Root Files
xmlrpc.php
Purpose XML-RPC endpoint for remote publishing and legacy APIs (MetaWeblog, Blogger, MovableType, etc.). Flow Defines XMLRPC_REQUEST and clears cookies. Reads...
wp-login.php
Purpose Handles authentication-related flows: login, logout, registration, password reset, and admin email confirmation. Flow Loads WordPress via wp-load.php and enforces...
wp-mail.php
Purpose Implements Post by Email: pulls messages from a configured POP3 mailbox and turns them into posts. Flow Loads WordPress...
wp-settings.php
Purpose Core bootstrap that initializes WordPress: loads core libraries, sets constants, configures DB/cache, loads plugins and themes, and fires the...
wp-signup.php
Purpose Multisite signup handler for new users and/or new sites, including validation and form rendering. Flow Loads WordPress (wp-load.php) and...
wp-trackback.php
Purpose Handles incoming trackbacks/pingbacks, validates data, and creates trackback comments. Flow Loads WordPress and runs wp( array( 'tb' => '1'...
wp-comments-post.php
Purpose Processes comment submissions and prevents duplicate/invalid posts. Flow Requires a POST request; otherwise returns 405. Loads WordPress and disables...
wp-config-sample.php
Purpose Template configuration file used during installation. Provides placeholder constants and structure for creating a real wp-config.php. Flow Defines placeholder...
wp-config.php
Purpose Site-specific configuration for WordPress. Defines database credentials, salts, table prefix, debug/config constants, and then loads wp-settings.php. Flow Defines core...
wp-cron.php
Purpose Runs scheduled tasks (WP-Cron) when triggered via web requests or server cron. Flow Sets no-cache headers and finishes the...
wp-links-opml.php
Purpose Exports the Links/Bookmarks catalog as OPML XML. Flow Loads WordPress. Determines link category filter from query string. Outputs OPML...
wp-load.php
Purpose Bootstraps WordPress by defining ABSPATH and loading wp-config.php, which then loads wp-settings.php. If no config exists, it initiates the...