README

Build modern web applications on WordPress with routing, admin bar integration, and theme isolation.

Why WordPress for Web Applications?

WordPress isn't just for blogs. It's a powerful foundation for web applications.

For developers:

Built-in User Management - Authentication, roles, and permissions out of the box
Admin Interface - Professional backend without building from scratch
Security & Updates - Automatic security patches and proven practices
Global Ready - Built-in i18n and multisite support

For users:

Universal Hosting - Deploy anywhere WordPress runs, from shared hosting to cloud
Familiar Environment - Manage your app alongside your existing WordPress site

Try it Now

Try the examples instantly in your browser with WordPress Playground:

Minimal App - The simplest possible WpApp
Community App - Full-featured example with database, REST API, and admin integration

Features

URL Routing - Pattern-based routing with WordPress rewrite rules
Theme Isolation - Clean HTML output separate from your WordPress theme
Admin Bar Integration - WordPress-style navigation for your app
Access Control - WordPress capability-based authentication
BaseApp Pattern - Structured architecture for complex applications
BaseStorage Pattern - Database abstraction with schema management using dbDelta

Quick start

You can use this command to scaffold your new plugin:

composer create-project akirk/create-wp-app my-app

Which gives you this little wizard:

Creating WpApp plugin: my-app
----------------------------------------

Plugin name [My App]: 
Namespace [MyApp]: 
Author []: 
URL path [my-app]: 

Setup type:
  [1] Minimal - simple WpApp setup
  [2] Full - with BaseApp structure
Choose [1]: 

✓ Updated plugin-name.php
✓ Updated templates/index.php
✓ Renamed plugin-name.php to my-app.php
✓ Removed src/ directory (not needed for minimal setup)
✓ Updated composer.json
✓ Cleaned up setup scripts

Done! Your plugin is ready.

Next steps:

  Option A: Run locally with WordPress Playground
    npx @wp-playground/cli@latest server --auto-mount=my-app --login

  Option B: Install in WordPress
    1. Activate the plugin in WordPress
    2. Visit /my-app/ to see your app

Which gives you something like this:

Which you can then build on by adding your own routes, modify templates, etc.

Installation

composer require akirk/wp-app

Quick Start

The simplest possible WpApp requires just 3 lines:

<?php
/**
 * Plugin Name: Minimal App
 */

require_once __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
use WpApp\WpApp;

$app = new WpApp( __DIR__ . '/templates', 'minimal' );
$app->init();

Create templates/index.php:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html <?php echo wp_app_language_attributes(); ?>>
<head>
	<title><?php echo wp_app_title( 'My App' ); ?></title>
	<?php wp_app_head(); ?>
</head>
<body>
	<?php wp_app_body_open(); ?>
	<h1>Welcome to My App!</h1>
	<?php wp_app_body_close(); ?>
</body>
</html>

Your app is now available at /minimal!

Local Development

Run your plugin locally without a full WordPress installation:

npx @wp-playground/cli@latest server --auto-mount --login

This starts a local WordPress instance with your plugin mounted and activated.

Documentation

Topic	Description
Getting Started	Installation, quick start, template functions
Configuration	All configuration options
Routing	URL patterns, parameters, templates
Masterbar	Admin bar customization
Access Control	Capabilities, roles, permissions
BaseApp Pattern	Structured architecture for larger apps
Tutorial	Step-by-step guide from minimal to full-featured

Claude Code Integration

Get AI assistance for WpApp development in Claude Code:

/plugin marketplace add akirk/wp-app
/plugin install wpapp@wp-app

Examples

Minimal Example

See examples/minimal-app/ - The simplest possible WpApp (3 lines of code)

Try in WordPress Playground

Community App Example

See examples/community-app/ - Full BaseApp pattern demonstration with:

BaseStorage with schema management
User progress tracking
REST API endpoints
Admin integration

Try in WordPress Playground

Requirements

PHP 7.4 or higher
WordPress 5.0 or higher

WordPress Coding Standards

This package follows WordPress coding standards. Run PHPCS:

composer phpcs

License

GPL-2.0-or-later

akirk / wp-app

Maintainers

Details