WordPress Plugin Development (Core)

Last Updated: 2026-01-21 Latest Versions: WordPress 6.9+ (Dec 2, 2025), PHP 8.0+ recommended, PHP 8.5 compatible 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