Installing WordPress locally allows you to create and test your website or blog in a local development environment before deploying it to a live server. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of setting up a local WordPress installation using GitHub. This method offers flexibility and version control capabilities for your WordPress project. Let’s get started!
- Install a local development environment:
- Install a local server stack such as XAMPP (for Windows, macOS, or Linux) or MAMP (for macOS).
- Start the local server to ensure it’s running properly
- Create a new database:
- Access the database management tool provided by your local server stack (e.g., phpMyAdmin).
- Create a new database for your WordPress installation. Take note of the database name, username, and password.
- Clone the WordPress repository from GitHub:
- Visit the WordPress GitHub repository: https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress.
- Click on the green “Code” button and copy the repository’s URL.
- Set up your local WordPress installation:
- Open a terminal or command prompt.
- Navigate to the directory where you want to install WordPress.
- Run the following command to clone the WordPress repository:
git clone <repository_url>
- Replace
<repository_url>with the URL you copied in Step 3.
5. Configure the WordPress installation:
- Navigate to the WordPress directory in your terminal or command prompt.
- Rename the
wp-config-sample.phpfile towp-config.php. - Open
wp-config.phpin a text editor. - Update the database settings:
- Replace
'database_name_here'with the name of the database, you created in Step 2. - Replace
'username_here'with the database username. - Replace
'password_here'with the database password.
- Replace
- Save the changes.
6. Access your local WordPress installation:
- Start your local server if it’s not already running.
- Open a web browser.
- Visit
http://localhost/wordpressorhttp://localhost:<port>/wordpress(replace<port>with the appropriate port number if required by your local server stack).
7. Complete the WordPress installation:
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
- Provide the necessary information, such as site title, username, and password.
- Click on the “Install WordPress” button.
- Once the installation is complete, you should have a local instance of WordPress up and running on your machine. You can access and customize it by visiting the local server’s URL specified in Step 6.
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