WordPress REST API Developer for Integrations and Headless Front Ends
WordPress API development for teams that need custom REST endpoints, authentication, and a frontend that consumes WordPress — including React/Next.js when that is the honest architecture.
This is the hire page. Step-by-step notes on creating a REST API in WordPress live on the blog. Headless is a fit when the editorial model in WordPress is worth keeping and the front end is not. It is a poor fit when the team still needs preview, forms, and a theme they can edit.
Who this is for
Ideal for teams hiring a WordPress API developer.
Teams that need custom WordPress REST endpoints, not just core WP JSON
Product UIs in React or Next.js that still want WordPress as the CMS
Integrations between WordPress and a CRM, product API, or internal tool
Engineers deciding whether headless WordPress is worth the preview and auth cost
This is not an API tutorial, a plugin download, or a “learn REST” course.
Services included
What WordPress API development covers here
01
REST API and custom endpoints
Routes and payloads shaped for the client you actually have — a product object, not a blog post.
02
Authentication
Application passwords, OAuth, or nonce + cookie for same-origin editors. The choice follows the client, not a blog post.
03
Third-party integrations
Webhooks, CRMs, and the error handling that shows up in production — not a happy-path tutorial.
04
React / Next.js and headless WordPress
When the UI is already a JavaScript app. WordPress then holds editorial content. If the team lives in the block editor all day, a rewrite is often the wrong spend.
Stack
Tools this work actually uses.
- WordPress
- REST API
- PHP
- React
- Next.js
- JavaScript
- Git
Process
How an engagement usually runs.
01
Understand
Which system owns the UI, which objects live in WordPress, and who authenticates.
02
Design
The contract: endpoints, fields, auth, and what will not be headless.
03
Implement
Custom routes, webhooks, and the client wiring. Preview and forms stay honest.
04
Validate
Auth failures, empty states, and a deploy the front-end team can run against staging.
Why this practice
Factual differentiators — not slogans.
- API work in this practice is delivery, not a rewrite sold as a default.
- The public headless-decision quiz on this site exists because headless is often the wrong spend.
- Comfortable in PHP on the WordPress side and JavaScript on the client.
FAQ
Questions specific to this service.
Is this a tutorial on how to create a REST API in WordPress?
No. Those notes are on the blog. This page is WordPress REST API development as a commercial engagement — custom endpoints, auth, and integrations on a live stack.
Do you always recommend headless WordPress?
No. Headless is optional. If editors still need preview, forms, and a theme, a decoupled rewrite often costs more than it returns. Use the quiz on this site before commissioning one.
Can you build custom REST endpoints?
Yes. Core WP JSON is rarely enough once you have a real product object. Custom routes and field shaping are the usual job.
Can you work with React or Next.js?
Yes, when that app already owns the UI. WordPress then holds editorial content and some business objects.
How do you handle authentication?
It depends on the client: cookie + nonce for same-origin, application passwords or OAuth when the front end is decoupled. I will not hard-code a secret into JavaScript.
Can you integrate WordPress with another system?
Yes. REST, webhooks, and the failure modes that show up after the happy path. Name the other system when you write.
Is there public case-study work tagged as API-only?
Not as a separate labelled case study. API and headless work is described in the articles and tools on this site. I will not invent a client to fill this section.
Related
Notes, tools, and related services.
Start
Need WordPress talked to another system — or a frontend that consumes it?
Describe the CMS, the client app, and the objects that have to move. I will say whether custom API work or a headless rewrite is the honest shape.
Prefer a calendar? Use the consultation scheduler on the contact page.