WordPress Multisite: Explained
It’s a well-known fact that WordPress is a dynamic and impressive platform! However, as a regular or avid blogger you must surely have realized over time that there is more to WordPress - and that’s a ‘Multisite’.
But before we get into WordPress, let’s first understand what a multisite is. A Multisite enables a sole WordPress installation to create a network of sites. These sites can run into hundreds, thousands and even millions - not an exaggeration! ! These collection of sites not only share the same WordPress installation, but also share the same plugins and themes. The individual sites in the network however, are virtual sites but lie within a shared installation.
With the latest WordPress, one can create a flawless network of sites by using this versatile feature. This can be combined with a fabulous external WordPress Hosting service. Such a network will be quite similar to the personal WordPress site that most users have. Within this network, the admin can choose to have the sole responsibility to add new sites or allow users to create their own sites as per demand.
When compared to a regular single WordPress installation, a network installation has additional things to consider. These include whether subdomains and plugins are to be used, and if yes, how will they be managed; how to go about installing themes and plugins, etc.
Plugins have, over time, been made more flexible when it comes to their implementation. They can be easily activated for either each site or for the whole network. Hence, as per applicability, plugins have been divided into three categories:
Site Specific Plugins: These can be activated or deactivated by an individual site admin and stored in the plugins directory.
Network Plugins: These are also stored in the plugins directory, and can be activated across the entire network by the main admin.
Must-Use Plugins: These can be used by all sites on the entire network or installed in the plugins directory. These are hidden entirely from per-site plugin lists.
When it comes to themes, these are installed for the entire network. If you choose to edit the code of a particular theme, it will get edited for all the sites that use the same theme. So as to not affect anyone, you can install a plugin that will let each site tweak it’s own CSS. Themes are flexible when it comes to their activation as they can be activated for either the entire network or for sites individually.
For quick access to multiple blogs, shared plugins, themes and users, a multisite is a great bet. And of course, one of the primary benefits of running a single WordPress installation across all blogs is that WordPress needs to be upgraded only once. Having said that, the multisite feature stands for what makes WordPress so unique!