What is the WordPress Loop and how does it work?

The WordPress Loop is PHP code used to display posts. It checks if there are posts to display, then shows them.

Basic Loop:
<?php
if ( have_posts() ) {
while ( have_posts() ) {
the_post();
the_title();
the_content();
the_permalink();
}
}
?>

Functions inside loop:
- the_title() - Post title
- the_content() - Post content
- the_permalink() - Post URL
- the_excerpt() - Short excerpt
- the_post_thumbnail() - Featured image
- get_the_ID() - Post ID
- the_date() - Publication date