How to create a staging site using the Site Copy feature

Introduction

The Site Copy feature on Servebolt makes creating staging environments or duplicate sites within the same Bolt easy. You can copy your database, files, caching, access and PHP settings to a new or existing site with a single click.

Since Site Copy is still in Beta, some features, such as multisite support and pushing staging to production, are unavailable. For these tasks, you can use our WP-CLI Site Copy script.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure:

• You have access to the Servebolt Admin Panel.
• The source and destination sites are located within the same Bolt.
• You understand that during the Site Copy process, you cannot manually select a custom domain for the target WordPress site; Site Copy will use the domain on the destination site. If no domain exists, it will automatically use the Internal URL.

Steps to Copy a Site

Open the Site Copy Feature

1. Log in to your Servebolt Admin Panel.
2. Go to the site you want to make a copy of.
3. Click Site Copy in the left side menu.

Select a Destination

You have two options for your copy destination:

1. Create a new site: Ideal for setting up a staging site or testing environment.
2. Use an existing site: Replace the data and files of another/existing staging site on the same Bolt. Site Copy will overwrite all files and delete and replace the destination site’s database.

Select What to Copy

By default, Site Copy transfers these settings:

• Files
• Database
• PHP settings
• Cache settings
• Access settings

As of the current Beta version, you cannot select individual files or directories to be excluded. However, if the Assets option under Files is prechecked, everything in wp-content/uploads/ is transferred to the new copy.

• You can use an existing database as the source or destination, or create a new one.
• If a database is selected, the new site will have its wp-config.php file updated with the new database information.
• The following temporary directories are not copied to the new site, keeping your copy lean and efficient:

wp-content/cache/*
wp-content/backups/*
wp-content/upgrade/*
wp-content/updraft/*
wp-content/ai1wm-backups/*

Start the Copy

1. Review your selections.
2. Click Site Copy.
3. Wait for the process to complete.

The duration depends on your site’s file and database size. Once finished, your new or updated site will appear in your Bolt. For example, a 5 GB site typically completes within one minute, but this varies from site to site.

A history section in the Admin Panel will display all previously copied sites. The Bolt’s owner will also receive an email notification once the Site Copy is complete.