How to Version Control WordPress with Git

Professional WordPress developers should use Git for themes and custom code, while managing database changes via local JSON or PHP array exports. medium confidence based on 7 community reports

Professional WordPress developers should use Git for themes and custom code, while managing database changes via local JSON or PHP array exports.

Based on 7 community reports.

Linked sources: 7.

Known Issues

Database state is not natively tracked by Git
Large media files can bloat repository size
Plugin and core updates can cause deployment conflicts

Community Q&A

Should I track the entire WordPress core in Git?

It is generally recommended to track only your custom themes, plugins, and configuration files, rather than the entire WordPress core installation.

How do I handle database changes in version control?

Use tools like ACF Local JSON or export database settings as PHP arrays to keep your site structure versioned alongside your code.

Can I automate WordPress deployments with Git?

Yes, you can use CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions, DeployHQ, or built-in hosting features like RunCloud to auto-deploy code on push.

Reddit Sources

I’m being let go from my position which I had for almost a year (r/webdev)
Wordpress Development Workflow (r/ProWordPress)
What tools do you use when developing custom functionality in WordPress? (r/ProWordPress)
Post release maintenance and version control on customer sites? (r/ProWordPress)
Looking for recommendations on tool/application for version controlling database changes (r/ProWordPress)
RunCloud git deployment (r/ProWordPress)
WordPress FTP seems chaos to me (r/ProWordPress)