Build a Nearly-Headless WordPress Site Using AlpineJS
In this course, I’m going to teach you how to create a WordPress theme that applies a semi-headless approach to a WordPress website. Using modern WordPress practices, build a blazingly fast WordPress website theme using AlpineJS and TailwindCSS.
Nearly Headless? How Can You Be Nearly Headless?
Nearly headless is an approach to WordPress theme development that gives you the benefits that comes with the performance benefits of a fully headless website, but runs it using WordPress as a theme. This makes it possible for many plugins to work on your site without trouble. This paradigm also has the option to switch to “compatibility mode”, which basically allows certain pages to load using traditional methods. This allows you to force pages that are _not_ compatible with the app to run normally, if needed.
I talk a lot more about this paradigm in this blog post.
Use Native WordPress Routing
The nearly headless approach starts with a typical page load. This means that this approach takes advantage of WordPress’s existing routing mechanisms. This drastically simplifies one of the most annoying things about working with a single-page app, because it’s already handled for you.
Compatible With Most Plugins
Since the nearly headless approach uses a typical WordPress theme, many plugins will natively work with it, without any significant changes. Any portion of the site that does not work with your plugin can be updated to use a “compatibility mode”, which forces certain parts of the site to load normally
Compatible With WordPress Hosts
Since this is just a WordPress theme, you can treat it like a normal install. This means you can use pre-made WordPress tools, like Local by Flywheel, and take advantage of any existing database migration tool, like Migrate DB Pro without the need for any special deployment process.
What This Course Will Cover
This course is a front-end focused course, and will teach you how I build websites using the nearly headless approach instead of going fully headless for my clients at my agency, DesignFrame Solutions. This paradigm is literally being used by this website right now. You can see the performance gains if you visit the blog, and load some pages.
Dive Deep Into AlpineJS
Learn how to use AlpineJS, a lightweight, modern JavaScript framework that works exceptionally well with PHP, and Tailwind. We will cover many of the key concepts behind how to use this framework to build our site.
Building Custom REST Endpoints
Learn how to create the custom REST endpoints that we will need in-order to build this theme.
An In-Depth look at Underpin’s Template System
Underpin features a powerful template loader system that helps separate theme logic from theme markup, and also gives child themes _much_ more granular control over how to handle markup for any markup on the site. This course will go deep in how to use this system.
Extend WordPress JavaScript Libraries
This course focuses heavily on using core WordPress Javascript libraries, such as api-fetch, and preloading middleware. This helps keep your JavaScript minimal, and teaches you how these libraries work. This will make you more-comfortable when working in other parts of WordPress, such as the block editor.
Set Up Webpack, The WordPress Way
WordPress has pre-built utilities that allow you to compile your JavaScript, and enqueue core libraries automatically. This course uses these methods, and will show you how to extend them for your own use.
Use, and extend TailwindCSS
This course will utilize TailwindCSS, a utility-first CSS framework that works well with AlpineJS, keeps your CSS file sizes down, and helps reduce the time you spend writing custom CSS.
This course is intended for developers who want to take a deep dive into how to build WordPress themes. No WordPress experience is required to follow-along, but you should know basic PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML before you try to tackle this course. If you want to learn how to build blazingly fast, modern WordPress themes that are easy to debug, scale well, and are easy to extend, this is the course for you.
Some Nice Things People Say About WP Dev Academy
Alex’s straightforward, absolutely no bullshit way of teaching is a breath of fresh air.
The course content is great. I Feel like I’m getting WP super powers.
I want to be dangerous, employable, modern but not to the bleeding edge. I also want to be able to fish so that I’m never hungry. Having access to Alex and his trove of knowledge is worth the ticket price.
Woof woof
Course Instructor
Pre-Order WordPress Theme Course
One-time lifetime access to this course when it launches. Expected launch date – February, 2022. Date is approximate
Premium Members
Includes access to all existing courses. Premium members will have instant access to this course when launched. Expected launch date – November, 2021. Date is approximate