WordPress Tip: Use the WP Local Dev Environment Plugin to Disable External Data Calls

When developing locally without an internet connection, it doesn’t make much sense for WordPress to load external files like fonts or Gravatars. This can slow you down unnecessarily.

WP Local Dev Environment is a plugin created by Andrew Norcross for developers who are working locally without an internet connection. It removes / unhooks the loading of external files to reduce load time and avoid errors due to missing files.

The plugin currently does three helpful things:

Replaces Open Sans CSS font file with a blank CSS file due to dependency issues

Replaces all instances of Gravatar with a local image to remove external call

Removes all HTTP requests

Norcross plans to continue adding improvements to the plugin and will remove more calls originating from core as he finds them. He’s also considering including other requests from popular plugins. If you have any feedback or would like to contribute, check out WP Local Dev Environment on GitHub.