Endpoints are the key to making sure that your WooCommerce store runs smoothly. They are the specific URL structures that handle all of the different aspects of your store, from adding products to the cart, to processing payments, and everything in between.
There are a few different types of endpoints that you need to be aware of, and we’ll go over all of them in this article. By the end, you’ll know exactly what an endpoint is, what they’re used for, and how to set them up correctly.
What Is an Endpoint?
An endpoint is a URL structure that is used to handle a specific action on your WooCommerce store. For example, the “add to cart” endpoint would be responsible for adding a product to the cart.
Endpoints are important because they help keep your store organized and running smoothly. Without them, you would have to create a separate URL for each action that your store needs to perform, which would quickly become confusing and difficult to manage.
Types of Endpoints
There are four main types of endpoints that you need to be aware of:
- Query string parameters: These are the most basic type of endpoint and simply add a query string parameter to the end of your URL. For example, the “add to cart” endpoint would be something like “yourstore.com/product?add-to-cart=123”.
- Permanent redirection: This type of endpoint uses an HTTP redirect to send users from one URL to another. For example, if you have a “thank you” page that you want users to be redirected to after they purchase a product, you would use a permanent redirect endpoint.
- Temporary redirection: This type of endpoint is similar to a permanent redirect, but it uses an HTTP status code of 302 instead of 301.
This tells the browser that the redirect is only temporary and that it should not be cached.
- REST API: This type of endpoint is used by the WordPress REST API to communicate with WooCommerce. It allows external applications to interact with your store in a variety of ways, such as adding products or retrieving customer information.
How to Set Up Endpoints
Now that you know what endpoints are and what they’re used for, let’s take a look at how you can set them up on your WooCommerce store.
If you want to use query string parameters, all you need to do is add the relevant code to your site’s .htaccess file. For example, if you want to add an “add-to-cart” endpoint, you would add the following code:
RewriteRule ^product/([0-9]+)/?$ /product?add-to-cart=$1 [L]
If you want to use permanent or temporary redirection, you can do so by adding a plugin like Redirection or Safe Redirect Manager. These plugins will allow you to set up redirects from within your WordPress dashboard.
Finally, if you want to use the REST API, you will need to install and activate the WordPress REST API plugin. This plugin will give you access to all of the different endpoints that are available through the REST API.
Conclusion:
Endpoints are an important part of making sure that your WooCommerce store runs smoothly. They are responsible for handling all of the different actions on your store, from adding products to the cart to processing payments. There are four main types of endpoints that you need to be aware of: query string parameters, permanent redirection, temporary redirection, and REST API.
You can set up endpoints on your WooCommerce store by adding relevant code to your site’s .htaccess file or by using a plugin like Redirection or Safe Redirect Manager.
The WordPress REST API plugin will give you access to all of the different endpoints that are available through the REST API.
