Question 1

What is WP-Cron and how does it work?

Accepted Answer

WP-Cron is WordPress's built-in scheduled task system. Unlike a real server cron job, WP-Cron is triggered by site visits — every time someone loads a page, WordPress checks whether any scheduled tasks are due and runs them. This means: (1) Tasks only run when someone visits the site; (2) On low-traffic sites, tasks may be delayed significantly; (3) On high-traffic sites, multiple requests can trigger the same cron check simultaneously. Scheduled tasks include: checking for plugin and theme updates, publishing scheduled posts, sending comment notification emails, and any tasks registered by plugins (e.g., backup plugins, email marketing plugins).

Question 2

How do I check if WP-Cron is working?

Accepted Answer

To check WP-Cron: (1) Use this tool — it checks whether DISABLE_WP_CRON is set to true and whether the wp-cron.php endpoint responds correctly; (2) Install WP Crontrol plugin — shows all scheduled events with next run time and recurrence; (3) Check for DISABLE_WP_CRON in wp-config.php — if define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true) is set, you need a real server cron job running wget or curl on wp-cron.php; (4) Check server error logs for cron failures. Common issues: tasks not running on low-traffic sites (use a real cron), tasks running too frequently (check for duplicate registrations).

Question 3

Should I disable WP-Cron and use a real cron job?

Accepted Answer

Yes, for most production sites. Real server cron jobs are more reliable because: tasks run on schedule regardless of traffic; they don't slow down page loads (WP-Cron runs synchronously on visitor requests); they don't cause multiple simultaneous executions on high-traffic sites. To switch: (1) Add define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true) to wp-config.php; (2) Add a cron job: */15 * * * * wget -q -O - https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php?doing_wp_cron > /dev/null 2>&1 (runs every 15 minutes). Managed WordPress hosts (WP Engine, Flywheel, Kinsta) often do this automatically.

Question 4

What does the REST API namespace list tell me about a WordPress site?

Accepted Answer

The list of registered REST API namespaces reveals which plugins and features are active on a site. wp/v2 is always present (WordPress core). Additional namespaces indicate plugins: wc/v3 (WooCommerce), woocommerce-blocks/v1, yoast/v1 (Yoast SEO), rank-math/v1 (Rank Math), elementor/v1 (Elementor), cf7/v1 (Contact Form 7), jetpack/v4 (Jetpack), buddypress/v1 (BuddyPress). This is useful for compatibility debugging, API integration planning, and understanding a site's plugin stack without direct server access.

Check	Source	What a failure means
WP-Cron endpoint	wp-cron.php	Cron is disabled (DISABLE_WP_CRON = true) or blocked by the server
REST API status	/wp-json/	REST API is disabled — will break Gutenberg and many plugins
Active namespaces	/wp-json/	List is shorter than expected — plugin REST routes may be unregistered
Site name & URL	/wp-json/ response	Mismatch may indicate a misconfigured siteurl or homeurl in wp_options
WordPress version	/wp-json/ response	Outdated version detected — security update may be needed
API auth status	/wp-json/wp/v2/users	Returns 401 if REST API is restricted to logged-in users (good practice)

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