Categories

LocalWP and Git: A Developer’s Workflow

Donate with

82uymVXLkvVbB4c4JpTd1tYm1yj1cKPKR2wqmw3XF8YXKTmY7JrTriP4pVwp2EJYBnCFdXhLq4zfFA6ic7VAWCFX5wfQbCC

Copy Monero Donation Address

Donate with

Donate BAT now

Verified BAT publisher

In the fast-paced world of WordPress development, having a reliable local environment and version control system is essential for building, testing, and maintaining high-quality projects. In this blog post, I’ll walk you through how I use LocalWP and Git to manage WordPress projects more efficiently, with code examples and workflow tips you can implement right away.

What Is LocalWP and Why I Use It

LocalWP is a local development environment tailored for WordPress. It simplifies the process of spinning up a local WordPress site with just a few clicks.
Some of the reasons I prefer LocalWP:

• Quick setup and intuitive UI
• Built-in support for PHP, MySQL, and Nginx/Apache
• Live link sharing for client previews
• One-click SSL and domain mapping

Setting Up a New Project in LocalWP

To start a new WordPress project, simply launch LocalWP and click "Create a new site." Choose the preferred PHP version, web server, and database. Once done, you’ll have a working WP installation locally.
Optional: Clone a starter theme or custom plugin to your local site folder.

cd ~/Local Sites/my-project/app/public/wp-content/themes git clone https://github.com/yourusername/my-custom-theme.git

Why Git Matters in WordPress Development

Git allows you to track changes, collaborate with other developers, and avoid “it worked on my machine” scenarios. It’s especially useful when working on larger or client-critical projects.

My Typical Git Workflow

Here’s a simplified breakdown of how I use Git daily:

1. Initialize Git inside the theme/plugin directory
2. Create a `.gitignore` file to exclude unnecessary files
3. Commit early and often
4. Use branches for features and fixes

git init echo "node_modules/" >> .gitignore echo "vendor/" >> .gitignore git add . git commit -m "Initial commit"

How I Organize My Project Structure

Maintaining clean folder structure makes deployment and collaboration easier. I typically use this format:

my-custom-theme/ ├── assets/ │ ├── css/ │ ├── js/ ├── template-parts/ ├── functions.php ├── style.css ├── index.php

This setup keeps assets separate from logic and layout, making everything easier to maintain.

Using Git With Remote Repositories (GitHub, Bitbucket)

Once your local repo is ready, you can push it to a remote Git service like GitHub:

git remote add origin https://github.com/yourusername/my-custom-theme.git git push -u origin main

This makes it easier to share work or roll back changes when needed.

Deploying From Git

You can use deployment tools (like GitHub Actions, DeployBot, or simply manual FTP/SFTP sync) to deploy your project from Git to staging or production servers.

Bonus: Git Branching Strategy I Use

I typically use the following branch strategy:

• main – production-ready code
• develop – latest working features
• feature/ – new feature branches
• fix/ – bug fixes

This keeps everything organized and avoids conflicts during merges.

Conclusion

Combining LocalWP and Git gives you a powerful and safe development workflow for WordPress projects. LocalWP offers speed and convenience, while Git ensures version control and collaboration. If you’re not already using this setup, give it a try — it can significantly improve how you manage your WordPress development.