Make a local set up from an Existing Website

Support
1

Hi,

I already have a website set up on a hosting server(Dreamhost) online. How do i create an exact copy for local development if possible.

Thanks

2

Hey @mohammedtaherpatla,

Great question! I’m happy to help you set that up :smiley: High-level, there are two steps to this process:

  1. Export your site from Dreamhost and import it within Local (using Duplicator)
  2. Keep Dreamhost and Local in sync going forward (using All-in-One WP Migration)

To get started, you’ll need to install the Duplicator plugin within your Dreamhost wp site admin. Using duplicator, export your site (I recommend checking out the plugin videos first). Then, once you have your site archive created, drag and drop it onto/into the Local app. This will initiate the import process within Local.

After that, to keep Dreamhost and Local in sync moving forward, we recommend using All-in-One WP Migration. The videos for that plugin do a great job of explaining that workflow.

And just to throw in a shameless plug, if you find that you really enjoy the Local experience and want to see how Flywheel hosting seamlessly integrates with Local (via Connect to Flywheel), the pushing and pulling features are fantastic! And with new workflow tools coming out all the time! So, if that ever interests you, I’d love to get you in touch with our Flywheel hosting sales team so you could play around and see if Local + Flywheel makes your WordPress effort as easy and streamlined as humanly possible :smiley:

Plug aside, let me know how that migration goes for you!

3

Hi,
I’m interested in exactly the same…
BUT, once the archive is created (following your instructions), just where do I drop it into “the Local app”? Which directory, please?
Thank you,
Jordan

4

Hey Jordan!

You can either drop the zip file right on top of the open app window, or use File > Import (Ctrl/Cmd - I) and select it from the system menu.

Here’s a doc outlining it in detail! Let us know if you have any trouble.

5

Thanks, adam!

SO, I followed the instructions but for some reason the drag and drop didn’t quite work. I ended up copying all directories and files inside wp-content to the destination wp-content directory…

Now, when trying to drop the sql file, I’m getting the following error msg: “Sorry! We couldn’t figure out what to do with the import file provided. Please extract it manually.”

AND, when looking at the newly created site directories, based on something I saw on the forum, I was expecting to find an app/sql directory where I think the site database would be dropped into and expanded. BUT, there is no such directory… The only directory under “app” is “public”…

Am I missing something?

Lastly, I’m not sufficiently knowledgeable in php or MyPhp and could not get into command lines effectively. (But I’m great with copy and paste!)… :slight_smile:

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Jordan

6

Update: I was able to upload the site. However, there are other problems, which I will pursue on the forum. Thanks again!