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Setting up a staging environment is crucial for testing changes to your WordPress website without affecting your live site. RunCloud provides an easy way to create a staging environment, allowing you to experiment with new features, updates, and plugins in a safe space before deploying them to production. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up a staging environment on RunCloud.

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1. Access the Staging Feature

1. Log in to your RunCloud dashboard.
2. Select the WordPress application you want to create a staging site for.
3. Navigate to the Staging section and click Get Started.

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2. Configure Staging Settings

When setting up a staging environment, you will have several configuration options:

• Site Authentication: Enable password protection for your staging site to prevent unauthorized access.
• Discourage Search Engines: This setting ensures that search engines don’t index your staging site, preventing duplicate content issues.
• Domain Selection: Choose between a RunCloud-provided test domain or your own custom subdomain for staging.

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3. Deploy the Staging Site

1. After configuring the settings, click Deploy Staging.
2. RunCloud will clone your live website to create the staging environment.
3. Once the process is complete, you will receive a URL to access your staging site.

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4. Access and Manage the Staging Site

• If you enabled Site Authentication, enter the username and password you set up earlier.
• Use this environment to test updates, install plugins, and modify themes without affecting your live website.

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5. Synchronize Changes Between Staging and Live Sites

After testing, you can push changes from staging to production:

1. Go to the Sync option in the Staging menu.
2. Select the direction of synchronization (e.g., staging to live site).
3. Choose whether to sync all database tables or just selected ones.
4. Click Sync to apply the changes to your live site.

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6. Delete the Staging Site (If Needed)

If the staging site is no longer required, you can delete it:

1. Go to the Staging menu or the Web Application list in RunCloud.
2. Click on the Delete Staging Site option.
3. Deleting the staging site will not affect your live website.

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Need Assistance?

If you need help setting up or managing your staging environment on RunCloud, our expert support team is here to assist you. Feel free to contact us for any troubleshooting or guidance.