WordPress maintains a read-only mirror of its Subversion (SVN) repository on GitHub. You can find it at WordPress/WordPress .
For developers who want to browse the source files without the bundled themes or plugins, WordPress.org/download/source provides direct access to the core repository. 2. Download via GitHub (Development Version)
If you already have a website running and want to download its specific source code (including your custom themes and plugins), you have a few options:
Downloading the WordPress source code is a fundamental step for anyone looking to build a self-hosted website, develop custom themes, or contribute to the open-source community. Because WordPress is open-source software under the GNU General Public License (GPL) v2+, its entire codebase is freely accessible to the public.
Tools like UpdraftPlus or WP Vivid allow you to download a complete zip archive of your site's files and database directly from the dashboard. Important Considerations How To Download Complete Source Code Of A Wordpress Website
Whether you need the latest stable release or a specific development branch, here is how you can download the WordPress source code through various official channels. 1. Download Stable Releases (WordPress.org)
For developers who want to track changes in real-time or contribute to WordPress core, using GitHub is the best approach.
Log in to your hosting account, navigate to the File Manager , locate the public_html folder, compress it into a .zip file, and download it to your local machine.