What is Self-Hosted WordPress.org?
What is WordPress?
WordPress is the easiest and most popular way to create your own website or blog, powering well over 40% of the entire web. On a more technical level, WordPress can be described as an open-source content management system (CMS). A CMS makes it simple to manage and edit aspects of your website without needing to know how to code.
Did you know there are actually two "versions" of WordPress?
WordPress.org and
WordPress.com. This can be a little confusing, so we have a separate article on that
here. When anyone talks about WordPress, they are usually talking about
WordPress.org. WordPress.org is often referred to as "self-hosted WordPress" or "self-hosted WordPress.org."
What does Self-Hosted mean?
Self-hosted means that your WordPress website is hosted with a third-party hosting provider. A few hosting providers we recommend are SiteGround, Hostinger, and Kinsta. Visit our Getting Started Guide for a full walk-through on how to purchase a domain, sign up for a hosting plan, and install WordPress software. It's super easy!
Myths & Misconceptions
Some common misconceptions we hear are:
- Your domain does not need to end in ".org" to use WordPress.org. Your domain can end in any available domain extension: .com, .net, .co, .uk, etc.
- Unless you are a developer, you do not need to download WordPress.org on your computer. WordPress.org is installed on your website through your hosting provider.
- You do not need to sign up for an account on the WordPress.org website (in fact, you don't need to visit WordPress.org at all). The only account you'll need is an account with a hosting provider.