WordPress only
Experiment with https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/
site: art4kids.gallery updated from art4kids.local
- installation and activation
- results
- bugs
Procedure
- installed the plugin and activated
- it takes two minutes to analysis and create an installable backup of the site which can be unpacked and rebuild the database
- looks like it restores the database, which is not a good move as it would disturb the entity relationship
- summary: do not use this.
A better procedure without this plugin appears to be:
- run site backups on live (must backup the databases!)
- the live site has primary data which must be preserved
- we have installed and configured the plugin on the dev site
- the new code is in git
- git push the selected plugin directories and theme updates (reversible)
- database has to be selective updating which means hand configuration of plugins and manual database updating (must be reversible) on live
- only git the wp-content so updates do not worry you. Re-run the updates on dev first and then run them on live without concern. With a limited set of plugins updates are not going to be risky. Updates also update the database sometimes, let the plugin do it rather than intervening manually.
- after a dev->live update, take another database snapshot
- give LIVE a regression test to ensure it has not broken anything
Anyone have a better method to support local development?