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Hey, I want to rebuild my website, is there anyway to keep my current website live while working on the rebuild? I want to change the theme and template but it will take me about 2 days to re build but I dont want a half done website to be live while im working on it.
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Set up a staging site:
Install XAMPP and setup a copy of WordPress on your local computer.
Then use “updraft plus backup & restore” plugin to make a backup of the live website, download the zip files, and “restore” on your local environment.
I recommend updating your windows “hosts” file to redirect the website domain to your localhost, so you don’t have to change any of the URLs within WordPress.
You will need to setup a Virtual Hosts entry within XAMPP for your domain (port 80 and port 443 for SSL).
If you’re using SSL on your WordPress, also download a copy of the SSL Certificate from the website’s cPanel (you need the .crt and .key files), and put them in the respective XAMPP’s conf ssl folders.
Now you’ll have an exact copy of your website locally, and when you’re done development, you’ll be able to quickly create a backup and restore it on your live website.
If you have any questions, ask ChatGPT, that’s how I got XAMPP working with WordPress, domain, and SSL.
If you’re also building plugins for WordPress, I recommend you also get xdebug setup. Makes a huge difference when you want to debug your code.