The simplest way to display an RSS feed in WordPress is the core RSS block: insert /rss in the block editor, enter the feed address, and choose the number of items, dates, excerpts, and layout. If you need custom HTML, a shortcode, or a PHP template, use fetch_feed() instead. It reads RSS or Atom feeds through SimplePie, returns a WP_Error when retrieval fails, and caches results for 12 hours by default.
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Choose the right WordPress RSS method
There are two supported approaches. The core RSS block is an editor-managed, no-code solution. fetch_feed() is the PHP solution for a theme or plugin when the standard block cannot produce the markup or placement you need.
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| Method | Where you use it | What you control | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
Core RSS block (core/rss) |
Block editor on a post, page, widget area, or template that accepts blocks | Feed URL, item count, date and excerpt toggles, excerpt length, list or grid layout, columns, and link behavior | Fast to configure, but the available controls and item limit depend on the WordPress build and editor implementation |
fetch_feed() |
Theme PHP, plugin PHP, or a shortcode registered in PHP | Markup, placement, item selection, escaping, error handling, and cache lifetime | Requires PHP access and maintenance; you must safely escape every value printed from the feed |
For a normal page or sidebar, start with the block. Choose PHP when the feed must match a custom component, appear inside a template, combine several feeds, or be exposed through a shortcode.
Prepare the feed and your WordPress site
Find the complete feed address
Obtain the publisher’s RSS or Atom URL before opening the editor. The address must identify the feed itself, not merely the publisher’s home page. The PHP function accepts either RSS or Atom, and the RSS block also expects a feed URL.
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Know which WordPress edition you are configuring
Self-hosted WordPress and WordPress.com do not always expose identical block limits. WordPress.com’s support documentation describes a maximum of 10 items for its RSS block. That cap may not apply to a self-hosted installation, so check the settings panel on the exact site and WordPress version you are editing.
Decide where the feed belongs
- Use a page or post block when the feed is part of an article or resource page.
- Use a widget or block-based template area when it should appear site-wide in a sidebar or footer.
- Use a theme template, plugin, or shortcode when the feed belongs inside a custom PHP component.
Display the feed with the core RSS block
The block is named core/rss and is in the Widgets category. It is dynamic: WordPress renders the feed on the server rather than saving the feed’s generated HTML in the post content. That keeps the editor content separate from the remote items.
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- Open the post, page, widget area, or block-based template where the feed should appear.
- Click the inserter, or place the cursor in a new block and type
/rss. - Select the RSS block from the results.
- Enter the complete RSS or Atom feed URL and submit it.
After the URL is accepted, the editor loads a preview. If the preview does not populate, verify the address before changing design settings; layout controls cannot repair an incorrect feed URL.
2. Set how many items appear
Open the block settings panel and adjust the item count. The developer reference lists itemsToShow with a default of 5. A different number may be displayed by the editor on another WordPress release, so treat the value shown in your site’s panel as authoritative. On WordPress.com, the support documentation describes an upper limit of 10 items.
3. Turn dates and excerpts on or off
The block exposes separate toggles for displaying each item’s date and excerpt. The developer reference lists both displayDate and displayExcerpt as false by default, meaning a fresh block normally shows titles and links without either field.
The excerpt-length control appears only after you enable excerpts. The user documentation specifies a minimum excerpt length of 10 words. The developer reference lists excerptLength with a default of 55, but the visible value can vary with the WordPress version, so confirm it in the panel before publishing.
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Use the block’s layout controls to show items as a conventional list or as a grid. Grid mode exposes a columns setting. The underlying attributes are blockLayout and columns; the exact controls and responsive behavior are determined by the target WordPress build and theme.
5. Configure link behavior
Link-related attributes include openInNewTab and rel. Decide whether feed links should open a new tab and, if so, set the relationship value required by your site’s linking policy. Preview the block at the page width your visitors use, because a multi-column grid can become difficult to scan on narrow screens.
6. Save and test the published page
- Save a draft and inspect the block preview.
- Publish or update the page.
- Open the public URL in a logged-out window.
- Follow one item link and confirm that the title, date, and excerpt presentation match your settings.
Because the block is server-rendered, the feed markup is not stored in the post body. Keep the feed URL accurate and revisit the block settings if a WordPress update changes the controls or defaults.
Display the feed with fetch_feed()
What the function returns
fetch_feed() creates a SimplePie feed object from an RSS or Atom URL. If retrieval or parsing fails, it returns a WP_Error object instead. Always test with is_wp_error() before calling feed methods.
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A minimal theme or plugin example
The following pattern requests the example feed, takes five items, and prints a title link for each item. It is an illustrative template: place it in PHP that runs in your theme or plugin, not in the visual block editor.
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$feed = fetch_feed( 'https://example.com/feed/' );
if ( ! is_wp_error( $feed ) ) {
$items = $feed->get_items( 0, 5 );
echo '<ul>';
foreach ( $items as $item ) {
printf(
'<li><a href="%s">%s</a></li>',
esc_url( $item->get_permalink() ),
esc_html( $item->get_title() )
);
}
echo '</ul>';
}get_items( 0, 5 ) starts at offset zero and requests five entries. Change that count to suit the component, but keep the request bounded so a large remote feed cannot create an unexpectedly long page.
Escape every value from the feed
Feed titles and permalinks are remote data. The example uses esc_url() for the link target and esc_html() for the visible title. Apply the same principle if you add dates, author names, excerpts, or other fields: escape each value for the HTML context in which it is printed. Do not echo raw feed content into a page.
Add custom markup around the items
PHP is appropriate when the list needs classes, semantic wrappers, badges, or a theme-specific structure that the core block cannot provide. Keep the data retrieval and error check separate from the markup so a failed feed does not produce malformed HTML. If you need an empty-state message, add it in the branch that runs after a successful request when no items are returned.
Expose the same output through a shortcode
Tutorials commonly wrap the retrieval loop in a shortcode so editors can place the custom feed output without editing a template file. The shortcode callback should accept a feed URL and item count only after validating or constraining those attributes, call fetch_feed(), check for WP_Error, and return a string containing escaped markup. Register the callback with WordPress’s shortcode API in a plugin or theme. Do not allow shortcode attributes to bypass URL validation or output escaping.
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Understand caching and freshness
Results fetched by fetch_feed() are cached for 12 hours by default. A page can therefore continue showing the previous set of items even after the source publishes something new. This is expected behavior, not necessarily a parsing failure.
WordPress provides the wp_feed_cache_transient_lifetime filter to change that lifetime. Use the filter in a controlled way: a shorter lifetime can make a news-style component fresher but increases remote requests, while a longer lifetime reduces requests but delays updates. Choose a value appropriate to the source’s publishing cadence and your hosting limits, then document the choice for whoever maintains the site.
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Troubleshoot common RSS display problems
The block will not load the feed
- Recheck that you pasted the feed URL rather than the publisher’s normal web page URL.
- Try the address in a browser to confirm that it is a feed document and not a redirect to unrelated content.
- Remove and re-enter the URL in the RSS block, then save and reload the editor.
- If you switch to PHP, inspect the result of
is_wp_error( $feed )before callingget_items().
The PHP output is empty
- Confirm that the code runs in a theme or plugin context where
fetch_feed()is available. - Check that the request did not return
WP_Error. - Verify the requested item range. An offset or count that does not match the feed can produce no visible entries.
- Keep the error branch quiet in production but log enough information during development to identify a URL or parsing problem.
New posts are not appearing immediately
First account for the 12-hour default cache used by fetch_feed(). If the update window is too long for your use case, adjust the lifetime with wp_feed_cache_transient_lifetime rather than repeatedly forcing uncached requests.
The excerpt setting is missing
In the RSS block, the excerpt-length control appears only when the display-excerpt toggle is enabled. Turn on excerpts first, then set the length. The minimum documented length is 10 words.
The item count differs between sites
Check both the WordPress edition and the block settings panel. WordPress.com’s documentation describes a 10-item maximum, while the self-hosted block may expose a different limit. The developer-reference default of five items is a default, not a guarantee that every editor build presents the same value.
The custom list contains unsafe or broken links
Review the escaping in the PHP template. Use esc_url() for every permalink and esc_html() for visible text. Apply context-appropriate escaping to any additional feed fields before printing them.
Block or PHP: a practical decision checklist
Use the core block when
- An editor should be able to change the feed URL and presentation without touching code.
- A standard list or grid is sufficient.
- The page can use the controls exposed by the target WordPress build.
- You want the feed markup kept out of saved post content through the dynamic block.
Use fetch_feed() when
- The feed must live in a theme template or a plugin-rendered component.
- You need custom HTML, classes, or a site-specific card design.
- You want to expose a reusable shortcode.
- You need to merge multiple feed URLs through SimplePie.
- You need deliberate control over cache lifetime and PHP-side error handling.
Maintain the integration after launch
- Keep a record of the feed URL and the page or template that uses it.
- When changing the source, update the block URL or the PHP configuration rather than editing generated output.
- After a WordPress core or theme update, reopen the block settings and confirm the item count, excerpt, date, and layout controls still behave as expected.
- For PHP integrations, retain the
WP_Errorcheck and output escaping when refactoring markup. - Test both a normal feed response and a failed response so the page remains valid when the remote source is unavailable.
For most sites, the core RSS block is the right first implementation: it needs no code and exposes the settings readers usually need. Move to fetch_feed() when control over markup, placement, merged sources, or cache behavior justifies maintaining PHP.
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