You can clearly see the way WordPress loads plugins if you inspect the source code of the file wp-settings.php.
The function wp_get_active_and_valid_plugins() loads plugins for individual sites in the network and for non-Multi-Site installations, while wp_get_active_network_plugins() loads network activated plugins when Multi-Site is enabled.
The former more or less just calls get_option() to get the active_plugins option from the wp_options database table, while the latter uses get_site_option() which is the network-wide version of get_option(). The option which has the network enabled plugins is called active_sitewide_plugins.
Related Posts:
- ‘Global’ settings page for multisite plugin
- WordPress sharding: which multi-DB plugin to use?
- Auto Load Plugin Hooks inside Must Use Plugin
- Inherit plugin settings to new site in Multisite
- What is a Network Activated Plugin Exactly?
- Using Vagrant for customizable WordPress Multi-sites [closed]
- Can I enable/disable/hide plugins on a per-site basis in multisite?
- How to enable Admins to see Plugins
- Sharing Ad Revenue among Users of a Multisite in a Collaborative Model?
- How to assign user a role if none is present when logging in
- How can a plugin run a script after being updated in MultiSite?
- Network-Wide Plugin Settings Management
- Aggregate Summaries of Posts of Different Blogs in Multisite Instance
- Multisite functions to communicate with individual site functions
- Is there a way to share content amongst wordpress sites
- I’m trying to create security question field for my login page
- Multisite: Activate plugin for subsites only?
- Get list of sites that uses specific plugin or theme
- How to make sexy bookmarks plugin work in WPMU
- How to setup a Network Plugin across the network with only my settings?
- WordPress language switcher
- get_option compatible with wordpress network (multisite)?
- Is it possible to set up multistore in Woocommerce? [closed]
- Check if User exists in WordPress Multisite
- Plugin to list active plugins across networked sites
- Cannot access wp-admin after disabling all plugin
- How to hide plugin from WordPress Multisite admin plugin list
- Is the wordpress user-model changed in wpmu?
- Error 404 using wpml plugin
- How to define WordPress plugin shortcode globally for multisite?
- Unable to install theme recommended plugins on Multisite
- Disable multisite-wide plugins on specific sites
- WordPress Multisite plugin delegation
- How do I tell what plugins are used on my multisite install?
- My Category is too big on the Menu what can i do?
- Multisite custom user activation emails – html
- Solutions to repost categories into multisite blogs?
- NGiNX + PHP5-fpm + CDN Tools (plugin) [closed]
- Any recommendation on how to manage ads?
- Plugins not showing in Multisite dashboard
- How can I force users to a particular subdomain to log in for MU (Multisite)?
- Does any one have Idea to get these functionalities with the plugin wp-multi-network
- Show function to super admin
- Generate pages from markdown files in github automatically
- There is any way to remove post-format filter? [closed]
- WordPress multi domain – redirect
- WordPress wp-admin/network/plugin-install
- Create a multisite network for an existing installation
- “Micro-Site” Options
- How to create user that has permission to create new sites on WordPress with multisite option enabled?
- Configuring Propel to Work with Multisite
- Subdomains with almost the same content
- Uninstalling plugins across all sites
- Custom table naming/access convention for multisite: $table_prefix vs base_prefix or other?
- Users are being redirected to main site when trying to register on subsite of my Multisite network
- “Master” WordPress Multisite – Database Sync
- Create a single website with 3 theme options in wordpress
- Understanding State in WordPress Multisites
- One sub site is slow while all others load fine, same theme & plugins [closed]
- How to display terms and conditions in post area?
- How to check wp_options’s rewrite_rules if current and existing are the same before flush the rules?
- How to integrate together a website currently hosted WordPress.com and a custom web application currently hosted on Azure?
- WordPress super admin login issue. (Automatically logout)
- How to remove a CPT Menu from the Root Admin only
- Hosting multiple sites
- Cannot add edit themes and add plugins after multisite update
- how to make a wplang for network fill automatically
- Multisite Plugin – Access options (wp_options) on child sites
- Plugin to create unlimited custom shortcodes?
- Constructing a Pay to Download music website with wordpress
- In a WPMU that uses several different domains, how to enable users to register subdomains of any domain from the main site?
- Multisite Change from domain.com to sub.newdomain.com
- WP Forms not displaying,becomming an fatal error
- Can I edit multiple sites with an online WordPress account?
- disable plugin activation on no multisite
- Fatal error: require_once(): Failed opening required
- How to Fix WordPress multisite woocommerce 403 file error
- Creating one user access account for all the multiple sites
- Multisite converted to Single Site can’t add new plugins or new themes
- Copying content from my other websites
- how to add navigation icons in specific template?
- Category as Subdomain for One WP Install
- Update javascript URL in header – Domain Mapping Plugin [closed]
- How to Call Function From Separate WordPress Install on Same Server?
- Coming soon pages with rest of site in maintenance mode
- Query Shortcode from a multisite to appear on a different site?
- How to enable Admins to see Plugins
- How do plugin updates work?
- Automatization for automatization
- Multiple Accounts on 1 email – Multisite
- Is there going to an issue running different features of WP site in different subdomains?
- Plugin on all site except primary one
- Check if user is in a group of another site within multisite network [closed]
- Integrating planning tools in wordpress
- WordPress multisite haml templates
- Trying to output a “Most visited blogs” list in wordpress multisite
- Pulling sub-site content into specific pages
- Frontpage Admin Bar Disappeared
- turn off WooCommerce for a site in a multi site environment
- Change email notification language based on the site language in WPForms