A Beginner’s Guide to WP-CLI: What It Is & How to Use It

If you’re a WordPress user or developer, you may have heard about WP-CLI, a powerful command-line interface for managing WordPress sites. But you might not know what it is or how to use it.

In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to WP-CLI, explain why it’s important, and show you how to use it to manage your WordPress site more efficiently.

What is WP-CLI?

WP-CLI is a command-line interface for WordPress, which allows you to manage your WordPress site using the command line rather than the WordPress dashboard. With WP-CLI, you can perform a variety of tasks, such as installing and updating plugins, creating and managing users, importing and exporting data, and much more.

Why use WP-CLI?

There are several reasons why you might want to use WP-CLI. First, it can save you time and effort when managing your WordPress site. With WP-CLI, you can perform tasks more quickly than you could using the WordPress dashboard, especially if you’re working with multiple sites.

Second, WP-CLI allows you to automate certain tasks, which can save you even more time and effort. For example, you can use WP-CLI to update all of the plugins on your site with a single command, rather than having to update each plugin individually through the WordPress dashboard.

Third, WP-CLI is great for developers who prefer working with the command line. If you’re comfortable with the command line, you can use WP-CLI to perform tasks more efficiently than you could using the WordPress dashboard.

How to install WP-CLI

Before you can start using WP-CLI, you’ll need to install it on your system. Fortunately, installing WP-CLI is relatively straightforward. Here’s how to do it:

1. First, you’ll need to open a terminal or command prompt on your system. If you’re using a Mac or Linux system, you can open a terminal by pressing Command+Space to open Spotlight, typing “terminal”, and pressing Enter. If you’re using a Windows system, you can open a command prompt by pressing Windows+R to open the Run dialog, typing “cmd”, and pressing Enter.
2. Once you have a terminal or command prompt open, you’ll need to install WP-CLI. The easiest way to do this is by using the official WP-CLI installer. To do this, run the following command:

This will download the WP-CLI installer to your system.

3. Next, you’ll need to make the WP-CLI installer executable. To do this, run the following command:

4. Finally, you’ll need to move the WP-CLI installer to a directory in your system’s PATH, so that you can run it from anywhere. To do this, run the following command:

This will move the WP-CLI installer to the /usr/local/bin directory, which is in your system’s PATH.

Congratulations, you’ve now installed WP-CLI on your system!

How to use WP-CLI

Now that you have WP-CLI installed, you can start using it to manage your WordPress site. Here are some of the basic commands you can

use with WP-CLI:

• wp core install: This command allows you to install WordPress on your site. You can specify the database details, site title, admin username, and password.
• wp plugin install: With this command, you can install plugins directly from the WordPress plugin repository. Simply specify the plugin slug or URL, and WP-CLI will download and install the plugin for you.
• wp plugin activate: Use this command to activate a specific plugin on your site. Specify the plugin slug or file name, and WP-CLI will activate it for you.
• wp theme install: Similar to installing plugins, this command lets you install themes from the WordPress theme repository. Just provide the theme slug or URL, and WP-CLI will handle the installation for you.
• wp theme activate: This command allows you to activate a specific theme on your site. Specify the theme slug or directory name, and WP-CLI will activate it for you.
• wp post create: Use this command to create a new post on your WordPress site. You can specify the post title, content, post type, and other details.
• wp post update: With this command, you can update an existing post on your site. Specify the post ID or slug, and provide the updated content.
• wp user create: This command allows you to create a new user on your WordPress site. Specify the username, email address, and password.
• wp user list: Use this command to list all the users on your WordPress site. It provides details such as the user ID, username, email, and role.

These are just a few examples of what you can do with WP-CLI. There are many more commands available that can help you manage your WordPress site efficiently. You can explore the WP-CLI documentation for a comprehensive list of commands and their usage.

One of the great features of WP-CLI is that you can combine multiple commands to perform complex tasks. For example, you can use the wp plugin install, wp plugin activate, and wp plugin update commands together to quickly install, activate, and update multiple plugins on your site.

Additionally, WP-CLI supports scripting, allowing you to write scripts that automate common tasks. This can be especially useful if you manage multiple WordPress sites and need to perform repetitive actions.

WP-CLI also has built-in support for managing WordPress multisite installations. You can use commands like wp site create, wp site list, and wp site delete to manage individual sites within a multisite network.

Furthermore, WP-CLI has a rich ecosystem of community-developed packages that extend its functionality. These packages can help you with specific tasks, such as optimizing images, generating dummy content, or running tests.

Updating WordPress Core, Plugins, and Themes

WP-CLI makes it incredibly easy to keep your WordPress installation, plugins, and themes up to date. Here are a few commands to help you with that:

• wp core update: This command updates your WordPress installation to the latest version. It’s a quick and convenient way to ensure that your site is running the most recent release.
• wp plugin update: Use this command to update all installed plugins on your WordPress site. It automatically checks for updates and installs the latest versions.
• wp theme update: Similar to updating plugins, this command updates all installed themes on your site. It ensures that you have the latest versions with bug fixes and new features.
• wp core update –minor: If you want to update to the latest minor version of WordPress, you can use this command. It’s useful when you only want to update to the next available minor release without going to a major version.

Managing WordPress Database

WP-CLI also provides commands to manage your WordPress database efficiently. Here are a few essential ones:

• wp db export: This command allows you to export your WordPress database to a file. You can specify the filename and location for the exported database.
• wp db import: Use this command to import a database file into your WordPress site. It’s handy when you need to restore a backup or migrate your site to a new server.
• wp db search: With this command, you can search for specific content within your WordPress database. It helps you find and replace text or perform other search operations.
• wp db optimize: This command optimizes your WordPress database tables, helping to improve performance by reducing their size and improving query execution.

Working with WordPress Users

Managing users on your WordPress site becomes more efficient with WP-CLI. Here are some commands that can help:

• wp user list: This command lists all the users on your WordPress site, displaying details such as username, email address, role, and registration date.
• wp user create: Use this command to create a new user account on your WordPress site. You can specify the username, email address, password, and role for the new user.
• wp user delete: This command allows you to delete a user account from your WordPress site. You need to specify the user’s ID or username to remove them.
• wp user update: With this command, you can update user information such as username, email address, password, and role.

Controlling WordPress Settings

WP-CLI enables you to manage various WordPress settings using simple commands. Here are a few examples:

• wp option get: This command retrieves the value of a specific WordPress option. You need to specify the option name to retrieve its value.
• wp option update: Use this command to update the value of a WordPress option. You need to specify the option name and the new value.
• wp rewrite flush: This command flushes the WordPress rewrite rules, ensuring that your site’s permalinks work correctly after making changes.
• wp language core install: If you want to install or change the language of your WordPress installation, this command helps you do so. It installs the specified language pack.

Working with WordPress Multisite

If you’re managing a WordPress multisite installation, WP-CLI can be a powerful ally. Here are a few commands specific to multisite management:

• wp site list: This command lists all the sites within your multisite network, displaying details such as the site ID, domain, path, and status.
• wp site create: Use this command to create a new site within your multisite network. You can specify the domain, path, title, and admin email for the new site.
• wp site switch: This command allows you to switch to a different site within your multisite network, making it the active site for subsequent commands.
• wp site delete: This command deletes a specific site from your multisite network. You need to specify the site ID or domain to remove it.

Managing WordPress Cron Jobs

WP-CLI simplifies the management of WordPress cron jobs. Cron jobs are scheduled tasks that run at predefined intervals. Here are a few commands to help you with cron job management:

• wp cron event list: This command lists all the scheduled cron events on your WordPress site, along with their next run times.
• wp cron event run: Use this command to manually trigger a specific cron event. You need to specify the event name to execute it immediately.
• wp cron event delete: This command allows you to delete a specific cron event from your site. You need to specify the event name to remove it.
• wp cron schedule list: This command displays a list of available cron schedules on your WordPress site, including their intervals and descriptions.

Using WP-CLI Packages

WP-CLI has a vibrant community that has developed packages to extend its functionality. These packages provide additional commands and features for specific use cases. Here’s how you can work with WP-CLI packages:

• wp package list: This command lists all the installed WP-CLI packages on your system, including their names, descriptions, and versions.
• wp package install: Use this command to install a specific WP-CLI package. You need to provide the package name or GitHub repository URL to install it.
• wp package update: This command updates all the installed WP-CLI packages to their latest versions.
• wp package uninstall: This command allows you to uninstall a specific WP-CLI package. You need to specify the package name to remove it.

Exploring WP-CLI Community Resources

WP-CLI has a supportive and active community that provides additional resources and tools. Here are a few valuable resources to enhance your WP-CLI experience:

1. WP-CLI website: The official WP-CLI website (https://wp-cli.org/) is a comprehensive resource for documentation, commands, and news related to WP-CLI.
2. WP-CLI Handbook: The WP-CLI Handbook (https://make.wordpress.org/cli/handbook/) provides detailed documentation on commands, configuration, and advanced topics.
3. GitHub Repository: The WP-CLI GitHub repository (https://github.com/wp-cli/wp-cli) is the central hub for WP-CLI development. You can report issues, contribute code, or explore the source code.
4. Community Packages: The WP-CLI community has developed several useful packages that extend WP-CLI’s capabilities. You can explore the community packages directory (https://wp-cli.org/package-index/) to find packages for specific tasks.

Tips for Using WP-CLI Effectively