WordPress is one of the most popular web-building platforms. Apart from being free and open-source, what makes WordPress the preferred choice of many developers and site owners is its massive feature set. These functionalities are controlled by its core files, which include wp-config.php. What is wp-config Absolutely?
This configuration file is automatically created when you install WordPress. Its main purpose is to store database information such as account names, usernames, passwords, and a range of other details that handle the major settings of WordPress to begin with. Read on to learn more about the wp-config.php file, its location, and how to customize it.
Understanding WordPress config file
The wp-config.php core file and its key sections are indispensable for any WordPress website.
Role of wp-config.php in WordPress
The wp-config.php file is what connects your website to the database system. It enables you to store and retrieve your WordPress posts, settings, user information, and other site data. It also gives you access to advanced site settings like Autosave Interval, WordPress Multisite, and PHP Memory Size.
Sections of the wp-config file
The wp-config.php file contains several sections that make your WordPress site stable and secure.
- MySQL settings: A configurable section that contains your MySQL hostname, username, password, and database name.
- database character set: Assigns char set sets such as “UTF8” and database matching values such as “utf8_general_ci” to database tables.
- security keys: Authentication keys and encryption codes that protect your WordPress site and users’ data from cyber attacks.
- WordPress database table prefix: includes a predefined yet customizable wp_ database prefix that provides an additional layer of protection against SQL injection attacks.
- debugging mode: Facilitates PHP error detection by providing code execution information.
- absolute path: Identifies connections between files and folders and shows their location on the web server.
Learning beyond what wp-config is: wp-config location
The wp-config.php file can be found in the root folder of your WordPress directory. If you recently installed WordPress, the file may be named “wp-config-sample.php”. However, to download and access its content, you will need to use File Transfer Protocol (FTP), or the cPanel file manager.
Editing the wp-config.php file
Now that you know what wp-config is and where to find it, you can start customizing. Here are the steps that you must follow carefully while editing the contents of the file:
- Step 1: Create a WordPress website backup so that you can restore your initial settings in case an error occurs. There are many backup plugins in the WordPress Plugin Directory that you can use.
- Step 2: Open the wp-config.php file by double-clicking on it.
- Step 3: Using the text editor, make the file changes you want.
- Step 4: Double-check the leading and trailing spaces in the values you entered. Don’t remove the single quotes.
- Step 5: Choose the file button. choose save as And then input “wp-config.php” as the file name. then press save,
- Step 6: Check whether the changes were successfully applied to your WordPress site. Refresh the page if the changes don’t appear immediately.
Conclusion
The WordPress wp-config.php file is an important configuration file that includes key sections such as MySQL settings and security keys. It’s also easy to find and customizable, so you can easily set your preferred website settings.
