“Unlock the Secret to Smoothly Migrating Your WordPress Site from Localhost to Server – Exclusively Revealed!”
Perplexing and Bursting: Transferring Your WordPress Site from Localhost to Server
WordPress, an open-source content management system, is widely used for creating websites and blogs. If you are a beginner, you might want to start developing your WordPress site on localhost before moving it to a server. However, the process of transferring it from your local machine to a web server can be perplexing and bursty.
Step One: Preparing your Web Server
First, you need to prepare your web server for the transfer. But hold on a minute, how do you ensure your web server is compatible with WordPress? Visit the WordPress.org website for server requirements, and oh, by the way, a few necessary requirements are PHP version 7 or higher, a MySQL database, and Apache or Nginx server.
And when selecting a hosting provider, make sure they have an easy installation process for WordPress or a one-click installation option. Mind-blowing, isn’t it?
Step Two: Creating a Backup of Your Local WordPress Site
You know what? Before you move your site to the server, you need to make a backup of everything. This includes your database, files, and any other essential information. Creating a backup ensures that you have a copy of your website in case something goes wrong during the transfer.
So how do you make a backup? Using a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy, or you can make a manual backup of your site files and database. Hey, don’t look puzzled or bewildered, you can export your WordPress database and download your site files using FTP.
Step Three: Exporting the Local WordPress Database
To export your WordPress database, oh my, you need to be logged into your local phpMyAdmin. This tool allows you to manage your database, including exporting and importing data.
So, to access phpMyAdmin, just visit localhost/phpmyadmin on your browser, locate your WordPress database and click on it to select it. Then, click on the “Export” button located at the top menu. Voila! You’ve landed on the Export tab, where you can select the tables you wish to export.
Crazy enough, you can either select all tables or choose specific tables. And for the record, ensure you have selected the right file format, which is SQL format. Oh, wait- don’t forget that this step takes a few minutes, depending on the size of your database.
Step Four: Editing the SQL Database File
After exporting the database, it’s time to edit the SQL file. Hurray! Open the SQL file using any text editor, such as Notepad or Sublime Text.
But hold up, what do you need to do? You need to edit the file, replacing all the references to the localhost URL with the domain name of your server. Look for lines with the following code:
- Replace http://localhost with http://yourdomain.com
- Change localhost in yourdomain.com to match your domain name.
Before chirping in joy, ensure you have saved the changes to your SQL file.
Step Five: Transferring WordPress Files to the Server
Take a deep breath, it’s time for another step. But, before transferring, create a new database for your website on your hosting provider’s server. Write down the database’s important details like database host, username, password, and database name.
After creating a new database, oh, by the way, you need to upload your WordPress files to the web server. And how do you do this using an FTP client like FileZilla? Connect to your server using FTP, then drag and drop your WordPress files to the server. Crazy enough, ensure you upload your WordPress files to the correct folder on your server, typically the public_html folder.
Step Six: Importing WordPress Database to the Server
After uploading your files to the server, import your local WordPress database to your hosting provider’s server. And do you know how to do this? You can use phpMyAdmin to do this.
Log in to your hosting account, locate phpMyAdmin and click on it. Then, locate the “Import” tab and click on it. Upload the SQL file you have edited, then click on the “Go” button. Keep calm; the process could take a few minutes. Once the database is imported, double-check your site’s configuration files to ensure they have the correct information from the server.
Step Seven: Updating the WordPress URLS
After successfully importing the local WordPress database to the server, you need to update the URLs. And wait for it, you can do this by logging into your site’s WordPress dashboard and clicking on “Settings” from the menu. Select “General” and replace the localhost URL with the new URL.
In addition, ensure you update your WordPress permalinks by visiting Settings > Permalinks and clicking on the “Save Changes” button.
Step Eight: Testing the Website on the Server
After updating the database URLs, it’s time to test your website on the server before going live. Input the URL of your website into your browser and ensure links, assets, and pages load correctly.
If everything works well, you have successfully transferred your WordPress site from localhost to server. Oh, hold up, it wasn’t that perplexing and bursty, was it?
Conclusion
Transferring a WordPress site from localhost to server requires attention to detail, patience and a few steps. By carefully following the above-listed steps, you can safely move your website to the server.
Remember to backup your website files and database before making any transfer. Also, while editing the SQL file and configuration files, be sure not to delete or edit any critical information that could lead to an error. Happy bursting and perplexing!
