This article will explain how to clone your WordPress installation for testing or staging purposes.
Step 1. Login to your cPanel control panel.
Step 2. click the Softaculous Apps installer icon under "Software" category.
Step 3. click the 'All Installations' icon in the upper right corner.
Step 4. Here you will find a list of all your installed apps/scripts. Find the WordPress installation you want to clone and click on the Clone icon.
Step 5. On the Clone Installation page, you will need to fill out the details of where you want your clone installation to go. Enter 'staging' as the directory name and then click 'Clone Installation'.
That's it! You will now be able to log into your Staging WordPress install by browsing to www.yourdomain.com/staging/wp-admin and perform changes without breaking anything on your live site.
Merge Staging site to the live Site
If you are simply testing a quick change on your WordPress site or if your WordPress upgrade goes smooth without any issues, you can proceed to make the same changes on your live site now that you know the results. However if you are performing extensive changes on the staging site and want to merge them onto your live site, this can be accomplished by following these steps.
Step 1. Return to the "All installations" page in Softaculous Apps installer, first create a backup of your Live site.
Step 2. Remove your Live wordpress install (including the databases & files).
Step 3. Clone your staging site, leaving out the 'staging' directory name. This will merge any changes or upgrades you have made to your live site.
Merge Staging site to the live Site
If you are simply testing a quick change on your WordPress site or if your WordPress upgrade goes smooth without any issues, you can proceed to make the same changes on your live site now that you know the results. However if you are performing extensive changes on the staging site and want to merge them onto your live site, this can be accomplished by following these steps.
Step 1. Return to the "All installations" page in Softaculous Apps installer, first create a backup of your Live site.
Step 2. Remove your Live wordpress install (including the databases & files).
Step 3. Clone your staging site, leaving out the 'staging' directory name. This will merge any changes or upgrades you have made to your live site.
