How To Build a WordPress Site Offline

Rephrased Content with Subheadings

The Advantages of Building an Offline WordPress Website

Creating an offline version of your website can provide numerous benefits for website owners and developers. In this section, we’ll explore why you might consider building a WordPress site offline.

When it comes to managing a live website, any changes made are immediately implemented. While this is great for quick updates, it can also pose risks. For instance, experimenting with new coding or experimental software can lead to potential site issues and alienate new visitors. In such cases, having the ability to test changes in a controlled environment can be invaluable.

Why You Might Consider Creating an Offline Website

Performing simple website management tasks can sometimes have a detrimental effect on your live content. Software updates, new installations, and code-based changes can result in downtime and other issues. To avoid breaking your live site, one approach is to create a staging environment. By making a copy of your live website, you can safely test development changes without affecting your main site.

However, there are situations where you might prefer to edit your site entirely offline. For example, if you find yourself without an internet connection, accessing a staging site becomes impossible. In such cases, having a local version of your website saved on your computer becomes a valuable resource.

Offline Development for Professionals

For professional developers and designers, the need to work on clients’ websites offline is common. Cloning websites and working locally allows for the development of coding improvements without any impact on the live content. Once the coding improvements are complete, they can be seamlessly pushed to the original site.

Local sites also serve as an effective platform for learning how to use WordPress. Beginners can create offline websites for experimentation before investing in hosting plans and domains. This not only provides a risk-free environment for learning but can also help reduce costs during the initial stages of WordPress development.

Building a WordPress Site Offline in Three Steps

Now that you understand the advantages of creating an offline WordPress website, let’s delve into the practical steps required to accomplish this.

Installing DevKinsta

While various local WordPress development tools exist, many of them come with complex setup processes. DevKinsta, on the other hand, simplifies this by allowing you to create your first local environment with just a single click.

DevKinsta offers several high-quality features, including:

• Support for PHP versions 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, and 8.2.
• Integration with MyKinsta.
• Local email management.
• A built-in database manager.

DevKinsta is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems, but it’s essential to ensure your computer meets specific requirements:

• At least 5GB of available disk space.
• A minimum of 1GB of RAM.
• An internet connection during the download.
• Virtualization enabled in BIOS.

The installation process may vary depending on your computer’s software, but generally, you’ll need to install Docker Desktop before downloading and opening the DevKinsta DMG file.

DevKinsta is available as a free tool, ensuring easy WordPress site setup with a single click.

Adding a New Site

Once you’ve successfully installed DevKinsta, you can proceed with creating your local WordPress website using one of three methods.

Add a New WordPress Site

If DevKinsta was installed correctly, you’ll find a “Create new Site” page. Here, you have the option to add a new WordPress site from scratch, import one from Kinsta, or create a custom version.

To create a new WordPress website from the ground up, select “New WordPress site.” This will configure a local environment with Nginx, MySQL, and the latest WordPress software. You’ll need to provide a site name, WordPress admin username, and WordPress admin password, then click “Create site.”

DevKinsta will then create your new site, providing information about the new database, server, PHP version, and more. During this process, you may be required to enter your computer password or accept a confirmation dialog to allow necessary software changes to your hosts file and complete the database setup.

Import Your Kinsta Website

If you have a Kinsta hosting plan, you can easily clone your existing website to work on it locally. This enables you to make changes and test them before applying them to your live or staging environment. To begin, select “Import from Kinsta.”

Next, you’ll need to connect your MyKinsta account by entering your username and password. Once connected, choose the website you want to clone to your computer, whether it’s a staging or live environment. Specify whether the website is multisite and select “Import site.” DevKinsta will then create a local copy of your chosen website.

Add a Custom Site

For more control over your local WordPress installation, you can opt for the “Custom site” option. This allows you to configure specific settings for your site, including the name, database details, and PHP version. You can also customize the site title, WordPress version, and admin credentials. After completing these details, click “Create site,” and DevKinsta will add the domain to your hosts file and set up a new database.

Managing Your Local Website

Once you’ve successfully created your local WordPress website, you’ll need to know how to access and manage it. This section covers the key steps for site management.

To open the front end of your website, click on the arrow icon on the Sites page. For access to the WordPress admin, select the website you’re interested in and click the “WP Admin” button.

From the WordPress admin, you can make changes and updates to your website via the dashboard. After implementing changes, you can return to the DevKinsta Site info page. Here, you can select “Sync > Push to Kinsta” to apply your developments to your staging or live site. Alternatively, you can also pull changes from Kinsta to your local environment.

DevKinsta also provides a Database manager feature, allowing you to launch Adminer in a browser tab. With this tool, you can perform tasks such as creating new databases, inspecting data in tables, altering column settings, executing SQL queries, and more.

Managing Multiple Sites with DevKinsta

While beginners may only need one local WordPress site, developers or agency professionals can take advantage of DevKinsta’s ability to build and manage multiple sites. Each site operates within a containerized environment, allowing you to add as many projects as necessary. Simply click “Add site” on the home page to expand your local WordPress development capabilities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating an offline version of your WordPress website offers numerous advantages, including the ability to test changes in a controlled environment, work on clients’ websites offline, and learn WordPress without the need for a hosting plan or domain. With tools like DevKinsta, the process of setting up a local WordPress environment becomes straightforward and accessible. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional developer, having the option to work offline can