Create Staging Site
Once you have connected to your existing live site, InstaWP allows you to create 1-click staging websites from within the WP admin panel. A staging site is an exact copy of your live site hosted in a secure environment. This allows you to test as many changes as possible without affecting your live website.
In this documentation, we will explore the steps to create a staging site from the existing live site.
Let’s get started 🚀
Go to the Plugins section of your connected site’s WP panel. Create Staging from your added plugin InstaWP Connect. To download the plugin, you can refer to this link.
Step 1: Locate the InstaWP Connect plugin from the admin panel's Plugins > Installed Plugins and click Create Staging.
Step 2: Click Connect with InstaWP to connect with InstaWP production.
Step 3: Click Approve to accept the access request.
Step 4: Now, click the Create Staging Site button.
Step 5: For creating staging, you need to select the following types of staging based on your preferences:
It'll open the staging options for the site. Now, select staging type, enter site name and click Next Step.
Step 6: A Customize options dialog will appear, asking you to select your information from the available options such as Active plugins, themes or skip media folder, etc. After completing customizing click Next Step.
Step 7: An Exclude files & table dialog will appear, where you can eliminate the files or tables of your WordPress site. After eliminating click Next Step.
Step 8: A confirmation dialog will appear, validating your selections. Then, the staging site will be created from your existing live site alongside with website URL and your login credentials.
After completing the staging site creation, it'll appear like this.
💡 Did you know - You can generate a exact copy of your existing staging website with the same credentials from your dashboard. Learn how to Clone a site.
In this documentation, we will explore the steps to create a staging site from the existing live site.
Let’s get started 🚀
Go to the Plugins section of your connected site’s WP panel. Create Staging from your added plugin InstaWP Connect. To download the plugin, you can refer to this link.
Step 1: Locate the InstaWP Connect plugin from the admin panel's Plugins > Installed Plugins and click Create Staging.
Step 2: Click Connect with InstaWP to connect with InstaWP production.
Step 3: Click Approve to accept the access request.
Step 4: Now, click the Create Staging Site button.
Step 5: For creating staging, you need to select the following types of staging based on your preferences:
| Types | Description |
|---|---|
| Quick Staging | Create a staging environment without including a media folder. |
| Full Staging | Create an exact copy as a staging environment. Time may vary based on site size. |
| Custom Staging | Choose the options that match your requirements. |
It'll open the staging options for the site. Now, select staging type, enter site name and click Next Step.
Step 6: A Customize options dialog will appear, asking you to select your information from the available options such as Active plugins, themes or skip media folder, etc. After completing customizing click Next Step.
Step 7: An Exclude files & table dialog will appear, where you can eliminate the files or tables of your WordPress site. After eliminating click Next Step.
Step 8: A confirmation dialog will appear, validating your selections. Then, the staging site will be created from your existing live site alongside with website URL and your login credentials.
After completing the staging site creation, it'll appear like this.
💡 Did you know - You can generate a exact copy of your existing staging website with the same credentials from your dashboard. Learn how to Clone a site.
Updated on: 16/05/2025
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