Description
Flx Headless renders published WordPress Pages, single Posts, the blog index, category
archives, tag archives, search results, and the 404 page through an external
Flx Render service instead of WordPress’s native template output. If the
Render service is unreachable, returns an error, or a required field is
missing from the payload, Flx Headless falls back to normal WordPress rendering, so
visitors always see a page.
Each route rendered through Flx Headless includes a page title, meta description,
canonical URL, and robots directive where applicable.
Flx Headless also provides:
- An admin Flx Headless screen showing the plugin version, configured Render URL,
REST namespace, health endpoint, global styles endpoint, and a Render URL setting. - A public REST health endpoint at
/wp-json/flx-headless/v1/health. - A public REST endpoint at
/wp-json/flx-headless/v1/global-stylesserving
WordPress’s current computed Global Styles CSS.
Menus, comments, and full-site rendering are not covered.
External Services
Flx Headless renders Pages, Posts, the blog index, category and tag archives, search
results, and the 404 page by sending page data to an external Flx Render
service over HTTPS and displaying the HTML it returns. This is required for
Flx Headless to function as a headless rendering integration.
No data is sent anywhere until an administrator configures a Render URL —
either by entering one on the Flx Headless screen and saving it, or with
one click via the dismissible setup notice shown in wp-admin after
activation. Before a Render URL is configured, Flx Headless performs no external
requests and falls back to normal WordPress rendering.
The Render URL is entirely administrator-controlled. It may point to any
service that implements the Flx Render API, including a self-hosted instance;
Flx Headless does not require use of any specific provider.
For each request that Flx Headless renders through the configured service, the
following data is sent, depending on the content being rendered:
- Post or page content, title, excerpt, slug, permalink, and featured image
URL. - Post or page ID, publish date, last modified date, and author display
name. - Site name and home URL.
- The search query text, for search result pages.
- Category or tag title and description, and paginated lists of the post
fields above, for archive and search pages.
No WordPress user account data, credentials, email addresses, or license
keys are transmitted to the Render service.
Installation
- Upload the
flx-headlessfolder to the/wp-content/plugins/directory, or install
the plugin ZIP through the Plugins screen in wp-admin. - Activate the plugin through the “Plugins” screen in WordPress.
- Go to Flx Headless and enter the URL of your Flx Render service.
- Visit any published Page on the front end to confirm it is being rendered
through the Render service.
FAQ
-
Which content does Flx Headless render?
-
Published WordPress Pages, single Posts, the blog index, category archives,
tag archives, search results, and the 404 page. Drafts, pending, and private
content are not rendered through Flx Headless. Menus, comments, and full-site
rendering are not covered. -
What happens if the Render service is unreachable?
-
Flx Headless automatically falls back to WordPress’s native rendering for that request.
No configuration is required to enable this fallback. -
Does Flx Headless require WooCommerce?
-
No. Flx Headless has no dependency on WooCommerce or any other plugin.
-
What is the default Render URL shown on the Settings section of the Flx Headless screen?
-
The Settings section of the Flx Headless screen shows
https://render.flxheadless.comas placeholder text and
a suggested starting point. It is operated by the Flx project as a
ready-to-use Render service, and using it is entirely optional. The Render
URL field is empty until an administrator enters and saves a value — no
data is sent to that or any other service automatically. After activation,
Flx Headless also shows a dismissible setup notice in wp-admin offering to enable
this same service with one click; nothing is sent unless that click happens
or a Render URL is saved manually on Settings — dismissing the notice sends
nothing and leaves the Render URL empty. Administrators may use the
suggested service, run their own self-hosted Flx Render service, or point
to any other service implementing the Flx Render API.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Flx Headless” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “Flx Headless” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
1.1.0
- Added featured image rendering to Pages and Posts, using WordPress’s
configured image, dimensions, and alt text. - Fixed wide- and full-width block alignment so aligned content on Pages
and Posts visibly extends beyond the normal content width. - Removed a false claim from the site footer, and brought the 404 page’s
heading, message, and search field in line with native WordPress. - Fixed password-protected Pages and Posts to correctly show WordPress’s
native password prompt instead of being sent to the Render service. - Fixed Page preview links to correctly show pending changes through
WordPress instead of the previously published version through the
Render service. - Added optional cryptographic request signing between Flx Headless and
the Render service, for deployments that require it.
1.0.0
- Initial public release.
- Renders Pages, Posts, archives, search results, and the 404 page through a
configured Flx Render service. - Falls back automatically to native WordPress rendering when no Render
service is configured or available. - Added an admin Flx Headless screen with Settings and System Information
sections. - Added a REST health endpoint.
- Included a translation template for localization.
- Documented external service usage and Render URL affiliation.
- Added a dismissible setup notice after activation offering to enable the
hosted Render service with one click, without changing the no-data-sent-
until-configured default.
0.4.0
- Added rendering for single Posts, with the same Render-service-first,
native-fallback behavior as Pages (M4). - Added rendering for the blog index, category archives, and tag archives
(M5), including a fix to rewind the main query after building the archive
payload (M5.1). - Added rendering for WordPress search results (M6).
- Added rendering for the native WordPress 404 page (M7).
- Fixed site name propagation into rendered Pages and Posts (M7.1).
- Hardened the Render payload contract: required-field checks before calling
Render, and consistent meta description handling for SEO (M7.6).
0.3.0
- Expanded rendering from the Sample Page only to all published WordPress
Pages (M3). - Updated the Render payload to include page type, ID, slug, title,
permalink, and filtered content.
0.2.0
- Added Sample Page rendering through the Flx Render service, with automatic
fallback to native WordPress rendering (M1/M2). - Updated plugin metadata, readme, and translations for WordPress.org
submission readiness (M2.5). - Wrapped remaining user-facing strings for translation.
0.1.0
- Initial plugin skeleton: admin Overview and Settings pages, Render URL setting,
and a REST health endpoint.