It’s Time to Go All-In with Gutenberg
“Gutenberg” is the code name for the new block editor coming in WordPress 5.0, a major update that will fundamentally change the way content is created in WordPress.
You’ll no longer put text and images into a wp-admin form and hope it looks good on the front end; you’ll instead build content visually in the new editor, with each component of content its own “block” that can be dragged, dropped, and customized. The current process for data entry will be replaced with page building.
Code that Makes Sense for 2018
The arrival of the WordPress block editor is a chance for developers to go all-in on new technologies and better code. The Gutenberg project is built primarily with React, which lets WordPress developers finally use technologies like webpack, ES6, and JSX in their day-to-day work.
WordPress Itself is Already All-in
Gutenberg is not just about the editor. In the words of the Gutenberg team:
“With the editor, we lay the foundation for bigger things when it comes to page building and customization. […] A rough roadmap is: v1) post and page editor v2) page template editor, v3) site builder.”
The slower our products adapt to v1, the slower we’ll be to adapt to v2, and the less experience we’ll have with the new ways of doing things. Going all-in on Gutenberg now is a chance to get in on the ground floor. Missing out is a huge loss for both our developers and our users.
Shape the Future of WordPress
The arrival of the Gutenberg block editor is the biggest shift in WordPress since the introduction of custom post types in 2010. Since then, WordPress has grown to power over 30% of the web, which underscores how huge of an impact the new editor will have on the world.
With that significant impact in mind, WordPress needs as many of us as possible to use and stress-test the heck out of Gutenberg—to push it to its limits, tinker with it, figure out where it breaks. We can then contribute back to the efforts by logging bugs, flagging accessibility pitfalls, sharing code, and exchanging tips with the community.
The Time is Now
Developing plugins and themes that look great and work well in Gutenberg can be intimidating. We’ve shared our own journey in our Going Gutenberg blog series, and yeah, it’s tough at times. But while the arrival of the block editor is a bit daunting, it’s fundamentally good, exciting, and paradigm-shifting.
And the biggest takeaway is this: The only thing scarier than the arrival of Gutenberg is being left behind as WordPress pushes ahead. It’s absolutely worth the effort to start learning about and tinkering with Gutenberg today.
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