Plugin Handbook | Developer.WordPress.org

Introduction to Plugin Development - WordPress Developer Resources

Why We Make Plugins. If there's one cardinal rule in WordPress development, it's this: Don't touch WordPress core. This means that you don't edit core WordPress files to add functionality to your site. This is because WordPress overwrites core files with each update. Any functionality you want to add or modify should be done using plugins.

Plugin Basics - Plugin Handbook | Developer.WordPress.org

At its simplest, a WordPress plugin is a PHP file with a WordPress plugin header comment. It's highly recommended that you create a directory to hold your plugin so that all of your plugin's files are neatly organized in one place. To get started creating a new plugin, follow the steps below. Navigate to the WordPress installation's wp ...

WordPress Plugin Development Tutorial: How to Make Your Own Plugin

3. Add the plugin file header. When you create your main plugin PHP file, you need to add a file header to help WordPress understand your plugin. The plugin file header is a PHP comment block that includes basic details about your plugin, such as its name, version number, author, license, and more.