1 API Calls made by WordPress

Chuck Adams edited this page 2024-10-19 12:28:26 -06:00

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Table of Contents

• API Calls made by WordPress
• Update Checks (Themes, Plugins, Core)
• Plugin Installation and Updates
• Theme Installation and Updates
• Translation Updates
• Browse and Search Plugins/Themes
• Health Check
• Jetpack and Other Plugins

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API Calls made by WordPress

Update Checks (Themes, Plugins, Core)

• Endpoint: https://api.wordpress.org/core/version-check/
• Purpose: WordPress checks for core, theme, and plugin updates by sending requests to the WordPress.org API.
• Triggers:
• When an admin visits the “Dashboard” → “Updates” page.
• During scheduled background update checks (typically every 12 hours).
• Request Type: POST
• Data Sent: WordPress version, list of installed plugins, list of installed themes, site URL, PHP version, etc.
• Caller:
• wp_version_check() – Called via the WordPress Cron system (wp-cron.php), or manually when an admin checks updates.
• wp_update_plugins() – Plugin update check.
• wp_update_themes() – Theme update check. Th
• ese functions are usually called by wp-cron scheduled tasks (wp_schedule_event()), or manually through the admin interface.

Plugin Installation and Updates

• Endpoint: https://api.wordpress.org/plugins/info/1.0/
• Purpose: Fetches plugin details such as descriptions, reviews, and installation metadata.
• Triggers:
• When an admin searches for plugins in the “Plugins” → “Add New” page.
• When WordPress checks for plugin updates.
• Request Type: GET
• Data Sent: Plugin slug, locale, WordPress version.
• Caller:
• plugins_api() – This function makes the API request to WordPress.org when searching for plugins or checking plugin details.
• wp_update_plugins() – Calls WordPress.org to check for plugin updates during background or manual update checks.

Theme Installation and Updates

• Endpoint: https://api.wordpress.org/themes/info/1.0/
• Purpose: Fetches theme details from the WordPress theme repository.
• Triggers:
• When an admin searches for themes in the “Appearance” → “Themes” → “Add New” page.
• During theme update checks.
• Request Type: GET
• Data Sent: Theme slug, locale, WordPress version.
• Caller:
• themes_api() – Called when searching for themes or fetching details about a theme from WordPress.org.
• wp_update_themes() – Triggered for theme update checks.

Translation Updates

• Endpoint: https://api.wordpress.org/translations/core/1.0/
• Purpose: Fetches available translation packages for core, plugins, and themes.
• Triggers:
• During scheduled update checks or when an admin manually checks for updates.
• Request Type: GET
• Data Sent: WordPress version, language settings, list of installed plugins and themes.
• Caller:
• wp_get_translation_updates() – Called when checking for translation updates for WordPress core, plugins, or themes.

Browse and Search Plugins/Themes

• Endpoint:
• Plugins: https://api.wordpress.org/plugins/info/1.2/
• Themes: https://api.wordpress.org/themes/info/1.2/
• Purpose: Fetches and filters the list of available plugins/themes from WordPress.org repositories.
• Triggers:
• When searching for new plugins or themes from the WordPress dashboard.
• Request Type: POST
• Data Sent: Search query, filters like popularity, compatibility, etc.
• Caller:
• install_themes_upload(), install_plugins_upload() – These functions handle searching for and retrieving plugin or theme data from WordPress.org.

Health Check

• Endpoint: https://api.wordpress.org/core/checksums/1.0/
• Purpose: Verifies the integrity of core WordPress files.
• Triggers:
• When the site admin runs a site health check via “Tools” → “Site Health”.
• Request Type: GET
• Data Sent: WordPress version, locale.
• Caller:
• wp_get_core_checksums() – Part of the Site Health tool that compares local WordPress core files against checksums from WordPress.org.

Jetpack and Other Plugins

• Some plugins like Jetpack or Akismet communicate with WordPress.org APIs or Automattic servers.
• Jetpack connects to Automattic servers for site stats, backups, and other services. Additional Hooks and Callers
• pre_http_request and http_api_debug hooks: These hooks allow developers to filter or inspect HTTP requests made by WordPress, including those to WordPress.org.
• wp_remote_get() and wp_remote_post(): These are the lower-level functions WordPress uses to make all HTTP requests, including the ones to WordPress.org. Many of the API calls listed above ultimately use these functions to send the actual request.