How Git Changes the Way We Build WordPress
A change history makes code review possible. You still have to account for the database, uploaded files and deployment target.
- Audience
- builder
- Level
- intermediate
- Basis
- Documented guidance
A save tells you what exists. A commit can explain why.
A folder named “final-new-fixed” does not tell a successor which change solved the problem. Git can record a specific set of file changes with a message explaining their purpose. That gives review and troubleshooting a useful unit of work.
For a WordPress site, start with the code you maintain: the theme, focused plugins and deployment configuration. Keep personal data, passwords and environment-specific secrets out of that history.
The repository is not the whole website.
| Part of the site | Typical home | Recovery question |
|---|---|---|
| Theme and custom plugin code | Versioned files. | Can you retrieve the exact deployed revision? |
| Posts, settings and some templates | WordPress database. | Can you restore the appropriate database state? |
| Uploaded images and documents | Uploads storage. | Are the actual files backed up? |
| Hosting and integrations | Service configuration. | Can a successor recreate the environment? |
A code rollback may not reverse a database migration or restore an overwritten upload. Write the recovery plan for all the affected parts.
Keep a change small enough to describe.
“Fix the mobile submenu gap” is easier to review than “site updates.” Include the trigger, the intended result and what you checked. Open the diff before committing and look for accidental changes from a different task.
git status --short
git diff --stat
git diff -- path/to/the-file.cssThe last command limits the comparison to one file. Git diff reference. Name the real path in your own project.
A push can also be a publish action.
Our EKG Marketing deployment documentation describes a repository connected to production. It explicitly says that pushing its configured branch does not pass through the separate staging site. That is a property of our deployment configuration, not of Git itself.
Before pushing in any project, identify the target branch, automation and destination. A staging-looking hostname or an old note is weak evidence. See the workflow Lab for the practical consequence.
Practice on a change you can see.
In a local copy, change one heading style. Inspect the diff. Record a commit with a reason. Ask another person to identify the change from the record. Then discuss how it would be tested and released on the real site.
That is enough to learn the central habit: make changes identifiable before making them live. Automation becomes useful once the team understands what the release action actually does.
Sources and further reading
Primary documentation checked September 14, 2026. Product behavior and terms can change; follow the source for current details.
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