wp config get

Overview

Read any constant or variable defined in wp-config.php from the command line — without opening the file. Safe for scripts, audits, and environment verification.

What It Does

wp config get parses wp-config.php and returns the value of the specified constant or variable. It never executes the config file — it statically reads the values. This makes it safe even when the database is unreachable.

Syntax

wp config get [<name>] [OPTIONS]

Arguments & Options

Flag	Description
NAME	Constant or variable name (e.g. DB_NAME, table_prefix)
--constant=NAME	Explicitly target a PHP define() constant
--global=NAME	Explicitly target a PHP global variable
--type=TYPE	constant or variable
--format=FORMAT	table, json, yaml, csv

Basic Usage

Get a single constant

wp config get DB_NAME

Output:

wordpress_production

Get the table prefix

wp config get table_prefix

List all constants and variables

wp config get --format=table

Output (truncated):

+------------------+-------------------------------+-----------+
| name             | value                         | type      |
+------------------+-------------------------------+-----------+
| DB_HOST          | localhost                     | constant  |
| DB_NAME          | wordpress_production           | constant  |
| DB_USER          | wp_user                       | constant  |
| WP_DEBUG         |                               | constant  |
| table_prefix     | wp_                           | variable  |
+------------------+-------------------------------+-----------+

Common Config Keys

Constant	Description
DB_NAME	Database name
DB_USER	Database username
DB_HOST	Database host
DB_CHARSET	Database charset
table_prefix	WordPress table prefix
WP_DEBUG	Debug mode enabled
WP_DEBUG_LOG	Log debug to file
DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT	Disable theme/plugin editor
FORCE_SSL_ADMIN	Force SSL on wp-admin
WP_MEMORY_LIMIT	PHP memory limit override

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Verify DB connection settings before migrate

echo "DB Host: $(wp config get DB_HOST)"
echo "DB Name: $(wp config get DB_NAME)"
echo "DB User: $(wp config get DB_USER)"
echo "Prefix:  $(wp config get table_prefix)"

Scenario 2: Check debug status in CI

DEBUG=$(wp config get WP_DEBUG 2>/dev/null || echo "false")
if [[ "$DEBUG" == "true" || "$DEBUG" == "1" ]]; then
  echo "WARNING: WP_DEBUG is enabled on this environment!"
fi

Scenario 3: Export all config to JSON for audit

wp config get --format=json > wp-config-audit-$(date +%Y%m%d).json

Scenario 4: Use DB_NAME in a backup script

DB_NAME=$(wp config get DB_NAME)
DB_USER=$(wp config get DB_USER)
BACKUP_FILE="/backups/${DB_NAME}-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql"

wp db export "$BACKUP_FILE"
echo "Backup saved to: $BACKUP_FILE"

Best Practices

1. Use wp config get DB_NAME instead of parsing wp-config.php with grep in scripts — safer and more reliable.
2. Export to JSON for full config audits: wp config get --format=json.
3. Never log credentials — pipe output thoughtfully and avoid writing DB_PASS to insecure log files.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Fix
Error: Constant or variable not found	Wrong name or not defined	Run wp config get --format=table to see all defined values
Returns empty string	Constant defined but empty	This is the actual value — the constant exists but is empty
Error: wp-config.php not found	Wrong working directory	Pass --path=/var/www/wordpress

Quick Reference

wp config get DB_NAME              # Get a constant
wp config get table_prefix         # Get a variable
wp config get --format=table       # List all constants
wp config get --format=json        # JSON output

Next Steps

• wp config set — update values in the config.
• wp config create — create a new wp-config.php.
• wp db export — use config values to back up the database.