Leaderboard Plugin: Modular Stand-Alone Solution

Introduction

I developed a custom leaderboard plugin that brings modern interactivity to WordPress through a fully modular, stand-alone architecture. Initially built as a WordPress plugin, this system is engineered so that it can be effortlessly transformed into a complete React application if a client desires a full React frontend experience.

The plugin transforms a standard WordPress installation into an interactive leaderboard system. On the backend, PHP classes define custom database tables and REST API endpoints to manage leaderboards, users, weeks, and even data overrides. By abstracting table creation and operations through abstract classes, the solution ensures clean, maintainable code and smooth interactions with WordPress’ native database functions.

Key Technical Features

Modular, Stand-Alone Architecture

The code is structured so that React components operate independently from the WordPress backend. This decoupled design makes it trivial to deploy the plugin as a stand-alone application, ensuring that future migrations or integrations are smooth and cost-effective.

Leveraging Tailwind CSS together with Shacn, the UI is built to be sleek, responsive, and easily customizable. This modern styling approach provides a clean look across all interfaces—from the public leaderboard to the administrative dashboard.

SQL-Driven Analytics

All statistical calculations are managed directly within SQL. This means ranking computations, score changes, and aggregate metrics are handled at the database level, resulting in optimized performance and highly reliable data processing.

PHP and Database Design

Abstract Table & Repository Classes: Custom abstract classes handle table creation, updates, and deletions. These classes enable the plugin to create multiple related tables (e.g., for leaderboard metadata, user scores, weekly statistics, and post overrides) with minimal redundancy.

REST API Routes: Custom endpoints (registered under a dedicated namespace) allow both frontend and backend components to interact with the data. These routes facilitate creating new leaderboards, uploading weekly scores, and even overriding the leaderboard display on selected pages.

Enhanced User and Admin Experiences

Interactive Frontend

The public-facing leaderboard is built in React, delivering a responsive interface that supports multiple display options (card view, table view) and real-time filtering. Users benefit from fast data retrieval and smooth transitions as they explore weekly statistics.

Comprehensive Admin Dashboard

Beyond the public-facing leaderboard, a dedicated admin interface built in React (complete with dialogs, toasters, and confirmation alerts) gives administrators full control over leaderboard creation, data resets, and even page overrides. The admin interface utilizes custom components like a page selector and detailed leaderboard views that display statistics such as score changes, participation rates, and more.

A sophisticated file upload component leverages XLSX libraries to read Excel sheets formatted with weekly leaderboard data. Once uploaded, the plugin automatically parses the file, checks for new users, and updates the database via custom API calls.

Conclusion

This project is a perfect example of how to build future-proof web solutions that combine the robustness of WordPress with the agility of modern React development. With its stand-alone design, modern styling via Tailwind CSS and Shacn, and SQL-powered statistical calculations, this custom leaderboard plugin not only enhances the current user experience but also provides a clear pathway for evolving into a fully independent React application.