WordPress was moving toward becoming a full-stack application framework, which meant we needed a new API. That is why the WordPress JSON REST API project was born. The goal of the project was to create APIs that were easy to use, easy to understand, and backed by solid testing, while also laying the groundwork for APIs in WordPress core itself.
Introduction to the WordPress JSON REST API (WP API)
This plugin, the WordPress JSON REST API (WP API), provided an easy-to-use RESTful API that made it possible to retrieve JSON-formatted data over HTTP in a clean and convenient way. That data included users, posts, categories, and more. Retrieving or updating data became very simple, because all you had to do was send an HTTP request.
Need to get posts from the site? Just send a GET request to /wp-json/posts. Need to update the user whose ID is 4? Just send a POST request to /wp-json/users/4. Want to search all posts containing the keyword “awesome”? Send a GET request to /wp-json/posts?filter[s]=awesome. It was really that straightforward.
The WP API created a simple and convenient interface for WordPress queries, including a Posts API, Post Meta API, Users API, Revisions API, and more. Whatever WordPress could do, the WP API was intended to let you do as well, but in a more convenient way.
The WP API also included an easy-to-use JavaScript API based on Backbone models, which allowed plugin and theme developers to build on it without needing to understand every low-level detail of the implementation.
The future prospects of the WordPress JSON REST API (WP API) and the documentation translation plan
The WordPress REST API (WP API) was still a plugin under active development at the time, but it was very likely to be merged into WordPress core in the future. It was even possible that some parts of WordPress core would eventually be rebuilt on top of this plugin. That made the importance of the project very clear.
Because the WordPress JSON REST API (WP API) gave WordPress a language-agnostic JSON data interface, it meant we could even use WordPress as the server side for mobile apps or desktop applications. With WordPress’s convenient admin backend, it was easy to imagine that in 2015 more and more developers would start using WordPress as the application backend for client-side apps.
To make this plugin easier for everyone to use, starting today I planned to gradually translate the WordPress JSON REST API (WP API) documentation into Chinese. You could follow this site to get the latest translated materials. If anyone wanted to collaborate on the translation effort, feel free to contact me by email.
