Building a live site can be problematic. The process isn’t always pretty and you certainly don’t want people seeing your site until it’s pretty, right?
Building your site on a local server is a simple way to create your site without anyone else having access to it.
Basically, a local server is a server that runs on your computer. It’s not connected to the internet, but enables you to view your site on a browser as if it’s online. The benefit of working on a local server is you can work faster, more efficiently and without the need to be connected to the internet.
Before you dig into the different local servers you can create on your machine, we recommend you do two things – download WordPress from WordPress.org and any other of your favorite or commonly used plugins to save to your computer. This way, if you’re working on your site and don’t have interent access, you can still install and run WordPress and those plugins.
Here are 4 great server programs you can use to build your site:
XAMPP
- Free
- Works on Windows, Mac, Linux and Solaris
- Simply starts an/or stops your server
WampServer
- Free
- Windows only
- Has multiple versions (different bit sizes, PHP versions, etc) and addons so you can match your client’s server settings
MAMP
- Has a free version and a paid version (MAMP Pro)
- Mac only
- Quick access to phpMyAdmin
- Can select different PHP versions to work with
- Can use SSL Certificates (which help when testing ecommerce)
DesktopServer by ServerPress
- Has a free version and a paid version (Premium)
- Windows and Mac
- Premium version includes multisite capabilities
- Installs everything you need (WordPress, XAMPP and creates your database)
- Hooks into Coda and/or Dreamweaver
Be sure to check out the WordPress Localhost webinar below lead by Benjamin Bradley, the WebDesign.com Professor, as he goes into more detail on each of these applications and tells you how to get started.
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I use DeskTop Server almost everyday! Great tool for setting up local development.
Thanks for the info. I just want to add a few words as for how it all went. I was literally bedazzled how easy it is to install MAMP on a Mac computer. It’s literally a few clicks.
You’re also right that you need to install WordPress locally because it can be a pain in the neck if you install some plugin on a live site, and it all falls down. Doing it on a local machine takes all the stress away.