Articles on: Staging

Create Site

InstaWP allows you to create a new WordPress site which gives the benefit of testing different configurations and settings without affecting the live website. It operates in a safe environment where users can experiment with different themes, plugins, and codes without any risk of breaking the live website.

In this documentation, we will explore the steps to:

Create New Site
Access WP Admin Panel

Let’s get started 🚀

Create New Site



You can create a new staging site where you can test changes, updates, or new features to your WordPress website without affecting the live site.



From Scratch


You can build your WordPress site from scratch by choosing configurations as described in the table below:

ConfigurationsDescription
Your ConfigurationIt is the default WordPress configuration (pre-selected). You can also customize your configuration, refer to this doc.
Curated ConfigurationTo choose from the admin’s predefined configuration which automatically set PHP & WordPress versions, some of them are: ⚙️Multisite, ⚙️Woocommerce, ⚙️Devstack.
Themes/Plugin CategoriesIt allows you to select themes and plugins from the available categories: ⚙️Popular, ⚙️Security, ⚙️SEO, ⚙️Social Media, ⚙️Speed, ⚙️Forms, ⚙️Backups, ⚙️Page Builder, ⚙️Marketing, ⚙️Utility, ⚙️eCommerce.




From the bottom panel, you can configure the following values for your website as per your preferences:

ValuesDescription
WordPress versionTo select different versions of WordPress for your site ranging from 3.7 (min.) to Nightly (max.)
PHP versionTo select different PHP versions for your site ranging from 5.6 (min.) to 8.3 (max.). Only in paid plans.
Server LocationTo change the server location. Only in paid plans.
Custom site nameTo add a custom name for your WordPress site. Only in paid plans.
Reserved SiteTo reserve the site as it will not expire and will stay in your account forever (unless manually deleted). Only in paid plans.


Note: The user can also select "Beta" as a WordPress version to easily create staging sites to test newly released features, plugins, and themes.

From Template


You can build your WordPress site by using templates. Templates are your formerly built WordPress websites which are saved as templates to be used again.

Note: If the user does not find any templates, they will need to create one first and then find it here. For more information, you can refer to the Template documentation.



Note: The WordPress version cannot be changed while creating a website from a template because it was already defined when the template was created. Rest of the values can be configured such as PHP version 5.6 (min.) to 8.3 (max.), Server Location, Custom site name & Reserve Site in paid plans only. View Pricing here. If you are not logged in, use this link to view pricing.

Store


You can build your WordPress site by using the publicly monetized templates that are available in the store. For more information, please refer to the Monetize Shared Templates document.


Creating a Site with the Beta Version of WordPress



InstaWP allows you to create a site using the beta version of WordPress for testing and development purposes.

This feature is ideal for developers and early adopters of WordPress updates who want to explore upcoming features, test plugins and themes for compatibility, or provide valuable feedback on WordPress development before the official release.

To create a site with the beta version of WordPress, follow these steps:

Click on "Add New" in the InstaWP dashboard.

From the WordPress Version dropdown, select Beta.

Click "Create Site" to launch your beta version site.


Beta versions are not recommended for production sites as they may contain bugs or incomplete features.

Using Older WordPress Versions for Staging Sites



InstaWP allows you to create staging sites with older versions of WordPress (above version 5.0). This feature is particularly useful for testing and maintaining compatibility with legacy plugins, themes, or custom code that may not function optimally with the latest WordPress versions. It ensures that you can troubleshoot issues and implement updates safely in a controlled environment.

To create a site with an older version of WordPress, follow these steps:

Click on "Add New" in the InstaWP dashboard.

From the WordPress Version dropdown, select the desired older version (e.g., 5.1, 5.2).

Click "Create Site" to launch your staging site with the selected version.



Note: In your InstaWP account, "Staging Sites" will count as a limit for all kind of active sites, including template sites.

Access WP Admin Panel



When the WordPress site is created, you can access the WP admin panel and manage everything on your website you would like to. There are two ways to access the Admin Panel:

Auto Login
Manual Login

Auto Login



From Magic Login button you can automatically log in to the WordPress admin panel without using credentials.



Manual Login



From View Creds option you can also do a manual login (using credentials) to the WP admin panel of your website.



💡 Did you know - You can create template that saves the current files and database snapshots of your active staging site. Learn about Creating template.

Updated on: 26/11/2024

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