Explore WordPress content through its REST API

Understand the content boundary

The WordPress REST API provides JSON access to site content. Its handbook explains that public content is generally available publicly, while access to private material depends on authentication and configuration. An endpoint’s visibility should reflect the content and user permissions you intend to support.

Begin with one resource type, such as published posts. List the fields your consumer actually needs: a title, summary, canonical link, publication date, and image reference may be sufficient for a card. Avoid coupling the interface to every field in a sample response.

Inspect routes before extending them

Use the documentation for the installed WordPress version and relevant plugins. Determine which routes already exist, which parameters control collections, and how pagination is represented. Record the expected response for an empty collection and a resource that no longer exists.

For custom content, decide whether an existing route can express the required behavior. If a custom endpoint is necessary, give it a clear namespace, a documented input shape, and an explicit permission policy. Treat its response as a public contract that another application may depend on.

Separate reading from editing

• Public presentation: Select fields suitable for visitors and handle missing optional content.
• Authenticated operations: Choose the documented authentication method for the client environment.
• Permission checks: Verify who may read or change the specific resource.
• Publishing workflow: Decide how drafts, previews, updates, and deletions affect the consumer.

Test editorial changes with realistic examples. A post can lose its featured image, move to a different category, or change its title after publication. Your website should handle those changes without broken cards or stale navigation.

For a static publishing workflow, decide when content is fetched and how a failed refresh is handled. Keep a successful existing build available until the replacement is complete. Document who initiates updates and how an editor can verify the result.

The website integration guide covers visible request states. Read API security test planning before introducing authenticated write operations or exposing custom metadata.