Do you want to start building WordPress websites on your computer, without the need for hosting?
It's actually quite easy to do, and in this tutorial, I will show you how! I will also discuss some of the benefits and disadvantages of setting things up a WordPress website without hosting.
The traditional way of setting the WordPress website locally you would have to download and install XAMPP or MAMP which are both free software that you can use to set up a local server environment on your computer. These program bundles together Apache, MySQL, and PHP which are all necessary components for running WordPress.
Normally with those, you would have to download WordPress manually or through the terminal, configure your database, and go through some tutorials on how to set up your WordPress website without hosting on your local computer, which is time-consuming, and then you have to do it for each one a manual set up.
There is a better way with a tool called Local, which you can download, and install for free and it works on Mac, Windows or Linux.
Benefits of developing a website with Local
It's Free
When I started using it, it came with a $20 per month price tag to have extra features such as live links, instant reload, priority support MagicSync, and more, they announced in June 2021, that Local is free for everyone.
It's a very cost-effective way if you want to try WordPress without hosting on your local machine.
Faster Setup
Once you have Local installed on your operating system, it's super quick to install it, and it configures the database automatically!
You can create as many WordPress websites as you want without having to worry about hosting fees.
Quicker to design and develop
When you work on a live WordPress site, it's slower because you have to wait for the server to respond.
Running a WordPress website without hosting on your computer is much quicker!
Work Offline
You don't need an internet connection to work on your WordPress website.
Test Plugins and Themes
It can be very risky to install plugins or themes on a live WordPress site, as it could break the whole website and affect the user experience.
With Local, you can easily test out plugins and themes without affecting your live WordPress site.
Or create your own custom plugin, and test it offline.
Share Live Links
One of the features I like a lot is being able to share live links with clients, or collaborators. I do though prefer to migrate the website with a plugin All-In-One migration to my live hosting provider SiteGround as it's more stable.
Create a WordPress website blueprint
If you're a web designer or developer, you can use Local to quickly create WordPress website blueprints.
You can install a theme, and plugins and have everything set up the way you want it, so when you start building the site for your client, everything is ready to go!
Downloading Local
Go to https://localwp.com/ website, click "or download for free" button, and download Local for your operating system.
Installing Local
Once you have installed local, open the file and move it to the Applications folder.
Once you have it installed, let's open it up and get our WordPress website live!
Working with Local
Once you have it installed, let's open it up and get our WordPress website live!
First, accept the terms of conditions, install an update if it asks, give permission to share data with Local, and create an account with them so you can use it for your live links.
Create a new WordPress website
Click on the button "Create a New Site"
Give it a name
For example, I am going to call this WordPress website "Pluto Cars", then press continue.
Choose your Environment
I would recommend going with the preferred option, and more advanced users can set up custom configurations.
Setup WordPress admin account
Enter a preferred username, choosing a username as "admin" is not recommended, as it can be attacked easily by hackers.
Add a strong password.
Include your email address, your email will be used to send any notification to your email such as if the WordPress website is down and displaying an error, or in case you need to recover your password.
Automatic Installtion & Done
After clicking "Add Site" an automatic WordPress website installation will start, and once completed you will be able to see a screen like this will all the WordPress details
That's it you've got a WordPress website installed on your local operating system without using hosting!
Working with WordPress
Admin Login
To login to the WordPress admin dashboard click on the button "ADMIN" which is displayed in the above screenshot on the top right, and you will be brought over to a login page for your website.
WordPress Admin Dashboard
Once you are logged in you will the dashboard, where you install themes, and plugins, add posts, and pages and customise your WordPress website to your needs.
Accessing Homepage
To view your home page on the website, click the Home icon with your website name on the top left in the admin dashboard, and it will bring you to the front page.
To head back to the admin dashboard, click the dashboard icon with your website name beside it.
Conclusion
Overall, I think Local is an excellent tool to build your WordPress website without hosting, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to try WordPress without hosting on their local machine.