A modern WordPress development workflow with Bedrock and Sage
Use case overview
Staying up-to-date with modern workflows and technologies is critical for maintaining a sustainable and efficient development process. Although WordPress has evolved tremendously over the years, it still relies heavily on manual processes, such as manually updating code and plugins, which can be time-consuming and error-prone. Moreover, its default structure is not necessarily suitable for collaboration between multiple developers or for managing large, complex projects.
One way of implementing a more developer-friendly workflow with WordPress is using the web development tools provided by the Roots.io Ecosystem. For this case study, I used the WordPress boilerplate Bedrock together with the Sage starter theme to make use of the powerful PHP Laravel Blade templating engine and TailwindCSS.
Use case details
Roots.io is a collection of open-source advanced WordPress Development Tools. Their core portfolio includes a WordPress boilerplate, a starter theme, a WordPress LEMP stack and other self-developed frameworks, tools and plugins designed to enhance the traditional WordPress development workflow. The team behind Roots describes itself as follows:
Roots is a team of open source developers who are dedicated to making the web better
They have been publishing open-source WordPress tools since 2011 and are officially sponsored by WordPress itself and Pantheon, among others. With a growing community, actively maintained GitHub repositories and their own ecosystem, they offer solid tools to improve the future viability of WordPress.
The Roots.io ecosystem
Bedrock
Bedrock provides a more secure and efficient way of managing WordPress by utilizing Composer for dependency management and implementing an enhanced folder structure that separates core WordPress files from custom files. This method simplifies WordPress updating and ensures that both WordPress Core and its dependencies are kept up to date. Furthermore, the improved folder structure facilitates the management of custom code and plugins, resulting in a more streamlined and organized workflow.
Sage
Sage is a modern WordPress starter theme that leverages Laravel Blade powerful templating engine into the development workflow while keeping the WordPress lifecycle and template hierarchy consistent.
Acorn
The Acorn framework integrates Laravel within WordPress. Laravel is a PHP web application framework known for its elegant syntax and powerful features like template inheritance and control structures, which makes it a popular choice among developers for creating scalable and maintainable web applications. It supports the creation of reusable templates, promotes code cleanliness and reduces repetition by providing a clean syntax and structure for organizing views.
Bud
Also integrated from the Roots.io ecosystem is Bud. A lightning fast build tool that simplifies the process of creating, bundling and optimizing JavaScript and CSS for the web.
TailwindCSS
Additionally, Sage features out of the box support for TailwindCSS, a utility-first CSS framework that simplifies the process of designing and styling websites by providing a library of predefined classes that can be used to quickly style HTML elements.
Who is the use case for?
- Online retailers who need to develop an e-commerce website with a customized WordPress theme capable of handling high traffic and complex product listings
- Small business owners in need of a professional, mobile-responsive website that does not require extensive technical knowledge
- Startups that require the development of a web application or SaaS platform with a modern development workflow that can easily scale
- Bloggers and content creators who need to create a high-performance website with a modern aesthetic
- Educational institutions that want to create an easy-to-manage e-learning platform for students and teachers without using Moodle
Conclusion
By implementing these Open-source tools, developers can streamline their workflows and improve project maintainability. Using a modern workflow that enables rapid development and iteration, developers can create high-quality WordPress themes that are optimized for performance and maintainability by reducing technical debt, increasing scalability, and making it easier to maintain and upgrade your website.
This allows you to spend more time and effort creating engaging content and refining your marketing strategy, rather than struggling with outdated or bloated premium multipurpose themes.