Introduction
This is not a guide for installing plugins. This is a curriculum for Senior WordPress Engineers building enterprise-grade applications. We focus on modern development workflows, containerization, and high-performance architecture.
🚀 WordPress Engineering Crash Course
Modern WP development in a nutshell:
// 1. Timber Controller (MVC Pattern)
class SinglePost extends Timber\Site {
public function __construct() {
$context = Timber::context();
$context['post'] = Timber::get_post();
// 2. Redis Caching
$context['related'] = Timber::get_posts(
'post_type=post&numberposts=3',
['cache_mode' => 'transient', 'cache_time' => 600]
);
Timber::render('single.twig', $context);
}
}
// 3. Native Gutenberg Block (React)
// No PHP registration needed if using block.json
// src/edit.js
export default function Edit({ attributes, setAttributes }) {
return (
<div { ...useBlockProps() }>
<RichText
tagName="h2"
value={ attributes.content }
onChange={ ( content ) => setAttributes( { content } ) }
/>
</div>
);
}
⚠️ Job Profile Requirements
- Architecture: Bedrock (Composer-managed), 12-Factor App principles.
- Frontend: Twig (Timber), SCSS, React (Custom Blocks).
- Data: PostgreSQL (via PG4WP), Redis (Object Cache), NocoDB (External Data).
- DevOps: Docker, AWS Fargate, GitLab CI/CD.
🎯 Expected Outcome
By the end of this guide, you will be able to:
- Develop custom Gutenberg Blocks using React and NocoDB data.
- Decouple logic from views using Timber & Twig.
- Deploy scalable WordPress clusters on AWS Fargate.
- Optimize high-traffic sites with Redis Object Caching.
- Integrate external data sources like NocoDB.
- Manage dependencies via Composer and NPM.
Capstone: Headless-Ready Enterprise Portal
Build a high-performance, decoupled WordPress site that aggregates data from external sources and serves it via custom blocks.
- Architecture: Bedrock setup with PostgreSQL database.
- Data Layer: Connect to NocoDB to fetch "Product" data and cache it in Redis.
- Frontend: Create a custom Gutenberg block "Product Grid" that renders this data using React.
- Templating: Use Timber/Twig for the theme structure, ensuring no PHP logic in views.
- API: Expose a custom REST API endpoint for a potential Headless frontend.
Create a `docs/` folder with setup steps, architecture decision records (ADRs), and API specs.
How to use this guide
Module 1: Modern Setup
Time: 5 hours | Complexity: Medium
Bedrock, Composer, and Env Config.
Module 2: Templating
Time: 8 hours | Complexity: Medium
Timber, Twig, SCSS Architecture.
Module 3: Block Editor
Time: 15 hours | Complexity: High
Native React Blocks, NocoDB Integration.
Module 4: Data & Performance
Time: 10 hours | Complexity: High
PostgreSQL, Redis, Query Optimization.
Module 5: DevOps
Time: 12 hours | Complexity: Very High
Dockerizing WP, GitLab CI, AWS Fargate.
Curriculum Overview
Module 1: Modern Setup - Bedrock, Composer, Env Config.
Module 2: Templating - Timber, Twig, SCSS Architecture.
Module 3: Block Editor - Native React Blocks vs ACF Blocks.
Module 4: Data & Performance - PostgreSQL, Redis, Query Optimization.
Module 5: DevOps - Dockerizing WP, GitLab CI, AWS Fargate.
Module 6: Headless WordPress - REST API, GraphQL, Next.js Integration.
Module 7: Enterprise Security - Hardening, Nonces, Sanitization, WAF.
Module 8: Plugin Development - OOP, Namespaces, Hooks, Unit Testing.
Module 9: WooCommerce Scale - HPOS, Custom Checkout, ERP Integration.
Module 10: Migration & Legacy - Refactoring, Data Migration, WP-CLI.