Learn How to Utilize the WP REST API with Rachel Baker

photo credit: shenamt – cc

One trend at recent WordCamps is that any session on the WP REST API will undoubtedly pack the room with attendees eager to learn more about using it. This was certainly the case at WordCamp London 2015 where more than 200 people crammed into a small room to hear Jack Lenox’s presentation on Building Themes with the WP REST API.

If you’re a developer who is ready to learn more about getting started with the API, you will not want to miss WPSessions’ upcoming free live event. Rachel Baker, lead engineer at The Wirecutter and formerly a senior engineer at 10up, will be presenting on Utilizing the WP REST API on Tuesday, May 26, 2015.

Baker is one of the lead developers on the WP-API project and is fully in tune with where it’s headed, as well as all the changes in the latest 2.0 beta release. The topics she plans to cover will help developers dive in and start extending 2.0.

“The content is driven by wanting to dig deeper with a more technical audience from the overview presentations you see at WordCamps and wanting to show off how easy it is to extend our version 2.0,” Baker said. “This course is only 30-40 minutes, but if it goes well Brian would like to add more.”

She plans to cover the following topics:

Installing the WP REST API

Consuming core endpoints

Creating custom endpoints

Manipulating and Extending API results

Preparing for future inclusion in WordPress core

“It is targeted at developers who are interested in seeing how they can use and customize the API,” Baker said. “Front-end and full-stack developers will see how to add additional fields to the existing endpoint responses. Plugin developers will see a demonstration of how to add their own endpoints. If you are interested in using the WP REST API, or have used version 1.x, you will want to see how version 2.0 works.”

Baker’s session will essentially be a crash course in getting started, covering all the basics and more. While there has been a great deal of excitement surrounding the API and what it means for the future of WordPress, many developers are still getting a grasp on how they can incorporate it into real world projects. John James Jacoby made an interesting observation in his recap of LoopConf:

So many mentions of the REST API, but not a lot of truly practical usages yet – everyone is building WordPress minus WordPress instead of replacing existing piecemeal AJAX calls or iteratively improving WordPress itself.

Baker is planning to include practical examples in her presentation. One of her main objectives is to help developers get going with the 2.0 beta version so they can offer feedback as they continue to work with it.

“I can think of many practical uses, from powering interactions in a plugin like Custom Contact Forms to providing an API for a mobile app like StoryCorps.me,” Baker said.

“Our community is hearing that the WP REST API is going to change WordPress and they haven’t seen that happen. I don’t see the WP REST API as changing WordPress. I see the WP REST API as a WordPress feature that makes it easier to interact with your site’s data.”

Those who haven’t been able to attend a session on the API in person have an excellent opportunity to see Baker’s WPSessions presentation live for free on Tuesday, May 26th at 3pm EST (UTC-4). It will also be recorded and available after the event for $9.