community-run by a group of volunteers.
WordPress is designed to be used by everyone, emphasizing performance, security, and ease of use, allowing users to build websites in minutes to focus on sharing stories, products, and services.
WordPress gives all users three freedoms.
- The ability to run the program for any purpose.
- Learn how it works and change it to make it work how you want it to.
- Publish and share the modified version with others. To republish.
What is WordPress? The difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com
WordPress.com is a WordPress-based service (Software as a Service SAAS) owned by Automattic Inc. and part of the company that contributes to the WordPress Free Open Source project.
You can sign up for a free account on WordPress.com and start running a blog, but you will need to pay for an upgrade to customize your domain name and install some plug-ins.
By WordPress, we mean WordPress.org, which is an open-source software project.
WordPress.com will be referred to as WordPress.com, not WordPress for short.
What are the benefits of using WordPress?
Easy to set up a website
When people think of setting up a website, they may think of the engineering department, the amount of programming required, and so on, and find it difficult.
But with WordPress, you can create a beautiful website with a user-friendly interface without writing code.
How much does it cost to set up WordPress?
To set up a WordPress website, you must purchase a domain and hosting; the WordPress software is free.
Domain
The domain is the website’s name; for example, the domain of this website is nullxero.com.
I recommend two good places to buy domain names.
- Namecheap: more expensive for the first year, cheaper for renewal.
- Godaddy: cheaper for the first year, more expensive for renewal.
Many hosts sell domains together with their hosts, so it depends on which host you decide to use before deciding which domain you want to buy.
Hosting
Hosting is the home of WordPress. After entering the URL, you will be connected to the hosting address and asked to provide information about your website.
There are four types of hosting: Share Hosting, VPS, Cloud Hosting, and Dedicated Hosting.
Share Hosting
Shared hosting is where everyone shares the same space, so if a host has space for 10 people, each person will only get 10% of the resources.
Benefit: It’s cheaper because the resources are shared.
The downside is that the resources you see differ from those you enjoy and may even be influenced by other people’s websites.
Common shared hosts include SiteGround, WPWebHost, and BlueHost.
Virtual Private Servers (VPS)
A Virtual Private Server is a space that you own and is assigned a dedicated IP.
Benefits: It’s inexpensive, and others won’t influence you.
Disadvantage: Most VPSs require knowledge of Linux and are more technical.
Common virtual private hosts: Linode, DigitalOcean, Vultr.
But there are also special hosting providers, such as Cloudways, which help you deploy VPS and cloud hosting so that you can use WordPress quickly without needing technical skills.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting is the hosting of resources on a cloud network rather than on a single server.
The benefits: it’s fast and costs as much as you use.
Disadvantages: more technical and can easily cost more.
Common cloud hosts: Google Cloud Platform, AWS, Azure, Alibaba.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated hosting is an actual server, which is too costly and only used by large corporations, so there is little to introduce.
Apart from the above, there are also more expensive hosting providers that specialize in WordPress hosting.
Users do not need to worry about hosting problems, and the hosting provider will help you get it right, including speed, security, resources, and so on; there is no need to solve problems yourself.
This type of hosting provider is more expensive and suitable for people with a certain website scale. Common ones are WP Engine and Kinsta.
How do I start using WordPress to set up a website?
We recommend five hosts for you to choose from: Cloudways, SiteGround, WPWebHost, NetEase, and Kinsta.
Cloudways
Suitable for those who can read English, don’t want to keep changing hosts in the future, and can use it for a long time.
Price
With Cloudways + Linode 1GB plan, $12 per month plus $0.5 backup fee (monthly payment), 3 days free trial.
Tips
My other website is currently set up with Cloudways, and the speed is very satisfactory. I’m very happy with the speed and 24-hour online customer service. Cloudways also offers a free 3-day trial of the free card and a dedicated website moving tool.
WPWebHost
Suitable for a newbie who wants a Chinese interface and Chinese customer service, with no price increase on renewal.
Price
WP Blogger plan, $3 per month for 3 years, $5 per month for 1 year, with a free, permanent domain (annual payment).
Tips
WPWebHost is a relatively new WordPress hosting provider, the price is very low, and the interface is quite easy to use. WPWebHost is very affordable and reliable!
However, only a few data centres are available, and the price range is relatively large when upgrading, so it is recommended for newbies and small websites.
Kinsta
WordPress hosting is ideal for large e-commerce websites and websites with a high number of people online at the same time.
Price
PRO plan is $60 per month, 2 months free with annual payment (monthly, annual).
Experience
I haven’t used it personally, but friends have said it’s very fast and the service is very good.
If the site is big enough, it’s a good place to move to, and if you have enough money, it’s a good deal.
Conclusion
This article tells you what WordPress is and the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com, so we hope you understand.
It also explains the benefits of using WordPress and how to start setting up a WordPress website to make you more aware of the details.