WordPress is a CMS, meaning a Content Management System. Just as the name shows it, this platform allows us to manage content (create, edit, delete, promote) easily.
Back in the day, when I started doing web design, we usually coded EACH page by hand.
So, this article, for instance, would be created by me in an HTML template, then I would create another article/page with the same template, but using different titles and content and so on.
I’ve done this for years, until I realized there are easier ways to create content and stop wasting time with the design.
A CMS allows you to input content like you would send an email and has the same template design for the entire website. The theme can be downloaded for free, paid for or custom coded, making sure to keep the code that displays the content in place.
In order for your platform to do this, it needs something that’s called a database.
A database is actually a HUGE spreadsheet with a lot of rows and columns, where you store the information on your website.
In my case, my database (which can be of many types) stores ALL the data we need to run EliteThemes.net: my admin information, the pages, the posts (meaning the articles, such as this one), SEO settings and many other features that make my life easier.
WordPress uses a MySQL database to run its data and php files, so in this case you will need to have a hosting provider that allows you to run both MySQL and php.
Nowadays almost all hosting providers provide this support, so it’s just a matter of finding a hosting company that has decent pricing and you’d like working with them.
Another personal recommendation is to get a cPanel hosting provider, which makes your overall hosting experience even better, as you can easily manage your website.
It can install WordPress almost instantly for you (so no more downloading and uploading files, creating databases, setting up config.php files etc.), it allows you to manage your email accounts and get access to your database via phpmyadmin.
All the screenshots you will see in this article are done from a cPanel account and the database snapshots are from phpmyadmin.
Where Are WordPress Pages Stored in the Database?
I already mentioned that, in order for us to work on your website, we need a database to handle all the data input.
The wordpress pages in the database can be seen if you log into your cPanel account and then navigate to phpmyadmin. Here you’ll see your entire database.
There are all kinds of tables in your database, most of which are self-explanatory: wp_options (handles the main settings for your WordPress website), wp_comments (all the comments and trackbacks on your website), wp_users (yes, you guessed, the users that are on your website) etc.
The table we look for is wp_posts.
In some cases, depending on how you set up your WordPress (or how your autoinstaller did it), your table might be named wp_posts or wpml_posts etc. Either way, we care about the second part after the underscore, which shows us details about the table we’ll use.
If you click on this table name, you’ll see ALL your posts in that exact WordPress installation. Make sure to not hit (empty, as you will delete ALL the content in that table) or DROP, as you will delete the table itself and make a HUGE mess.
Every time you work on your database, even if very skilled, always BACK UP first!
Where Are WordPress HTML Pages Stored
WordPress doesn’t actually run HTML files, it does appear as if you would see static pages, just like on the old-style websites, but these files are actually created by the database and the php codes that run WordPress.
Yet, of you would like to take another look under the hood and see your main WordPress files, let’s do that.
For this you will need FTP access. For most cpanel users FTP passwords are the same as the main cpanel login. You can try yourdomain.com as the host, the cpanel user as the user and the password. Anyway, your host has probably provided this data already, if not, ask them for the info.
Another easier way is to just log into cPanel and go to FILE MANAGER. There you will see an entire directory stucture and we’ll click on public_html, as it’s the directory/folder that hosts your WordPress files.
As you look into the folders, we’ll navigate to to root directory. You will see a set of directories (folders) named wp_admin, wp_includes and wp_content and then files: index.php, settings.php, login.php, .htaccess etc.
These are the files and strucure WordPress uses to run your website.
The wp_admin directory handles your admin dashboard. Usually, if you get errors there, it’s from these files. You are not supposed to touch these files, unless you had some issues with WordPress and want to re-upload the file system.
Wp_includes runs the entire “machine”, never touch these files as you can destroy your installation, not to mention that, when WordPress does its updates, you will lose all the changes.
But, Ramona, how do I actually change my website’s features?
Well, we get to the final folder we’ll present, which is called wp_content.
Here you will see a folder named THEMES (it’s where you will add your theme), PLUGINS (these are the extra features you will install on WordPress) and UPLOADS (where the files in the media library are (the images you upload, mainly, but you can add .pdf files to share with your subscribers for instance).
In conclusion: your your WordPress pages are stored in the database in the wp_posts table and the files themselves on the server. The theme files are found easily, if you navigate to wp-content > themes and then click on the theme you desire.
