WordPress Multisite is a built-in feature that allows you to create a network of multiple WordPress sites from a single WordPress installation. All sites in the network share the same WordPress core files, plugins, and themes, but each has its own content and settings.
How Multisite Works
- Subdomain setup — Each site gets a subdomain:
site1.example.com,site2.example.com. - Subdirectory setup — Each site gets a subdirectory:
example.com/site1/,example.com/site2/. - Domain mapping — Each site can have its own custom domain with plugins.
Use Cases
- Universities with department sites
- Companies with regional or brand-specific sites
- Agencies managing multiple client sites
- Multilingual sites with separate installs per language
Pros and Cons
- Pro: Single update for core, plugins, and themes across all sites.
- Pro: Centralized user management.
- Con: A plugin issue can affect all sites in the network.
- Con: Not all plugins are Multisite-compatible.
- Con: More complex server configuration required.
What InspectWP Checks
InspectWP can detect whether a WordPress site is part of a Multisite network by analyzing WordPress indicators and URL structures.