Now and then it’s recommended to test your WordPress plugins and themes on a local environment. XAMPP is a free software which can be used to install WordPress on your computer.
Most of the WordPress users complaint about getting their website broken because of any poorly coded plugin or a theme.
They should test them before using. In this tutorial, you will learn to develop a local server on your personal computer. The best thing is that you wouldn’t need the internet to run WordPress after its completion.
The biggest problem occurs when the users have the slow internet face the challenge of server downtime. The local server can help you test many things in no time.
A Step by Step Guide to Create a Local Environment
Every time you analyze any tutorial, you wish to have the steps you can follow. Well, I am going to provide the easiest steps.
Step 1
Download XAMPP software from the web. Don’t worry, it’s free and you can find it on many websites. Install it on your computer just like any other common software.
Step 2
Follow the steps provided and within a few minutes, the software will get installed.
Step 3
Download the latest version of WordPress. It will be a ZIP file consisting of a folder named “wordpressâ€. After downloading, you have to extract this folder.
Step 4
Once you do it, you have to copy this folder and open the “C†drive or where you have installed XAMPP. Find the XAMPP folder and open it.
You need to find the “htdocs†folder where you need to paste the “wordpress†folder.
Step 5
Now is the time to run XAMPP. Use its icon to open and you will see many buttons. For now, you need the MySQL support and the Apache server activation.
Click on the Start button showing beside them and you can see them turning green. The button text will transform into “Stopâ€.
Step 6
Open any web browser and open localhost. You will see many options from which, you have to open the phpMyAdmin.
Step 7
Now is the time to create a new database. To accomplish it, click on the “New†option from the left-side navigation menu.
It will show two fields to fill. As I have done, use “wordpress†as the database name and the second is the language. Click on the “Create†button and the database will get created
Step 8
Now that you have done half of the work, you have to start installing WordPress. If you remember, you copied and pasted the “wordpress†folder in XAMPP.
So to initiate the installation process, open localhost/wordpress on your web browser and you will be asked to choose a language for your local WordPress installation.
Then another page denoting some vital information. Click on the “Let’s Go†button.
Step 9
You will be asked to fill in the details for the database.
- Database Name
- Username
- Password
- Database Host
- Table Prefix
Do it as shown in the screenshot. No need to use a password.
Step 10
Now is the time to add the basic details about your website.
- Site Title
- Username (Will be used to log in)
- Password
- Email Address
- Check the box to discourage the website for search engine
I don’t think I need to mention the use of a strong password is mandatory. Even though it’s a local set up, you should always be prepared.
Step 11
You will see a Success message with the username. Click on the “Login†button or directly open localhost/wordpress/wp-login.php to access the login page.
Use the username and the password you have chosen earlier.
You will realize that the local environment is as same as the online server. There will be no difference. You can use WordPress on your local server just like you do while hosting on any web hosting.
Try testing the themes and plugins before you decide to install on your live website. It will save you from many conflicts.
Many people get fed up because of the poor page loading time because of a plugin. But if they try the plugin on their local server, they can easily find out if that would be perfect or not.
Have You Ever Tried Creating Such Local Environment?
This is the question asked of many, but only a few people responded in affirmative. In the last couple of years, the non-techie people have shown their interest in learning more about such things.
Installing WordPress on XAMPP is one of the easiest things.
The steps mentioned above can vary depending on your choice. If you decide to rename the “WordPress†folder, the URL to install it would also be different.
I have shown the easiest way to avoid any confusion. Have you tried it before? Would you like to?
Conclusion
No doubt that testing any product is always a better idea than ruining your hard work. You wouldn’t want to lose your content just because of a plugin.
So why don’t you test it on the local server? That’s the beauty of having the safety measures in mind. What do you think?
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