wp-env - WordPress Local Development Environment

This skill provides assistance for working with wp-env, a tool that sets up local WordPress development environments using Docker with minimal configuration.

About wp-env

wp-env (@wordpress/env) creates Docker-based WordPress environments for plugin and theme development. It provides:

• Zero-config setup - Works out of the box for plugins and themes
• Dual environments - Separate development (port 8888) and testing (port 8889) instances
• Pre-configured tools - Includes WP-CLI, Composer, PHPUnit, and Xdebug
• Flexible configuration - Customize via .wp-env.json for complex setups

Default Access:

• Development site: http://localhost:8888
• Testing site: http://localhost:8889
• Login: username admin, password password
• Database: user root, password password

Prerequisites Check

Before working with wp-env, verify these dependencies are installed and running:

# Check Docker is installed and running
docker --version
docker ps

# Check Node.js and npm
node --version
npm --version

# Check if wp-env is installed
wp-env --version

If Docker is not running: Start Docker Desktop application first - wp-env cannot function without Docker.

If wp-env is not installed: Install globally with npm -g install @wordpress/env

Common Workflows

First-Time Environment Setup

When setting up wp-env for the first time in a plugin or theme directory:

# 1. Ensure Docker Desktop is running
docker ps

# 2. Install wp-env globally (if not already installed)
npm -g install @wordpress/env

# 3. Navigate to your plugin or theme directory
cd /path/to/your/plugin

# 4. Start the environment (downloads WordPress, sets up containers)
wp-env start

# 5. Access the site at http://localhost:8888
# Login with admin/password

wp-env will automatically detect if the current directory is a plugin or theme and mount it appropriately.

Daily Development Operations

Starting the environment:

# Start with existing configuration
wp-env start

# Start and update WordPress/sources
wp-env start --update

# Start with Xdebug enabled for debugging
wp-env start --xdebug

Stopping the environment:

# Stop containers (preserves data)
wp-env stop

Checking environment status:

# View running containers
docker ps

# Should show: wordpress (8888), tests-wordpress (8889), mariadb (3306)

Running WP-CLI Commands

Execute WordPress CLI commands inside the environment using wp-env run:

# List users on development instance
wp-env run cli wp user list

# Install a plugin
wp-env run cli wp plugin install contact-form-7 --activate

# Create a test post on the testing instance
wp-env run tests-cli wp post create --post_title="Test Post" --post_status=publish

# Update permalink structure (enables REST API access)
wp-env run cli "wp rewrite structure /%postname%/"

# Open WordPress shell for interactive PHP
wp-env run cli wp shell

Environment types:

• cli / wordpress - Development environment (shares database with port 8888)
• tests-cli / tests-wordpress - Testing environment (separate database, port 8889)

Working directory context: By default, commands run from WordPress root. For plugin-specific commands, use --env-cwd:

# Run composer install in your plugin directory
wp-env run cli --env-cwd=wp-content/plugins/your-plugin composer install

# Run PHPUnit tests in your plugin
wp-env run tests-cli --env-cwd=wp-content/plugins/your-plugin phpunit

Database Reset for Testing

Reset the database to clean state:

# Reset only the tests database (default)
wp-env clean

# Reset development database
wp-env clean development

# Reset both databases
wp-env clean all

⚠️ Warning: This permanently deletes all posts, pages, media, and custom data.

Viewing Logs

Monitor PHP errors and Docker container logs:

# View development environment logs (follows/watches by default)
wp-env logs

# View testing environment logs
wp-env logs tests

# View both environments
wp-env logs all

# Disable following/watching
wp-env logs --watch=false

Working with Ports

If the default port 8888 conflicts with another service:

# Using environment variables
WP_ENV_PORT=3333 wp-env start

# Check which ports are in use
docker ps

Or configure ports in .wp-env.json:

{
  "port": 3333,
  "testsPort": 3334
}

Note: Environment variables take precedence over .wp-env.json values.

Quick Reference - Essential Commands

Command	Description
wp-env start	Start the environment
wp-env start --update	Start and update WordPress/sources
wp-env stop	Stop the environment
wp-env clean [env]	Reset database (env: tests, development, all)
wp-env destroy	Completely remove containers and data
wp-env logs [env]	View logs (env: development, tests, all)
wp-env run <container> <command>	Execute command in container
wp-env install-path	Show where environment files are stored
docker ps	Check which containers are running

Common containers for wp-env run:

• cli - WP-CLI, Composer, PHPUnit (development)
• tests-cli - WP-CLI, Composer, PHPUnit (testing)
• wordpress - WordPress PHP environment (development)
• tests-wordpress - WordPress PHP environment (testing)

Configuration with .wp-env.json

Create a .wp-env.json file in your project root to customize the environment.

Common Configuration Patterns

Basic plugin development:

{
  "plugins": ["."]
}

Custom WordPress version:

{
  "core": "WordPress/WordPress#6.4.0",
  "plugins": ["."]
}

Multi-plugin setup:

{
  "plugins": [".", "WordPress/classic-editor", "../another-plugin"]
}

For complete configuration reference with 20+ examples, environment-specific overrides, custom mappings, multisite setup, and lifecycle scripts, see references/configuration-guide.md.

When Things Go Wrong

Common Errors

Error: "Error while running docker-compose command"

• Check that Docker Desktop is started and running
• Check Docker Desktop dashboard for logs, restart, or remove existing virtual machines
• Then try rerunning wp-env start

Error: "Host is already in use by another container"

• The container you are attempting to start is already running, or another container is. You can stop an existing container by running wp-env stop from the directory that you started it in
• If you do not remember the directory where you started wp-env, you can stop all containers by running docker stop $(docker ps -q). This will stop all Docker containers, so use with caution
• Then try rerunning wp-env start

For comprehensive troubleshooting including Ubuntu Docker setup, database issues, and advanced debugging, see references/troubleshooting.md.

Advanced Features

For detailed information on these features, see references/command-reference.md.

Xdebug: Enable step debugging with wp-env start --xdebug. Configure your IDE for port 9003.

PHPUnit: WordPress test files included. Run with wp-env run tests-cli --env-cwd=wp-content/plugins/your-plugin phpunit.

Composer: Execute commands with wp-env run cli --env-cwd=wp-content/plugins/your-plugin composer install.

Best Practices

Directory Context

• Run wp-env start from your plugin or theme directory for automatic mounting
• Use --env-cwd when running commands that need to execute in specific directories
• Use absolute paths when possible to avoid confusion

Development Workflow

1. Start environment once per work session: wp-env start
2. Make code changes - they're immediately reflected (no rebuild needed)
3. Use wp-env run cli wp commands for WordPress operations
4. Check logs when debugging: wp-env logs
5. Stop when done: wp-env stop

Testing Workflow

1. Use tests-cli and tests-wordpress for isolated testing
2. Reset test database frequently: wp-env clean tests
3. Keep test and development environments separate
4. Use wp-env clean all before running full integration tests

Configuration Management

• Keep .wp-env.json in version control for team consistency
• Use .wp-env.override.json (gitignored) for local-only overrides
• Document custom configurations in project README

Where Files Are Stored

wp-env stores files in a home directory (defaults vary by platform):

# Get the install path for current project
wp-env install-path

# Default locations:
# macOS/Windows: ~/.wp-env/$md5_of_project_path
# Linux: ~/wp-env/$md5_of_project_path

Override with WP_ENV_HOME environment variable:

WP_ENV_HOME="./local-wp-env" wp-env start

Additional Resources

• Command Reference: references/command-reference.md - Complete CLI documentation
• Configuration Guide: references/configuration-guide.md - All .wp-env.json options
• Troubleshooting: references/troubleshooting.md - Common issues and solutions

External documentation:

• @wordpress/env npm package
• WordPress Developer Handbook - wp-env
• Docker Desktop