What is a Post Type?

In this episode, you will learn about what a “post type” is within WordPress. You’ll look in the wp_posts database table to see the column named post_type. You’ll see how this column relates to the buckets of content.

WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS). It manages content. All content is stored in the wp_posts database table. Content includes the buckets we are familiar with such as Post, Page, Media, Menu, and various custom post types like Portfolio, Event, FAQ, Team Bio, etc. WordPress classifies content by its post type. Out of the box, it comes with the following built-in post types:

• post
• page
• attachment <- media
• nav_menu_item <- menu items
• revision <- content revision including drafts and previous revisions (if you have that enabled)
• custom_css <- Customizer's "Additional CSS"
• customize_changeset <- Customizer's auto-saves

Let’s dig in and see what the post type really is. You’ll even change the post type from page to post to see what happens.