WordPress Frameworks

Frameworks have become an important part of the WordPress landscape. They add numerous features to the CMS and make life easier for WordPress developers and users alike.

In this article we would like to address the following questions:

• What are WordPress frameworks anyway?
• What are the fields of application?
• What are the main advantages?
• Which framework is right for my project?

WordPress frameworks - a quick start

In a way, a framework is a special type of WordPress theme or WordPress plugin that influences the appearance and functions of the website. There are various ways in which such a framework can be integrated, for example as a parent theme (with its own child themes), as a stand-alone theme (without child themes), or as a plugin (supplemented by a suitable theme). The main difference between a (starter) theme and a framework is that the former only uses the core functionalities of WordPress, while the latter extends them. So if you are only looking for "visual assistance" when developing a WordPress website, a simple theme is already sufficient. If, on the other hand, you want to extend the basic functions of WordPress, you can help yourself to the ever-expanding framework gift table.

Various fields of application

WordPress framework developers, by and large, serve two distinct areas of use:

• "In-house frameworks" are created specifically for the use of certain themes. These frameworks / themes are usually offered in online stores, which are aimed at both web designers and end customers (even if the latter still find it very difficult to use such "ready-made" themes). The AVADA theme is one of the best-known representatives here.
• The frameworks of the second category are not bound to specific themes from the respective provider, but are rather intended to serve as a basis for own projects. Thus, you can choose whether you want to do it yourself or edit or extend one of the numerous existing (child) themes. There are both free and paid offers. A well-known representative is Genesis, for example.

Three advantages of WordPress frameworks

Advantage #1: A framework can be a real kickstarter for a new WordPress project because you don't start from scratch, but can fall back on the development work of other programmers. The large community, which provides a constant stream of new themes, plugins and code snippets, especially for the most popular frameworks, makes the work much easier and the entire user community can benefit from it.

Advantage #2: Frameworks make a site very updateable and customizable. No matter if a new theme version is installed or the appearance is changed completely, the basic functions of the framework as well as the settings defined there are always preserved. For updates, most frameworks already provide a button in the backend, which is why the user does not have to deal with a manual update via FTP.

Advantage #3: Security and SEO - by using (strong) frameworks, the entire website benefits from increased security and improved search engine friendliness.

The number of choices - which framework is the right one for my project?

Unfortunately, a blanket answer to this question cannot be given, because websites and their creators/users are simply too different for that. Each developer or web designer has personal preferences, and each framework also provides different functions. Therefore, there can be no overall winner for every use case. The choice must therefore be made individually in each case. At least an overview of the currently popular WordPress frameworks (as of 2017) can be given here:

• Genesis (one of our favorites)
• Avada
• Bridge
• Canvas
• Cherry
• Enfold
• Gantry
• Headway
• Salient
• Thematic
• Thesis
• Ultimatum
• Unyson
• Upfront
• Wonderflux

At this point a big Thank you to all contributors who make the use of great frameworks possible!

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You may also be interested in my article on this topic "13 reasons why WordPress is the best CMS for websites“.