WordPress has become the most popular platform for creating websites of all kinds. Even those without technical expertise can now create websites using WordPress. One tool that has greatly simplified the usage and management of WordPress websites is the Calypso WordPress desktop app.
The Calypso WordPress desktop app is designed to provide a single interface for handling multiple websites. The aim of developing the app is to make WordPress more accessible and easier to handle. The app is Open Source, which means you have complete access to the source code and the app for free.
The app is entirely built using JavaScript and communicates with WordPress using the WordPress REST API. This technology stack makes the app lighter, faster, and very flexible.
One of the great features of Calypso is that it is available under an Open Source license. This is a great move by the developers as it opens up the app for a much larger audience. The app loads almost instantly, which is an important aspect of the user experience.
Calypso offers stats for all websites that you add to the app. You can view the details of all the visitors, the search terms that they used, page and posts views, and top referring websites.
If you handle multiple WordPress websites, then you must give Calypso a try. Lucky for you, it works great no matter if you’re using WordPress.com vs WordPress.org. To add a free WordPress.com website to Calypso, install the app and click the My Sites button.
In the right section, there will be an option labeled Add New WordPress. Click Add New WordPress button, and you will be asked about the category of the website. Once you are done selecting your desired category, you will be asked about the looks of your WordPress website. The third step is the selection of the theme. The fourth step is the choice of the domain for your website. After finalizing the domain, the fifth step is to select either a free or paid domain plan. In the sixth step, you select the WordPress price plan. Once you are done selecting the plan, you will see the following screen:
Click the Continue button, and that’s all. You are ready to go!
To connect a self-hosted WordPress website with Calypso, first, you’ll need to download the Calypso desktop app and install it on your computer. Also, make sure that you have installed the free Jetpack WordPress plugin. Connect the Jetpack plugin with your WordPress account. Once you have successfully signed in and connected the Jetpack, you will be asked for approval to connect your website. Click the Approve button. Now whenever you log in to the Calypso desktop app, you will see that your connected website.
Calypso allows you to manage blog posts, pages, themes, menus, plugins, and other basic settings. You could view all the blog posts and pages of the website in the Dashboard of the app. You click on blog posts menu and it shows the list of all posts with their featured images.
The current version of the Calypso Desktop App still has some limitations. One being that you cannot manage your websites unless you install and activate Jetpack. This can be problematic for select websites if Jetpack does not work well with their theme (although most users shouldn’t experience this issue).
In conclusion, Calypso is an excellent tool for managing multiple WordPress websites. It is fast, responsive, and offers real-time management with a responsive design that allows you to work on a wide range of devices. I believe that Calypso will form the basis for other JavaScript and REST API powered WordPress site management portals and desktop applications in the future.
