Complete noob needs help creating test environment for existing sites

[fmjardine]

Operating System: Mac OS 10.12.6
Vagrant Version: 1.8.6
Virtual Box Version: 5.1.26

I'll try to be brief and try to speak "developer" as much as possible. Thanks in advance for your help. Totally over my head on this project and need help badly.

Started new job working on backend of Wordpress site running old WP version. Need to test configurations and content on current version of WP to check for compatibility before upgrading actual website. Many plugins and customizations on the existing site. Hosted through Bluehost if that matters (but can't seem to figure out if WP is even installed on there).

How do I set up the testing environment to mimic exactly the configurations of the existing site without having to set it all up manually (I know how to import the content, but not the plugins/customizations/themes etc.)? How can I keep those settings every time I access the vagrant/vccw WP?

[dragon788]

If you want the database and all the site content, try All-in-One WP Migration (up to 500MB backups are free, and really reasonable prices to unlock more options).

Make a backup of the source site

• Install All-In-One WP Migration from the plugins page
• Export a "File" backup and put it somewhere safe (local for dev and Google Drive?)

Restore to vccw site

• start up your VM with vagrant up
• Install All-In-One WP Migration from the plugins page
• Import the backup (WILL WIPE EVERYTHING IN LOCAL SITE).

As long as you don't vagrant destroy which wipes out your local VM, you can use vagrant halt and vagrant up to stop and start your VM. You also reverse the order of instructions and make a backup from vccw and them import it into your "live" site.

[marushu]

I recommend using wordmove. ( https://github.com/welaika/wordmove )
After launching vccw, Movefile.yml should be completed at the project root.
After setting up the existing site on the production of that file (you can create multiple), after logging into the VM
cd /vagrant && wordmove pull -all or wordmove pull -tupd etc. You can reproduce the copy of the existing site on the local machine.

It is safe because sql files are spit out to both local and remote.

You can restore it at any time after destroy it if exporting the VM's DB ( e.g. wp db export ) and destroying the VM and managing wp-content etc. with git.

I recommend that you try. :)

VCCW has wordmove preinstalled and you can use it immediately.