But even taking that into consideration, local WordPress development tools are still something that even complete beginners to WordPress development can benefit from. Implementing changes in a live environment without testing them beforehand is a recipe for disaster. Should one of your updates break your site, you’ll have no option but to restore it from, or try to fix the problem manually. Either way, that’s time during which your website isn’t working as it should, and users may notice the problem. That’s why a lot of seasoned WordPress developers prefer to use either local or for testing purposes. Both tools can accomplish the same goal, but they’re not quite the same.
Jun 9, 2016 - Manually Installing DesktopServer on a Mac. First, download the installation package for your platform from your account. Unzip the.zip file and locate the “libs” sub-folder containing the XAMPP folder. Drag the XAMPP folder to your Applications folder. Execute the /Applications/XAMPP/ds-plugins/ds-cli-mac binary to.
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Local environments, for example, can only be accessed from within a network, and you don’t need an internet connection to set one up or work with it. Staging websites, on the other hand, are set up on live servers, which makes them better for performance tests.
In this article, we’re going to focus on local WordPress development tools. If you don’t yet have a favorite solution, here are some of the features you’ll want to keep an eye out for when picking one. Best local WordPress development tools compared Does it use virtual machines? No No No Yes No Can you set up multiple WordPress websites? Up to three (using the free version) Yes (with some tinkering) Yes (with some tinkering) Yes Yes Is it easy to use? Yes Moderately difficult Moderately difficult Moderately difficult Yes Does it enable you to set up different types of environments?
- Before performing an upgrade. Stop the service with the following command from the command prompt: you must first manually remove the previous installation and MySQL service (if. For a server that is running as a Windows service, go to the.
- Nov 3, 2016 - And yes, it works on both Windows and Macs. DesktopServer should be installed on every web developer's. You will then need to give your site a title, choose a username (if you migrate to live later, don't use “admin” as a.
No No Yes (to a degree) Yes Yes (to a degree) Can you start and stop websites at will? No Yes Yes Yes Yes Does it help you map domain names to local websites?
Yes No No No Yes Does it include a dashboard you can use? Yes Yes Yes No Yes Price Free and premium versions available Free Free and premium versions available Free Free. Is a Windows and macOS tool that enables you to create multiple local WordPress websites using a simple step-by-step wizard. Despite the fact that there is a free version of the tool, you still need to register to download it, which is a small price to pay. As far as ease of use goes, local WordPress development tools don’t get much simpler than Desktop Server.
When you set it up for the first time, it will install all the software it needs to power WordPress locally. Then, you can re-run the program each time you want to create or delete a local WordPress website. Includes a wizard to help you set up new local WordPress websites.
Enables you to map domains to your local sites. Lets you duplicate or delete your sites at any time. Makes it possible to manage up to three local sites, using the software’s free version. Supports, and PHP 5.5. When it comes to features, the free version of DesktopServer is slightly limited.
There are plenty of local WordPress development tools that offer more powerful features to help you manage your sites (which we’ll cover shortly), although they can sometimes be overkill. As far as limiting factors go, we’d say the biggest disappointment is the fact that DesktopServer only supports a single type of environment: an Apache server running PHP 5 and MySQL.
To be fair, a lot of WordPress websites use that same environment. However, as a developer, you may want to have more control over yours. If that’s the case, you’ll need to check out a different option. Price: So far, we’ve only talked about DesktopServer’s free version. There’s also a premium alternative, which starts at $95 per year.
For that money, you get access to several extra features, including support for, the ability to export and archive your test setups, and an option to create WordPress ‘blueprints’. That last feature enables you to store specific setups, and then use them to deploy sites faster. For example, if there is a handful of plugins and themes that you like to set up on each of your sites, you can create a blueprint of that configuration and store it for later use. A DesktopServer premium license also entitles you to updates during the whole year.
Plus, you can use a single license for several computers, which makes it a decent option for teams on a budget. Lets you set up a software stack including Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and Perl. Provides the option to chose from multiple XAMPP versions, depending on which PHP release you want to use. Offers a VM-based local WordPress experience, if you’re a macOS user and download the corresponding version. Enables you to use a simple dashboard tool to manage all your new services. Makes it possible to set up WordPress manually, or use a standalone installer (if you want to).
As a developer, you may appreciate that XAMPP enables you to get your hands a bit dirtier in comparison with tools such as DesktopServer. In this case, you get full control over each of your stack’s components. For example, you can start and stop your Apache server at any time with a couple of clicks, or map the service to different ports.
You also get access to detailed logs and more. XAMPP provides you with a perfect environment to run WordPress, but it’s not a service that’s tailored to the CMS. That means you’ll need to tinker with some options just to set everything up. Furthermore, things get a bit complicated if you want to use XAMPP to run more than a single WordPress website simultaneously. It’s probably nothing you can’t handle – but it’s more work than using a tool designed with WordPress in mind. Overall, XAMPP offers a fantastic level of customization that enables you to do almost anything you want, It’s not a great tool for beginners, however, and it isn’t the simplest solution to work with.
Price: XAMPP is a 100% open-source package. There’s no premium version with hidden features, so you’re free to use it in any way you see fit. In practice, this translates to more options when it comes to creating local websites and applications. As far as WordPress goes, however, chances are you won’t need to use any of that software.
However, they’re some nice extras to have, just in case you work on other types of projects that need them. The biggest downside to using MAMP versus XAMPP is that the former doesn’t offer standalone installers for popular applications such as WordPress. To be fair, that’s only a limitation if you don’t like to set up websites manually. If that’s the case, you’re probably better off using a more streamlined tool anyway. Enables you to set up an environment based on Apache, MySQL, and PHP.
Lets you use different versions of the software, depending on which PHP release you want to set up. Supports a lot of additional languages, including Python and Perl. Provides the option to set up local WordPress websites manually. When it comes to features, MAMP offers a bit less control over each of your environment’s components than XAMPP does.
It also comes with its own dashboard, but it provides fewer options. This difference – on top of all the others – makes it an excellent choice if you’re looking for an easier tool to manage. You still get access to nearly all the same features, but MAMP is simpler to get used to.
Price: Throughout this section, we’ve only focused on MAMP’s free version. However, there’s also It starts at $59 for both macOS and Windows, although the former gets more regular updates and better support. MAMP Pro provides you with a lot more options, such as the ability to set up servers, a mobile testing tool, and a built-in editor.
If you and the rest of your team are macOS users, all these features make MAMP a strong choice out of the many local WordPress development tools available. After all, you may have heard that you need a very powerful computer to run multiple virtual machines. That is somewhat true, but it also depends on what you want to use those machines for. If we’re talking about local web development, then the system requirements aren’t as steep.
Furthermore, Vagrant makes the entire environment setup process a breeze. After installing the software, you can go ahead and download one of its community has already created. If you want to install the perfect WordPress environment with a few clicks, you’ll have plenty of to chose from. Chances are, you’ll find one offering exactly what you need. You can also provision your own virtual machine, and use the command line to set things up exactly as you want them.
Then, you can share your environment with every other member of your team. That way, you don’t all have to fiddle with configuring software and stacks the same way – Vagrant does it all for you. Finally, we arrive at the most important difference between Vagrant and tools such as XAMPP or MAMP. With the latter, you always run the risk of installing a piece of software that disrupts your environment’s setup. After all, you’re using your own computer as a server. With a tool like Vagrant, each environment exists separately within your computer.
That means you can have a server running Nginx and another with Apache on two separate Vagrant machines, and not run into any issues. So far, Vagrant probably sounds like a strong option. That makes sense – it’s one of our favorite tools, too. You don’t have to take our judgment at face value, though. Here’s a quote from Primož Cigler, a full stack developer and CEO of ProteusThemes, about his love for Vagrant. When it comes to my favorite local WordPress development environments, I have two, actually.
Both of them are virtualizations managed by Vagrant. This alone is important, because it allows me and the whole ProteusThemes team to have a consistent development environment on different machines and OSs.
The first one we use as the main development environment for the themes we develop. It’s a modified fork of the roots/trellis project. It’s running an Ubuntu 16.04 nginx + mariadb + php-fpm stack. The second one I use more and more frequently is the. It’s docker-based WordPress development environment with tools like built in, and it allows for rapid prototyping, creating fresh WP installations without any side-effects within 5 seconds, and switching between these instances easily. Overall, it’s a great tool for testing out new features, themes, plugins without polluting your ‘standard’ dev environment.
It’s like having unlimited local, fresh, disposable WP instances available at any time. Enables you to set up virtual machines for your local development needs. Lets you configure each VM to your specifications, and share them with other people. Provides the option to download pre-configured boxes and run them as you want.
Helps you keep your test environments separated, and turn them on and off at will. Makes it simple to manage all your VMs using the command line. So far we’ve mentioned using the command line twice, and there’s a reason for that.
Vagrant is an entirely command-line based tool that’s available for Linux-based systems, Windows, and macOS. There are no fancy interfaces or dashboards this time around, however – it’s just the command line and you. If you have experience in web development, chances are you’re comfortable using the command line for most of your day-to-day tasks.
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On the other hand, learning the necessary commands to use Vagrant isn’t all that complicated. If you’re not yet, you shouldn’t let that stop you. Price: Vagrant is a free, open-source project.
This fact, combined with all its other features, makes it a fantastic option for both solo developers and teams. Even if you have the budget to purchase premium local WordPress development tools, chances are that Vagrant can do the job better. During the process, you can choose from Nginx and Apache servers, as well as two versions of PHP (5 and 7). Furthermore, you get to map your new local website to a domain right away.
Once your site is set up, you’ll be able to access it from a simple list that includes all your other projects. Clicking on any of them will enable you to review their settings, access their database, navigate to local directories, and more. There’s even an option to create live links for your local websites, which means you can share your progress with teammates or clients. Overall, Local by Flywheel offers by far the easiest experience when it comes to local WordPress development.
It may not be as powerful as Vagrant, but it makes up for it thanks to its accessibility. Key Features. Enables you to set up local WordPress websites with a few clicks. Lets you monitor the status of all your existing sites from a list. Provides the option to access your sites’ dashboards, databases, and local directories with a click. Makes it possible to create live links, to share access to your local projects. Offers the option to set up blueprints, to easily deploy WordPress websites using the settings you prefer.
When it comes to features, everything that Local by Flywheel offers is tailored towards WordPress sites. Suffice it to say, Local is a joy to use if you’re a WordPress enthusiast. It may not offer as many customization options as Vagrant, for example, but they’re two entirely different tools. Whereas we’d recommend Vagrant more for professional teams, Local is perfect for smaller outfits and projects with less strict requirements. Price: Local by Flywheel is an entirely free tool that’s made possible by the company Flywheel. There’s also a premium version in the works, but details about it are scarce at the moment.
Overall, it’s one of our favorite local WordPress development tools.