ServerPress: A Quick and Easy Way to Create Local WordPress Installs

A few months ago, I had the privilege to attend WordCamp Grand Rapids. At the event, I obtained a ServerPress.com branded USB stick. Little did I know that this was no ordinary USB drive.

Making It Easy To Setup A Local Dev Environment For WordPress

ServerPress is a company devoted to making it as easy as possible to set up a local development environment for WordPress. ServerPress has two different editions of their DesktopServer software. DesktopServer Premium costs $99 per year and includes access to priority support, content, additional features and multisite support. The DesktopServer limited edition is free to use but only has access to a limited amount of documentation and support. The limited version is what was packaged on the USB stick. Both editions support Macintosh OS X 10.4.11-10.9.0 and Windows XP/Vista/7/8.

Automate The Configuration of New Websites With Blueprints

Easily Install Different WordPress Versions

The WordPress version that came with my USB drive was WordPress 3.6. We are now at 3.7.1 with 3.8 around the corner. I contacted ServerPress.com support via email and they promptly replied with an explanation on how to update the version of WordPress that’s used when creating a new test site. DesktopLimited has support for something called Blueprints. Blueprints help accelerate the development process by automating the configuration of new sites.

By placing WordPress versions (zip files) inside of the Blueprints folder, you can select which version of WordPress will be installed during the creation of a new testing site. You can also place commonly used themes and plugins inside of the Blueprints folder. This technique provides a quick and easy way to test themes and plugins on multiple versions of WordPress.

DesktopServer Limited Is A Great Substitute For WAMP

Feature Comparison Chart

WAMP installs Apache, MySQL, phpMyAdmin, php 5.3, and Xdebug. DesktopServer Limited Edition has all of that plus the ability to install specific WordPress versions, domain name mapping, automated virtual hosts creation and can copy WordPress sites. If you’re going to use WAMP to setup a local environment for WordPress development, it makes sense to use DesktopServer instead as it provides everything WAMP offers and so much more.

While I’ve only scratched the surface, I’ve used the software enough to justify ditching WAMP and using DesktopServer Limited from now on. I invite you to try out their free version and let me know what you think.