To create a sandbox for your WordPress site in AWS Lightsail, you can follow these steps:
Step 1: Launch a new instance for the staging environment
- Sign in to the AWS Lightsail console at https://lightsail.aws.amazon.com/.
- Click “Create Instance” and select the WordPress blueprint.
- Configure the instance settings for your sandbox, such as instance size and instance location.
- Launch the instance.
Step 2: Connect to the test instance
- Once the instance is up and running, connect to it using SSH. You can use the browser-based SSH client that Lightsail provides.
Step 3: Clone your production WordPress site to the staging environment
- In the test instance's SSH terminal, navigate to the web root directory: cd /var/www/html/
- Clone the files and database from your production WordPress site to the test instance. This can be done using various methods like Git, copying files over SSH, or using a plugin like Duplicator.
Step 4: Update WordPress Test Site Settings
- In the test instance, navigate to the WordPress installation directory: cd /var/www/html/
- Update the wp-config.php file with the sandbox database connection details.
- You may also want to update the site URL to reflect the sandbox.
Step 5: Configure the staging environment
- Configure any necessary plugins, themes, or configurations specific to your test environment. This may include disabling unnecessary plugins, enabling debugging, or restricting access to the test site.
Step 6: Test and validate the staging environment
- Access the test site through a web browser using the test instance's public IP address or domain name.
- Verify that the test site is working properly and test any changes or updates you want to make.
By creating a test environment, you can test changes and updates on your WordPress site before deploying them to your production site. This helps ensure that any potential issues are identified and resolved before they affect your live website.
