Multisite
Quick Definition
WordPress Multisite lets you run multiple independent WordPress sites from a single installation. All sites share the same codebase, plugins, and themes, but have their own content and settings.
What Is Multisite?
WordPress Multisite is a built-in feature that lets you create and manage multiple WordPress sites from a single installation. According to the official documentation, "the sites in a multisite network are separate, very much like the separate blogs at WordPress.com."
Each site has its own content, users, settings, and active plugins/theme. But all sites share the same WordPress installation and database server.
Two URL structures:
- Subdomain:
blog.example.com— requires wildcard DNS - Subdirectory:
example.com/blog— simpler setup
Multisite in Practice
Enable with define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true); in wp-config.php, then Tools → Network Setup.
A Network Admin manages the entire network: create/delete sites, install plugins network-wide, manage all users.
Common use cases: universities (department sites), businesses (regional sites), agencies (client sites), WordPress.com itself.
When NOT to use it: unrelated sites, sites needing different plugins, or when you want independent backups.
Why It Matters
Multisite saves maintenance time at scale. See our managed hosting guide and hosting comparison.