WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) primarily used for building and maintaining websites, blogs, and online stores. Launched in 2003 by developers Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little as a fork of the b2/cafelog blogging software, it has grown into one of the most popular platforms on the internet, powering more than 40% of all websites worldwide. Written in PHP and utilizing MySQL databases, WordPress features an intuitive dashboard for content creation, theme customization, and plugin integration, enabling users to add functionalities like e-commerce, SEO tools, or multimedia galleries without advanced coding skills. Its vast ecosystem includes thousands of free and premium themes and plugins from a global community, making it accessible for beginners while offering extensibility for professional developers. WordPress emphasizes flexibility, security through regular updates, and scalability, supporting everything from personal blogs to large enterprise sites.