Wordpress Child Theme vs Copying existing theme

Question

I'm new to WordPress but realize that themes can be updated which will cause you to loose any customization you have made.

For the site I'm working on at the moment, I have copied the theme, by changing it's folder name & the name at the top of the style.css in the comments. I then uploaded it to the server.
Since then I have learnt that you can make child themes.

Which is better practice, is their any advantages or disadvantages to either approach? Is it possible that the changes which I have made to my copied theme will get over ridden? The only major changes I have made to my copied theme have been to the style.css & header.php.

Answer 1

If you're only making minor changes, then you should use a child theme. This has several advantages:

• You get free updates whenever the parent theme is updated. This includes security updates, which could be very important.

• Your code base will be much more manageable.

• You will also find it easier to apply your alterations to other themes.