FlatWP Development

Category: Product

Building FlatWP – Our Headless WordPress Journey
After building dozens of headless WordPress sites for clients, we kept running into the same problems. Every project started from scratch. Every developer had to figure out ISR strategies, image optimization, and WordPress GraphQL quirks all over again.

We decided to build FlatWP to solve this once and for all.

The Problem with Current Solutions

Most WordPress headless starters are either too basic (just fetch and display) or too opinionated (locked into specific frameworks or hosting). Agencies need something that’s production-ready but flexible enough to customize for different clients.

We wanted a starter that understood real WordPress workflows – ACF, custom fields, WooCommerce, forms – not just blog posts.

What Makes FlatWP Different

FlatWP is built with performance as the foundation. Every architectural decision prioritizes speed:
- Smart ISR: Content updates instantly via webhooks, not on a timer
- Static by default: Pages that rarely change are fully static
- Optimized images: Automatic WebP/AVIF conversion and responsive sizing
- TypeScript throughout: Full type safety from WordPress to React
But the real differentiator is the WordPress plugin. Instead of just showing you how to query WordPress, we built tooling that makes the entire workflow seamless.

Built for Real Projects

This isn’t a demo or proof-of-concept. FlatWP is designed for production use from day one. We include preview mode for editors, form handling, SEO metadata, and all the unglamorous features that matter when shipping to clients.

Our goal is simple: let developers focus on building great experiences, not wrestling with infrastructure.

We’re launching the open-source version this month, with Pro features coming in early 2025. Stay tuned.
November 25, 2024
The Cost of Going Headless: Is It Worth It?
Headless WordPress adds complexity. Let’s be honest about the costs and benefits so you can make an informed decision.

The Real Costs

Development Time: A headless setup takes longer initially. Traditional WordPress theme: 1-2 weeks. Headless setup: 2-4 weeks for your first project. (FlatWP aims to cut this to 1 week.)

Hosting:
- WordPress: $15-50/month (same as before)
- Next.js: $0-20/month (Vercel free tier or $20/month Pro)
- Total: Similar to traditional WordPress
Maintenance: Two systems to update instead of one. But Next.js updates are painless compared to WordPress plugin/theme updates.

Learning Curve: Your team needs to know React and Next.js. Not trivial for PHP-only developers.

The Benefits

Performance: 3-5x faster page loads translate to higher conversion rates. For e-commerce, a 100ms improvement = 1% revenue increase.

Security: WordPress admin is hidden behind authentication. Your public site has no PHP, no wp-admin exposure, no plugin vulnerabilities.

Developer Experience: Modern tooling, TypeScript, component libraries, hot reload. This makes development faster and more enjoyable.

Scaling: Static/ISR pages handle traffic spikes effortlessly. No server scaling needed.

Flexibility: Want to add a React dashboard? Native mobile app? Share your WordPress content across multiple frontends easily.

When Traditional WordPress Makes Sense

Don’t go headless if:
- You need to ship in <1 week
- Budget is extremely tight
- Your team doesn’t know React
- The site is simple (5 pages, basic blog)
- You rely heavily on WordPress themes
When Headless Makes Sense

Go headless if:
- Performance matters (e-commerce, high-traffic)
- You want modern DX
- Security is critical
- You need flexibility for future features
- Your team knows or wants to learn React
The FlatWP Advantage

FlatWP reduces the “time to value” dramatically. Instead of 2-4 weeks for your first headless site, you’re shipping in 1 week with production-ready patterns.

That cost reduction makes headless viable for many more projects.

ROI Calculation

Let’s say you’re an agency building client sites:
- Traditional WordPress: $8k project, 2 weeks = $4k/week
- Custom Headless: $12k project, 3 weeks = $4k/week (same rate, longer timeline)
- FlatWP Headless: $10k project, 1.5 weeks = $6.6k/week (higher margins)
The efficiency gain pays for itself immediately.
October 9, 2024
WooCommerce Headless: Coming to FlatWP Pro
E-commerce is the #1 requested feature for FlatWP. We’re building a production-ready headless WooCommerce storefront for the Pro version.

Why Headless WooCommerce?

Traditional WooCommerce sites are slow. Product pages take 3-5 seconds to load, cart updates require full page refreshes, and checkout flows are clunky.

A headless storefront gives you:
- Instant navigation: Products load in <500ms
- Smooth cart updates: Add to cart without page reload
- Modern checkout: One-page, optimized flows
- Better mobile UX: App-like experience
Speed directly impacts conversion. Amazon found 100ms slower = 1% sales drop. For a $1M/year store, that’s $10k annually.

The Technical Approach

We’re using WPGraphQL for WooCommerce to query products, categories, and orders:
```
query GetProducts {
  products(first: 20) {
    nodes {
      id
      name
      slug
      price
      image {
        url
      }
      ... on SimpleProduct {
        stockQuantity
      }
    }
  }
}
```
For cart and checkout, we’re using WooCommerce’s REST API with JWT authentication.

What’s Included

FlatWP Pro’s WooCommerce integration will include:
- Product catalog: Grid/list views with filtering and sorting
- Single product pages: Gallery, variants, add to cart
- Cart: Persistent cart with quantity updates
- Checkout: One-page checkout with Stripe integration
- Account pages: Order history, address management
- Search: Product search with filters
All built with Shadcn components, fully typed with TypeScript.

Performance Targets

We’re targeting:
- Product list: <1s LCP
- Product detail: <1.5s LCP
- Add to cart: <200ms
- Checkout page: <2s LCP
These are 3-5x faster than typical WooCommerce sites.

Launch Timeline

We’re targeting Q1 2025 for the WooCommerce beta. It’ll be included with FlatWP Pro ($299 one-time or $99/year).

If you’re interested in early access, join our waitlist.

Why Not Free?

E-commerce is complex. We’re investing significant engineering time to make it production-ready:
- Proper cart state management
- Payment gateway integration
- Tax calculations
- Shipping methods
- Order processing
This is Pro-tier functionality. The revenue funds ongoing development and support.

For DIY developers, we’ll document how to build WooCommerce integration yourself using the free version.
October 5, 2024
FlatWP 2025: Product Roadmap and Vision
We’re launching FlatWP’s open-source version in December 2024. Here’s what we’re planning for 2025.

Q1 2025: Foundation (Free Version)

January – Public Beta
- Open-source release on GitHub
- Core ISR implementation
- Basic WordPress plugin
- Preview mode
- Image optimization
- Comprehensive documentation
February – Community Building
- Launch on Product Hunt
- Create video tutorials
- Start Discord community
- Collect feedback and iterate
March – Stability & DX
- Bug fixes from beta feedback
- Improved error messages
- Better CLI tooling
- VSCode extension (maybe)
Q2 2025: Pro Features

April – Pro Launch
- Advanced ACF component library (20+ blocks)
- Enhanced WordPress plugin with React admin UI
- Performance monitoring dashboard
- Priority support for Pro users
- Commercial license
May – WooCommerce Beta
- Headless storefront (beta)
- Product catalog with filtering
- Cart functionality
- Basic checkout flow
June – Multi-Language
- WPML/Polylang integration
- i18n routing in Next.js
- Language switcher component
- Translated URLs
Q3 2025: Scale & Polish

July – WooCommerce GA
- Production-ready e-commerce
- Multiple payment gateways
- Order management
- Customer accounts
August – Agency Features
- White-label options
- Multi-site support
- Client handoff templates
- Agency license tier
September – Performance Tools
- Advanced caching strategies
- CDN optimization guides
- Performance budgets
- Automated Lighthouse CI
Q4 2025: Enterprise & Ecosystem

October – Template Marketplace
- Industry-specific templates
- Premium themes
- Pre-built pages
- Community contributions
November – Enterprise Features
- Advanced security options
- Custom deployment workflows
- Dedicated support
- SLA agreements
December – Year in Review
- Retrospective blog post
- Community awards
- 2026 planning
Community-Driven Development

This roadmap will evolve based on user feedback. We’re building FlatWP with the community, not just for it.

Top-voted GitHub issues get priority. Feature requests in Discord get considered. If you have ideas, we’re listening.

Pricing Reminder
- Free: Always free, MIT license
- Pro: $299 one-time or $99/year (launching April 2025)
- Agency: $999/year (launching August 2025)
Early adopters who buy Pro before June 2025 get lifetime updates for their one-time payment.

Let’s build the future of WordPress together.
September 27, 2024