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WP-CLI is a powerful command-line interface for managing WordPress installations. Whether you're a site owner, developer, or working on a client project, WP-CLI can significantly speed up your workflow.

If you're familiar with command-line tools, such as Linux terminal, Windows PowerShell, or the macos command line, you're well-prepared to start using WP-CLI. If not yet, that's also ok with some practices to be familiar with. With just a few commands, you can streamline updates, manage plugins and themes, create users, and much more.

Getting Started with WP-CLI

Installation: Follow the simple steps on https://wp-cli.org/ to install it on your operating system.

Basic Usage: Open your terminal, navigate to your WordPress directory or login to your hosting through SSH, and type wp followed by your command.

Why Use It?

WP-CLI allows you to perform a wide range of tasks using the command line without logging in to the WordPress dashboard. This helps you automate repetitive tasks, easily manage multiple sites, or run various operations that would be otherwise time-consuming through the graphical interface.

Use Cases for WP-CLI

Here are some practical scenarios where WP-CLI shines, complete with example commands to demonstrate its power:

1. Updating WordPress Core, Plugins, and Themes

With WP-CLI, you can update everything in seconds.

• Update WordPress core: wp core update
• Update all plugins: wp plugin update --all
• Update all themes: wp theme update --all

2. Managing Plugins and Themes

Install, activate, deactivate, or delete plugins and themes without touching the dashboard.

• Install and activate a plugin: wp plugin install woocommerce --activate
• Deactivate a plugin: wp plugin deactivate woocommerce
• Delete a theme: wp theme delete twentytwenty

3. Creating and Managing Users

With WP-CLI, we can create a user or even reset a password.

• Create a new user: wp user create johndoe johndoe@example.com --role=author
• Reset a user's password: wp user reset-password johndoe

4. Database Management

Handle database tasks like export, import, or optimize it.

• Export the database: wp db export
• Import a database: wp db import backup.sql
• Optimize the database: wp db optimize

5. Search and Replace

Perfect for site migrations, this command lets you update URLs or text across your database.

• Search and replace URLs: wp search-replace 'http://old-domain.com' 'http://new-domain.com'

6. Managing Posts and Pages

Create, edit, or delete content directly from the terminal.

Create a new page: wp post create --post_type=page --post_title='About Us' --post_status=publish\
Delete a post: wp post delete 123 --force

7. Running Cron Jobs

Manually trigger or manage WordPress cron jobs without waiting for scheduled events.

• Run all cron events: wp cron event run --all
• List scheduled cron events: wp cron event list

8. Generating Dummy Data

Generate dummy content to test your site.

• Generate 10 dummy posts: wp post generate --count=10
• Generate 5 dummy users: wp user generate --count=5

9. Managing Multisite Installations

For WordPress Multisite users, WP-CLI simplifies network-wide management.

• Create a new site: wp site create --slug=newsite
• List all sites in the network: wp site list

Conclusion

WP-CLI transforms WordPress management by offering a fast, efficient alternative to the dashboard. From automating updates to managing multisite networks, it saves time, reduces errors, and lets you focus on what matters most. Run wp help for a list of commands or explore the https://developer.wordpress.org/cli/commands/ for more commands and options.

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