Agreed. The WordPress installer seems to work well and intuitively enough. There is a paid version of DesktopServer that adds features like multisite support (hint: you can just convert a site to multisite manually), as well as some utilities and integrations. Linux users, making the world a better place, on repo at a time. Unfortunately, XAMPP never gave me any errors that I could track down. You need to open the site shell in Local. Im a 65 year old web developer newbie. Whereby I just dont get it. Instant WordPress. Its involved and it requires many decisions on your part. XAMPP isnt all bad. It creates an isolated environment with many things already installed and available via command line: Git, Node.js, NPM, SSH, xDebug, Composer, etc. Timely reviews since Im looking for a dev environment for a couple of future projects. Local does a great job isolating its software, and you can even use Local alongside something like MAMP or XAMPP. If your applications . If you do, youll getport conflicts as well as some MySQL errors. . I dont want to create a new website, I want to work on an existing one, that has a Git repository. Local is almost perfect. You can also easily switch between different versions of PHP, a number of PHP versions are included in the application but you can always download additional versions through their built-in installer. These websites can all have unique domain names and can be customized by their owners, while sharing assets such as themes and plugins that are made available by the server admin. Its actually essential Sign up to get your free copy of my New Customer Questionnaire. Anybody have a favorite WP cloning tool or method theyd like to share? For a WordPress developer who doesnt want to fuss with too many settings, DesktopServer is a great option. (Changing Configuration) WAMP is Available for both 64 bit and 32-bit system. MAMP (free) is definitely easy to install and use, but will fall short for devs who need to set up multiple sites. https://medium.com/@petehegman/my-wordpress-dev-setup-using-laravel-tools-to-improve-your-wordpress-development-f1b08de02d3d. If you use HyperV on Win10, Windows virtualization suite (which is rock solid virtualization), you cant run Local and unfortunately Local just hangs on startup No error message, no progress, no log, it just hangs on the startup screen. You might get an alert that tells you Windows Firewall has blocked some features of this app. Then select which folder you want to install it in, or leave it at the default (Programs). I know it is already mentioned here but i need to make sure that VVV gets the attention it deserves:). XAMPP starts off with a silly pronunciation (we can all agree, it should be pronounced zamp) and continues the trend with a clunky install process, unintuitive interface, and lack of features. Note that I wont be covering CLI-based local dev environments in this article. Nice review but I cannot install local by flywheel on my laptop. Im a big fan of this Docker setup: https://github.com/10up/wp-local-docker/ You just check it out a copy for you project, do "docker-compose up", and you very quickly have WordPress running at localhost. If you've been scared off in the past by the lengthy process for installing XAMPP and WordPress locally, there's very good news. And by Kansas, we mean theMad Men Is it content, or is it marketing? The rest of the applications offer paid versions with more features. I started with MAMP a long time ago, then DesktopServer, then Pressmatic / Local. I was so happy with DesktopServer and got so disappointed when their promised new version just never released. I only use WordPress for my writing jobs and not for developing WP interfaces, so Im an end user. Believe Local by Flywheel uses Docker, so started reading about that and Vagrant and Valet. Had loads of mysql errors myself today when I setup a few sites in Mamp. I write highly researched content in a conversational toneview my samples here: http://ivyleaguecontent.com/#work. Question: if you lead a horse to water, how do you make him drink? Id love to see Pilothouse included in your next round of CLI-based local environments. Bitnami Virtual Machines contain a minimal Linux operating system with WordPress installed and configured. First, make sure you dont already have XAMPP installed. Bitnami Cloud Images extend stack appliances to run in a cloud computing environment. WAMP provides support for MySQL and PHP. I only paid for Pressmatic about 3 months before Flywheel bought it! Until it collided with Windoze 10 and refused to update the "hosts" file. I have recently installed the DS 3.9 Pro version and although I am happy with the interface and quick support with them, I am plagued by speed issues. Platform-specific notes are included where necessary in the following sections. ;;;; ; (3/5 semicolons) It's a stand alone. Flywheel was also recently acquired by WP Engine, so Local is now a WP Engine product. The plugin I made to the fish site works fine, I worked with mysql I switched from MAMP to Laravel Valet directly and I am so glad I did it. The latest version (as of April 2018) uses PHP v.7. Ive tried them all and Im currently enjoying LbFW (having paid $99 for pressmatic, still waiting for LbFW pro for free!) Free. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/48541d4f1b1f608680571d013b091b8d2723475f448db118bca53ed2bd0dc2d3.png. Definitely worth a look.. https://laragon.org/. The whole process is just about an hour. Navigate to the "Plugins Installed plugins" page. WordPress is the world's most popular blogging and content management platform. FYI There are also tabs for Manage Servers where you can see that MySQL and Apache are both running. Not really, Ive been using Local myself recently and dont have any issues running the plugin. WordPress packaged by Bitnami WordPress is the world's most popular blogging and content management platform. Another option I am using is devilbox (docker): https://github.com/devilbox. I first tried VVV but I found it to complicated for my requirements so I ended up creating a customised version of Scotch Box that suits my needs. Having been around for a long time, I like to mettle, so periodically I clone the site and run it locally using ServerPress to control the server. Local is the fastest and most intuitive and well designed application among all. and Wamp, Local by Flywheel was a BREATH OF FRESH air!! After fighting with Xampp, Mamp (for Windows!) Whats more, Local gives you quite a few options in terms of server type (Apache or Nginx), PHP version, and MySQL. You then have to edit your computers hosts file to set up the domain name. If youve been using HyperV then youre probably well aware of incompatibilities with other virtualization techniques, but because Local abstracts all of the virtualization away, you might not know how the environment is working and so its not clear thats why its failing. MAMP is a pretty general-purpose offering and the free version doesnt package installers for WordPress or any other applications. I cant say enough nice things about Local. Then, youll be setting up your database, etcyou know the drill (and if you dont, refer to that tutorial link I gave you at the beginning of this section). Yeah, updates on MAMP Pro are always at least a bit stressful made worse by the fact that theyve been releasing quite a bit lately. Desktop Server has caused me major headaches for the 2 years that I used it. These software listings are packaged by Bitnami. Thanks for this article. Then theres the Bitnami Cloud Hosting advertisement which asks you if you want to learn more. Its unchecked, so leave it that way unless you want to be able to send email notifications from your blog once its up and going. I can launch a WP site on local in about 4mins. At least it comes with an uninstaller. Not only because Ive been using it for years and Im already entrenched, but also because I often need to access my dev sites via the CLI. Ive had fits trying to get Local installed on a Windows 10 machine. Ive tried Local by Flywheel on my Mac, but Migrate DB Pro constantly errors for me with Local by Flywheel, which caused me to reluctantly move back to Desktop Server. I shouldn't be too hard on you: Bitnami isn't completely awful, but when you're dealing with Wordpress, there are much better standards nowadays that encourage modern development practices. This is where DesktopServer really shines when compared to MAMP/XAMPP. Ive been a long time user of MAMP Pro, but have had issues using it on Windows and clashing with antivirus software, so have set up Xampp on our PCs. Bitnami's Best Practices for Securing and Hardening Helm Charts; Backup and Restore Apache Kafka Deployments on Kubernetes; Backup and Restore Cluster Data with Bitnami and Velero; Read all tutorials. A few of these are new to me though, so thanks for the intro! I like to use WAMP Server for Windows because its easy to configure the advanced settings for the applications. 1-click backups. So its really designed for making a few big changes like copying, moving, and removing sites. With BitNami for XAMPP you can do one once-click install of WordPress. Theres more to this three site limitation, as explained by Marc Benzakein, Operations Manager at ServerPress. Its a Docker environment working on Mac, Linux & Windows. Many thanks for information about these tools and instructions how to use. MAMP, like XAMPP, doesnt give you much help in creating virtual hosts. My experience of MAMP Pro on Windows was that it went kablooie every time I tried to set permalinks, though that is apparently not a universal problem. I use Bitnami Stacks to do local installs: https://bitnami.com/stack/wordpress and it is simple enough that I can have non-technical folks install and use it as a safe way to learn WordPress, or one of the many many other stacks Bitnami provides. Its involved and it requires many decisions on your part. Noties: WordPress will install phpmyadmin and Apache, therefor it will not need Xampp. It seems the only solutions to sync db are manual. Get rid of your existing XAMPP installation and start fresh with the one Bitnami will install for you. Ive. Developing in a local environment lets you make changes to dev sites quickly and easily without having to transfer files anywhere. So if you ever wanted to switch to Windows for local development, MAMP is an option. But before i do, I really do need to say that I appreciate the write-up AND the review. So, its a ton of support (if needed) along with a bunch of features. Desktop Server runs under PHP5.5. On top of the free version, Local offers two paid plans for individuals and teams costing $20/month and $50/month respectively. https://fishing-en.com/why-are-my-carp-dying/. http://documentation.mamp.info/en/MAMP-PRO-Mac/Settings/Hosts/Extras/WordPress/ Also MAMP (Pro) does come for Windows. DesktopServer is super easy to use and gets you up and running with WordPress in a snap, but might be a little too basic for developers who need to test in different server environments. Bitnami vs Xampp I am a noob with very little tech knowledge. For me, that's C://xampp. Interestingmany of you seem to recommend Laragon, I might give it a shot at some point. Thanks I enjoyed reading this and found it helpful! I tried using Local and loved it, but I had a problem when I was updating the CSS. Duplicator Pro still needs a pile of other actions and knowledge to get the job done. For example: most devs work on more than one project, so its extremely helpful to be able to quickly spin up a new web server with dedicated urls. As far as I can tell, DesktopServer bundles XAMPP and serves as an extension to the XAMPP server that automatically installs WordPress and handles creating virtual servers and hosts file entries for you automatically. Such a pitty. ah forgetten about their promise to give ex-presmattic uses Local Pro for free. Beyond that, there are other advantages to the Premium Membership. We heard that Flywheel is working on a paid Pro version unless its 5k a copy, we shal definitely buy it By the way, have you ever tried Kalabox? Very helpful article. Its just never fun to disrupt your workflow! SHAMPs XAMPPs interface, at least on MacOS, is less than intuitive. Originally called Pressmatic, Local was later acquired by Flywheel who has since been giving it away for free to all new users. Ive run sfc scan now and dism.exe. Thats OK, so hit next. Then, youll be setting up your database, etcyou know the drill (and if you dont, refer to that tutorial link I gave you at the beginning of this section). I use it all the time in my line of work. You can find me on twitter (@marcbenzak) or on our contact page. You cant directly just enter in the working directory and execute CLI commands. currently using Vagrant and Docker depending on how i feel that day. Mexicans dont pronounce the X letter as sh though. Nice group of people. So kept reading and among the comments, I focused on Laravel Valet and Local by flywheel. ; ; ; ; ; (1/5 semicolons) Heres How They Fit Together. I would have given it a perfect 5 if WP-CLI was somehow accessible directly. If you've ever manually installed WordPress, the rest of the process should feel pretty familiar. ; P - Stands for PHP, which is the stack's . Many times when migrating between local and remote copies, my URLs would get messed up. Thanks for the rundown, Id gone from WAMP, to XAMPP, to MAMP, to VirtualBox, to Vagrant/VB, to Docker, and now Homebrew services (nginx, mariadb, php) on my mac has been pretty turnkey for getting all these things running. MAMP Pro also provides Python, Perl, and Ruby via the command line. If you have, whats your experience like? It may be a little basic for someone who needs to develop and test themes or plugins in varied deployment scenarios. Another really useful article Many thanks! If youre making use of WP-CLI in your daily workflow, you might dislike Local. Again, the install process went smooth. Blogs and articles and infographics, oh my! Select English : Again with the acronyms here, MAMP stands for Mac Apache MySQL and PHP. Honestly, just keep mashing that next button. Otherwise, Id have been lost at sea. The installer ran fine but thats about all it did. Im beginning to think that this installation section is a bit superfluous as the install process for DesktopServer is pretty much the same as MAMP or XAMPP. Please dont recommend WP tools that are not open source, when OS options exist. Timely post as currently looking at different options. I used to setup an entire VM environment for network sites and subdomains, and Local just handles it really well. Ive used XAMPP for years and am very familiar with it as a result. Googled the issues I was having and realized I was FAR from the only one. I wrote an article a little while ago about integrating Laravel tools into WP development that should help anybody get up and running with Valet. You just launch the installer package and mash at the next button until you realize that you actually clicked a button that said finish. Ive also used Xampp, but Serverpress is supposed to do the requisite find/replace when cloning to a new server. While Local and DesktopServer allow you to customize domain names for local sites, XAMPP and MAMP (unless youre using Pro) dont. You might get an alert that tells you Windows Firewall has blocked some features of this app. "youre either a masochist or some sort of Linux user". and then edit the wp-config.php in xampp copied wordpress. Just by adding a new folder to the web root, the app will detect it and automatically set up your local hosts file domain for it. BitNami Cloud Hosting lets you instantly run every BitNami package you already know and love and have it automatically configured, backed up and monitored. Thanks again for the great article! C:\Bitnami\wordpress-5.8.3-0\apps\wordpress\htdocs. . It became laborious to say the least and I switched back to MAMP for now. No, thats not a trick question. You have to know to choose Apache, phpmyadmin, mySQL etc, which means installation is no walk in the park. Especially for non-technical people who rely on WordPress for their livelihood, Bitnami makes a ton of sense because its worlds easier than the alternatives. Select your language now (default English). Both the Bitnami WordPress installer and XAMPP come bundled with these three software to make it easy to get a WordPress site running on your local computer. C:\xampp\htdocs\wordpress. What is XAMPP? Step 1: Install WordPress using the Bitnami WordPress Stack If you were to Bing installing a local WordPress, the results would most likely direct you to an XAMPP tutorial. Its really not a limit in that you can actually create as many sites as you want, but you ARE limited to the number of sites you can manage at one time. It seems more lightweight and was easy to add phpMyAdmin instead of the rather odd DB tool it shipped with. If youve been scared off in the past by the lengthy processfor installing XAMPP and WordPress locally, theres very good news. Sometimes useful, so might as well leave the box checked. Did you have any specific issues? Neat stuff here. "Local" by Flywheel, is a great alternative. Our library provides trusted virtual machines for every major development stack and open source server application, ready to run in your infrastructure. Any one else have the same issue with Flywheel? Ive wanted to do local development for a while, but found it to be too hard to configure. Thanks for the reviews! Select the XAMPP folder to install; Enter the desired login username and the newly-changed MySQL password (see above). With PHPStorms built-in terminal, its really easy to run a CLI command on the fly without having to go through the apps UI and opening terminal separately as seen in Local. My problem is finding a reliable and easy way to periodically clone our site and install it locally. We use Local at our agency and we are very satsified! From there, it offers links to download bitnami modules for WordPress and other applications. MAMP installation was a breeze compared to SHAMPP. Ive done everything to try and rectify this, ie. If anyone is interested in a great run down of how to set it up, I recommend it: https://getgrav.org/blog/macos-sierra-apache-multiple-php-versions, Thanks for the nice reviews! Local does make this very easy, just right click the site name in the sidebar and select Open Site Shell. Pilothouse has cool features like automated hosts file management, and SSL support for all local sites out-of-the-box. When Local came around I jumped and I have been very happy. Bitnami tutorials simply dont seem to exist in droves, probably because theyre not very necessary. Your content isnt performing as well Well, Toto, its official: were not in Kansas anymore. Actually, I started installing Valet (Plus) right away. Agreed, excellent rundown however Im running the same setup as smcrtv. Within about 15 minutes, I had Error: /usr/local/opt/php71 is not a valid keg Error: /usr/local/opt/php70 is not a valid keg (( delete some obscure stuff )) Error: The brew link step did not complete successfully The formula built, but is not symlinked into /usr/local Could not symlink . With MAMP (free), this DIY requirement just involves unzipping the latest release of WordPress in MAMPs default webroot at /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/, creating a database. Recently, Local was renamed as Local Lightning, which as the name suggests works lightning fast. Go to the folder where you install XAMPP and start looking til you find a folder that has a file called wp-config.php, or just search that file in your computer. Sometimes upgrading from version to version can be a little challenging, things change with permissions and things like that between the versions, but Ive been happy with it. Error: The brew link step did not complete successfully The formula built, but is not symlinked into /usr/local Error: Failed to create /usr/local/opt/gettext Things that depend on gettext will probably not build. It's a great resource for anyone who wants to get detailed info on branding, target audience, and goals from their new customers. As a long-time MAMP Pro user, I do wish that DesktopServer had a better site management UI. Theres an option to uncheck phpMyAdmin if you dont want access to the database. You can do this via phpMyAdmin (easily accessible from MAMPs webstart page http://localhost), and then follow the normal WordPress install instructions. Ill give XAMPP the benefit of the doubt and say that maybe the Mac app is just their weak link. Ive turned off some windows features as well . On the Bitnami WordPress Stack page- click on Next. Choose from 50 popular open source applications, including SugarCRM, Alfresco, Drupal, WordPress, Redmine, JasperServer, Joomla! The Ultimate Checklist of Questions You Should Ask Every New Customer. Even the index page of your XAMPP local server recommends using Bitnami to install the applications you'd need. Its great for tinkerers as you can create little auto-installers and scripts and mess with a lot of the defaults and config files. Following the same suite as XAMPP, DesktopServer doesnt allow you to switch between different PHP versions which makes it less interesting for me. I too use MAMP Pro myself, as well as Local for quick playgrounds. The respective trademarks mentioned in the offerings are owned by the respective companies, and use of them does not imply any affiliation or endorsement. Recently installed Valet to give it a try (as local doesnt yet work with High Sierra which I rushed into installing on a machine). He builds free and premium WordPress themes and plugins for WooCommerce.com and WordPress.com. I personally make use of WP-CLI on a daily basis and this is whats keeping me from switching to Local completely from MAMP Pro. Local by Flyweel is also a great tool. . After my failed attempt, I created a MacOS virtual machine so that I could provide XAMPP with the completely blank slate that it needed. When it comes to Local vs Mamp Pro I think you have to choose between your computer being slowed down a little with Locals VM usage or your sites being slow with MAMP Pro (also I cant keep mysql running for longer than a few hours before I need to killall -9 mysqld). Also, were big fans of Migrate DB Pro and recommend it to our customers all the time. What is Bitnami? In his free time, he's probably working at a side project. Your website looks old though, makes me wonder if DS has been abandoned. You need to enable "dev mode", which will disable the aggressive caching. Its a great tool to keep your projects separate on different virtual machines, it handles dev/staging/production environments and after small configuration it is fully automatized. Installing the Bitnami WordPress stack, on the other hand, is cake. WordPress packaged by Bitnami is pre-configured and ready-to-use immediately on any of the platforms below. Heres a taste of how easy it was for me to install it on my laptop. (more errors of this kind) (( change owner of /usr/local/opt )) Error: Directory not empty /usr/local/opt/php70 composer global require weprovide/valet-plus dyld: Library not loaded: /usr/local/opt/openssl/lib/libcrypto.1.0.0.dylib Referenced from: /usr/local/bin/php Reason: image not found Abort trap: 6 at which point I gave up and started deleting all the Homebrew stuff, again. X - This is used because XAMPP is a cross-platform tool that can be used in conjunction with all major operating systems. It just tried forever to start its server. For MacOS, you'll need to install WordPress directly in XAMPP's site directory as recently OS X native modules have been deprecated. Thx. The point to a localhost is to speed up development I thought. The changes werent showing up unless I cleared the cache. The best dev environment for wordpress plugins and themes by far IMO. Sequel Pro for MySQL gui, and over the years Ive gotten used to editing nginx/apache server configs. 2- Then install It's simple. Its disrespectful to the OS movement and WP community, and detrimental to the long-term. The other tab is Server Events. But with so many approaches, wouldnt be nice to give Docker a try? This is very timely for me as Im finally upgrading from MacOS Yosemite (10.10) to Sierra (10.12). I stand corrected. Wanting to setup a local WordPress environment on a Mac for someone else, I revisited this article. Take a deep breath. You alsohave to name things like databases, and answer questions relating to those names. You can change and add PHP versions pretty easy, edit the php.ini file, check error logs, Apache configuration, and even edit the sites-enabled files for each domain/project. FYI There are also tabs for Manage Servers where you can see that MySQL and Apache are both running. This is useful for developers but for writers not so much. For all the freelance writers out there who use WordPress to make a living, there are very few who relish developing the kind of knowledge it takes to do all this. Domain management. Full disclosure: MAMP Pro is my daily driver. Just upload the file to your WP site from the DASHBOARD. Im the author of Pilothouse (http://www.pilothouse-app.org/), which is a free/open source CLI app for managing a Docker-based local development environment, with a focus on WordPress and Laravel development. You will have to spend 5 minutes doing it yourself. Ive been putting it off because I dread once again going through all the Homebrew scripts, conf file edits, virtual host setup, etc. The software has its glitchy moments, however. It can be customized via a wide selection of themes, extensions and plug-ins. Do you want to configure email support? This works great and its super quick. Because everything runs in Docker containers, it leaves a very small footprint on your system. Let us know in the comments! Ive used XAMP, WAMP, Local, VVV, Vagrant, and even Bitnami standalone servers, and Docker, but Laragon stands out for minimalism, simplicity, and solid automatic features. Ive used AMPPS for years. I used to use XAMPP and found the Windows version of Local never installed as easily as it should have. XAMPP also has SSL feature while WAMP doesnt. The default installations of Bitnami and XAMPP on the same computer will cause some conflict between the two, unless special care is taken to address this. They have been brilliant in my book. Are there other GUI-based tools that you think I should have covered on this list? Sandbox. Hi Jeff, I am not sure how I missed this review since I do try to stay on top of all the press DesktopServer gets (good and bad). I should have done that initially, rather waste an entire Friday afternoon trying other alternatives. Good info. As a non masochist Ubuntu Linux user (#imwithian) I fart in your general direction! Sure git can sync /wp-content easily enough, but what about the db? WAMP is significantly better solution than XAMP. I found MAMP buggy when I first updated to Catalina and could never get it working again. Bitnami Application Catalog Find your favorite application in our catalog and launch it. Local is packed with a bunch of useful features including an Apache or Nginx web server, SSL certificates, MailHog, and XDebug support. I'd suggest you download and install xampp. You cant use anything above PHP 8.0.0 (they have been promising an update for a long time), if on windows using Apache you must have it installed on drive C, and any sites you add must be on Drive C for it to work. At minimum, look into Laravel Valet , Composer , and Bedrock . In order to use hostnames other than //localhost, you have to dive into XAMPPs Apache config and define them yourself. 3- copy the wordpress files from the installation.