The WordPress REST API lets an application exchange JSON with a specific WordPress site over HTTP. Start by discovering that site’s API index at https://example.com/wp-json/, then call the route you need with the right HTTP method. Public content can often be read without logging in; private data and changes require authentication and the WordPress capabilities for that action.
What the WordPress REST API does
The REST API exposes WordPress resources—including posts, pages, comments, categories, tags, media, users, settings, themes, and plugins—as JSON. It is a developer-oriented way for a site or separate application to work with WordPress data, and it underpins the Block Editor. It can also support alternative administration interfaces and front ends. Existing themes and plugins do not have to use it if their current approach already works.
The API belongs to an individual site; there is no single /wp-json/ root that serves every self-hosted WordPress installation. The examples below target the WordPress.org core REST API on a site you control—not the separate WordPress.com API.
Find the site’s API and understand routes
With pretty permalinks enabled, open the site’s API index at https://example.com/wp-json/. It lists the routes and supported methods available on that installation. For instance, the core posts collection route is /wp/v2/posts.
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A route is the URI that identifies a resource or operation. An endpoint is the operation available at that route for a particular HTTP method. The same route can behave differently for GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE. For example, /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/123 can retrieve, update, or delete post 123, depending on the method and whether the caller is authorized.
If pretty permalinks are unavailable, WordPress can accept a route through the rest_route query parameter, such as https://example.com/?rest_route=/wp/v2/posts. An OPTIONS request to an endpoint can also reveal its supported capabilities. Check the live API index because routes and access can vary with the site’s configuration.
Read and create a post
Core content routes use the wp/v2 namespace. Use GET /wp-json/wp/v2/posts for a collection and GET /wp-json/wp/v2/posts/<id> for one post. A public read can usually be made without logging in:
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