This is not normal.
If you were to visit my blog website a few months ago, you would’ve seen the Angular, Contentful, and PHP flavor that it was built on. (I chose PHP because hosting companies offer shared server space with PHP that’s super fast and cheap, $2-$4/month, for unlimited websites, unlimited databases, free email, etc. I use Hostinger for my shared hosting and virtual private server, or VPS, and can’t recommend them enough.)
I put off learning backend frameworks because it seemed like crazy overkill for my needs of just using the server to make database calls to fetch, update, and organize data and to send and receive emails. My old back-end co-worker convinced me .NET is the way to go.
I gave it a try and he was so right! Thanks, Tim!
For my actual side project, I replaced PHP with .NET. I would say .NET is the Angular of the backend. (Python is the React of the backend).
Using a back-end framework allows me to do things like:
- Add new properties to my database with a couple of lines
- Easily restore data to a saved point, called a migration
- Enforce contracts of what your data will look like and get notified when they break
- Use environment variables for config, so code base stays identical
- Take advantage of object-oriented design to reuse and not repeat code
So, if I know how to architect the front and back-end from scratch, wouldn’t using WordPress be like going back to .txt? I know people will judge so I thought I’d explain why.
You see tomato. I see potato.
Under the hood, WordPress is a CMS. It exists as a layer between engineers and admins so people who don’t know how to code can still create and maintain web content.
I haven’t touched WordPress since 2019, so I wanted to see how it has evolved. Surprisingly (or maybe not really if you think about it), both its architecture and main interface have barely changed. Though, the UI is way more fleshed out now.
It really was just curiosity at first.
The new front-end paradigm
I have always built software that was custom designed for a particular user/role/team/brand. It was easy to identify needs and areas of improvements because they caused pain-in-the-butt bottlenecks that you’d yourself be experiencing.
AI is forcing a new shift, one in which it claims you don’t need engineers. Even though that is so far from the truth now, that won’t always be the case. (Yes, I’ve heard of vibe coding. And if your app isn’t a one-and-done, you’ll soon find out AI’s limitations.)
Regardless of whether or not AI may actually ruin the world, people will keep trying to use it to replace humans. They promised crazy returns who promised even crazier returns and eventually they have to come from somewhere.
The days of figuring out how to make code understand a user (and vice versa) when they doesn’t speak the same language are gone. I’d call that the user interface era.
Now, we are entering the time of AI. The new question is, how to build a bridge between the LLM and user, the LLM and software, and the software and user.
Many people think this will be the future
I am certain it will be more this
(Yes, I created these photos with AI).
So, why are you using WordPress?
Every software has a purpose. WordPress was literally built so that anyone could create web content really quickly. So what better tool to use as a potential integrator POV than the king of PHP, WordPress?
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