WP-CLI

WP-CLI is the command-line interface for WordPress. It lets hosts and support teams check, maintain and repair a site from the serverServer A server is a piece of computer hardware or software that provides functionality for other programs or devices. Typical servers are database servers, file servers, mail servers, print servers, web servers, game servers, and application servers. without logging in to the WordPress admin. This page lists the commands that are most useful for hostingHosting A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their website accessible via the World Wide Web. work. For every command and option, see the official WP-CLI command reference.

For upgrading WordPress coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Team builds WordPress. with WP-CLIWP-CLI WP CLI is the Command Line Interface for WordPress, used to do administrative and development tasks in a programmatic way., see Upgrading.

Running WP-CLI on a server

• Run commands as the site’s user, not as root. Running as root can leave files owned by root that the web server cannot write to later. Use sudo -u <site-user> wp <command> rather than --allow-root.
• Point WP-CLI at the right site. Use --path=/path/to/wordpress when you are not in the WordPress directory. On multisite, add `–url=https://site.example.com` to run a command against a single site.
• Check the environment first. wp --info shows the WP-CLI version, the PHP binary and version, and the configuration WP-CLI is using. The PHP version used on the command line can differ from the one used by the web server.

wp --info
wp cli version
wp cli update

wp cli update only works when WP-CLI was installed as a Phar file. If it was installed through a package manager, update it there.

Site health and integrity

wp core version --extra
wp core verify-checksums
wp plugin verify-checksums --all

verify-checksums compares files against the official release from WordPress.org, so modified or injected files show up. Plugin checksums are only available for plugins hosted on WordPress.org.

Plugins and themes

wp plugin list
wp plugin list --update=available
wp plugin update --all --dry-run
wp plugin update --all
wp theme list
wp theme update --all

Run --dry-run first to see what would be updated without changing anything.

When a plugin breaks a site and the dashboard is not reachable, deactivate plugins from the command line to find the cause:

wp plugin deactivate --all
wp plugin activate <plugin-slug>

To start WP-CLI without loading plugins or themes, for example when a fatal error stops every command, add --skip-plugins and --skip-themes:

wp plugin list --skip-plugins --skip-themes

Database

wp db check
wp db size --human-readable
wp db size --tables
wp db export /path/outside/webroot/backup.sql
wp db import /path/outside/webroot/backup.sql

wp db export and wp db import use the database credentials in wp-config.php. Store exports outside the web root, and delete them when they are no longer needed.

Migrations and domain changes

wp search-replace 'https://old.example.com' 'https://new.example.com' --skip-columns=guid --dry-run
wp search-replace 'https://old.example.com' 'https://new.example.com' --skip-columns=guid

search-replace handles serialized data correctly, which a plain SQL REPLACE() does not. Always run it with --dry-run first and check the number of replacements. The guid column should not be changed on an existing site. On multisite, add --network so the tables of every site in the network are included.

Caches, rewrites and cron

wp cache flush
wp transient delete --expired
wp rewrite flush
wp cron test
wp cron event list
wp cron event run --due-now

wp cache flush clears the object cache. It does not clear a page cache or a CDN, which usually have their own commands or controls.

wp cron test checks whether WP-Cron can be triggered over HTTP. If you disable WP-Cron with DISABLE_WP_CRON and run it from a system cron job, wp cron event run --due-now is a common way to do that. On those sites wp cron test returns an error, which is expected.

Maintenance mode

wp maintenance-mode status
wp maintenance-mode activate
wp maintenance-mode deactivate

Users and security

wp user list --role=administrator
wp super-admin list
wp user reset-password <user>
wp user session destroy <user> --all
wp config shuffle-salts

After a compromise, list the administrator accounts (and, on multisite, the super admins, who do not need a role on the main site) and remove any that should not be there, reset passwords, and destroy existing sessions. wp config shuffle-salts replaces the keys and salts in wp-config.php, which logs every user out. See the Security page for more.

Configuration and options

wp config list
wp config get WP_DEBUG
wp option get siteurl
wp option get home

wp config list shows the constants and variables defined in wp-config.php, and wp config get shows a single one. Be careful when sharing the output of wp config list, because it includes database credentials and keys.

Media

wp media regenerate --only-missing

Regenerates missing thumbnail sizes, for example after a theme change or a migration. Without --only-missing, every thumbnail is regenerated, which can take a long time on large sites. The command asks for confirmation, so add --yes when running it from a script.

Multisite

wp site list
wp plugin list --url=https://site.example.com

Most commands accept --url to target one site in a network.