If you manage WordPress sites, WP CLI is definitely a tool that you should check out and consider using if you aren’t already.
WP CLI offers a massive set of tools to use via SSH, managing your WordPress installs without needing to login to the backend (WordPress Dashboard).
In this guide, we won’t be going over installing WP CLI, though you can learn more about that here [link to new guide].
Many of the commands are pretty self-explanatory, though we’ll go over some other use cases rather than just listing the commands and all of the parameters that can be used.
wp core
wp core version
Check the current WordPress version
wp db version
Check the current WordPress version
wp core verify-checksums
Verify that core files have not been modified
wp core update
Update the core to a newer version
Examples of using wp core:
wp core download --version=6.1.1 --skip-content --force
wp plugin
wp plugin list
Get a list of all plugins, installed active and inactive
wp plugin verify-checksums
Verify that plugin files have not been modified
wp plugin update
Update a plugin
wp theme
wp theme list
Show a list of installed themes
wp theme update
Update a theme
wp db
wp db size
Check the current database size
wp db optimize
Optimize the database
wp db prefix
Return the current database tables prefix
wp db search
Search the entire database for a string
Examples of using wp db:
wp db size --human-readable
Ready for more WP CLI?
Ok, if you say so… Go check out Beginner’s Guide to WP CLI: The Ultimate Resource for WordPress Enthusiasts
