Written by Admin on 2025-05-06

Is WordPress.org Safe to Download?

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) used for building websites and blogs. Founded in 2003, WordPress has grown to become the most widely-used CMS on the internet, powering over 40% of all websites on the web. As with any software, it’s important to make sure the files you download are safe, especially since WordPress is open-source and available for anyone to download.

Fortunately, WordPress.org, the official website where you can download the CMS, is generally considered safe. Here are some reasons why:

It’s the official website

WordPress.org is the official website of the WordPress project, and is run by the WordPress Foundation – a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and advancing WordPress. As the official website, you can be assured that the WordPress.org download is legitimate and safe.

Open-source means transparency

WordPress is open-source software, which means that anyone can view and modify the source code. This means that there is a large community of developers constantly reviewing the code for any security vulnerabilities or issues. If a vulnerability is discovered, it’s often fixed quickly due to the large community of developers supporting the project.

Verified plugins and themes

WordPress.org also offers thousands of themes and plugins that can be downloaded to extend the functionality of your website. All themes and plugins are checked by the WordPress team for security vulnerabilities and must pass strict guidelines before being added to the directory. This means that any plugin or theme you download from WordPress.org is generally safe to use.

Check file hashes for added security

For added security, WordPress.org provides file hashes for every download. File hashes are unique strings of characters that are generated based on the contents of a file. By checking the file hash of your WordPress download against the file hash provided on WordPress.org, you can be certain that the file has not been tampered with or altered in any way.

Conclusion

In conclusion, WordPress.org is generally a safe and reliable website to download WordPress files from. However, it’s important to be vigilant and stay up-to-date with the latest security best practices to keep your website secure. This includes regularly updating WordPress, themes, and plugins, as well as using strong passwords and implementing multi-factor authentication. With these precautions in place, you can use WordPress with confidence and build a successful website or blog.