How to Create a WordPress Staging Site: A Comprehensive Guide

WordPress websites have a significant advantage – the possibility of creating a staging site for testing changes and updates before going live. As a duplicate of your live site, a staging environment lets you experiment with different designs, plugins, and content without affecting the user experience.
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What Is a WordPress Staging Environment?

A WordPress staging environment is a private, test version of your entire site. With a staging website, you can safely test changes privately before implementing them on the live website.

How to Set up a WordPress Staging Environment

Regardless of your preferred method, keep in mind that publishing the staging content replaces files and databases on your original site. Back up your entire WordPress website before deploying staging changes to avoid any potential data loss.

How to Create a WordPress Staging Environment Using Hostinger’s Staging Tool

Hostinger’s WordPress Business and cloud hosting users can create staging sites from hPanel, their hosting account’s dashboard. This method is beginner-friendly, as you don’t need to install additional tools.

  • Navigate to WordPress → Staging from your hosting control panel.
  • In the Staging tab, select the Create staging button.
  • Enter the subdomain name for the staging site and click Create.
  • The duplication process can take up to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the production website. Hit the Close button to dismiss the confirmation message.
  • Once done, scroll down to the staging site list and click Manage staging next to the newly created environment.
  • In the staging dashboard, select Staging Admin Panel to access the WordPress admin area and start making changes.

How to Create a WordPress Staging Environment Using the WP Staging Plugin

If your hosting provider doesn’t have a staging feature, you can create a WordPress staging website using a plugin. Luckily, many staging plugins are available to ease your work as a site owner. In the following section, we’ll use the free version of WP Staging, one of the most popular WordPress plugins for streamlining staging and backups.

  • Navigate to the WP Staging tab from the WordPress dashboard and click the Create Staging Site button.
  • Enter the site name to create a custom staging site URL. In this example, the staging site URL will be https://domain.tld/staging.
  • The WordPress staging plugin automatically clones your live site’s data into the staging environment. Expand the Database Tables and Files sections to select items for duplication, streamlining the staging process. Otherwise, go with the default settings.
  • Select Start Cloning and wait for a few minutes for the process to complete.
  • If the cloning process is successful, you’ll receive a confirmation message with the staging site URL. Click Close to dismiss it.

How to Create a WordPress Staging Environment Manually Using a Subdomain

The manual method demands more technical expertise and time than using a staging tool. However, it provides full control over staging, enabling testing of custom codes or complex site setups within a tailored environment that mirrors the live site.

  • Creating the Subdomain
  • Copying the Website Files
  • Cloning the Database
  • Configuring the Subdomain’s wp-config.php File

How to Delete a Staging Site

Many WordPress users like the convenience of having staging sites ready at all times. However, deleting a staging site post-update can conserve server resources and streamline website management, focusing your efforts on the production environment.

Helpful Tips for Working With a WordPress Staging Site

Here are some of the best practices to ensure a smooth and secure web development process:

  • Restrict access to your staging site.
  • Use different databases for production and staging sites.
  • Clear cache before deploying changes.
  • Sync staging and live WordPress sites regularly.

WordPress Staging vs Local Development Environments

Staging sites and local development environments serve different roles in website development and maintenance, so it’s crucial to choose the right one for your needs.

Reasons to Use a WordPress Staging Site

You know that a WordPress staging site enables development and testing without impacting the live website. If you need more convincing, let’s dive deeper into the benefits of staging.

Conclusion

Creating a staging WordPress site enables you to test new features and designs safely. This feature promotes innovation and practical learning, as well as improves your security by preventing errors and downtime on the live site.

WordPress Staging FAQ

This section answers some of the most common questions about WordPress staging sites.

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