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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteFor WordPress core work, use Docker locally. Choose wp-env when you need a quick, repeatable site for a plugin, theme, or focused test project; choose the Docker workflow built into a WordPress Development repository checkout when you are testing core patches and running the repository’s build and test scripts. The official core workflow is designed around PHPUnit and starts the environment with npm run env:start.
This guide gives you both setup paths, explains when Playground or a traditional local server is appropriate, and shows how to run PHP tests without confusing a visual check with an automated core test run.
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Choose the environment that matches your work
“Local WordPress development” can mean two different things. A plugin or theme developer usually needs a disposable WordPress site into which the project is mounted. A core contributor needs the WordPress source tree, its build process, its Composer dependencies, and the test configuration maintained by the core team. The tools overlap, but the setup and commands are not interchangeable.
| Option | Best fit | Docker required | PHPUnit and automation | Reproducibility and resetability | Setup effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wp-env | Plugin, theme, or focused test project | Yes | PHPUnit files are included for the installed WordPress version; commands expose WP-CLI and PHPUnit | High; configuration is standardized and the site can be recreated from the project directory | Low once Docker and Node.js are installed |
| WordPress Development repository Docker workflow | Core patches tested against the core source tree | Yes | Repository scripts run PHPUnit and other project tests after dependencies and the environment are prepared | High; the checkout, build scripts, and environment are versioned together | Moderate; requires a checkout, package installation, build, and environment installation |
| Playground | Quick visual check or short bug verification without installing a local stack | No local Docker installation | Not the preferred route for command-line PHPUnit, end-to-end suites, or complex persistent patches | Limited for long-lived automated work | Very low for a quick check |
| MAMP, WampServer, or XAMPP | A fallback when Docker cannot be used | No | Possible, but additional configuration is needed for core development | Depends on manual server, database, PHP, and test setup | Higher for core work; WordPress does not optimize these stacks for core development |
If your goal is to change WordPress itself and run the same scripts used by contributors, start with a WordPress Development repository checkout. If you are building or debugging an extension, start with wp-env. Use Playground only when you need a fast browser-based confirmation rather than a persistent test harness.
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Prerequisites
- Docker Desktop installed and running. wp-env creates the WordPress environment through Docker.
- Node.js 20.x or later. This is the current prerequisite listed by the WordPress testing handbook.
- A project directory for wp-env, or a checkout of the WordPress Development repository for core work.
- For core PHP tests, enough time and disk space for the repository’s package installation, build process, Composer dependencies, and test environment provisioning.
Start Docker Desktop before invoking any wp-env or repository environment command. A Docker installation that is present but not running produces an environment-start failure even when Node.js and the project files are correct.
Set up wp-env for a plugin, theme, or focused test project
wp-env is the shortest supported path to a local WordPress site. It wraps Docker with a repeatable command-line workflow and supplies a preconfigured installation. The official wp-env documentation was first published on September 18, 2023 and lists a last update of October 14, 2026; command names and behavior can change with later releases, so check the current package documentation if your installed version reports a different option.
1. Install and start Docker Desktop
Install Docker Desktop for your operating system, launch it, and wait until the Docker engine reports that it is running. Do not continue while Docker Desktop is still starting. The wp-env process needs the engine to create its containers, network, database, and WordPress files.
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Open a terminal and install the package globally:
npm -g install @wordpress/envThe global installation makes the wp-env command available from your shell. If your terminal cannot find the command afterward, reopen the terminal so its executable path is refreshed, then verify that Node.js and npm are the versions you intended to use.
3. Work from the project directory
Change into an existing plugin or theme directory. You can also create a new working directory for a small reproduction or test project. Running the command from the project directory is important because wp-env uses that location as the project context and mounts the project into the local WordPress installation.
4. Start the environment
Run:
wp-env startThe first start may take longer while Docker downloads images and creates the environment. A successful start gives you a local WordPress site at http://localhost:8888.
5. Open the site and sign in
Visit http://localhost:8888 in a browser. The default environment documented by WordPress uses:
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| Field | Default value | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Username | admin |
Default wp-env installation |
| Password | password |
Default wp-env installation |
These credentials describe the default environment, not every custom configuration or an existing site. If you changed the environment’s configuration, use the credentials defined there instead.
Use wp-env for PHPUnit and command-line checks
The @wordpress/env package includes WordPress PHPUnit test files corresponding to the installed WordPress version. It exposes their location through the WP_TESTS_DIR environment variable and makes Composer, PHPUnit, and WP-CLI available through the environment’s command interface.
Run PHPUnit through the environment
When the environment is running, invoke PHPUnit through the CLI service:
wp-env run cli phpunitThis route is useful when your project’s tests depend on the WordPress test library supplied by the environment. It avoids assuming that PHPUnit is installed globally on your host machine and keeps the command tied to the containerized WordPress setup.
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Check the project before interpreting failures
- Confirm Docker Desktop is still running.
- Run the command from the same project directory used for
wp-env start. - Check that the project’s test configuration points to the expected WordPress test files and that
WP_TESTS_DIRresolves inside the environment. - Separate application failures from infrastructure failures: a PHPUnit assertion failure means the test ran, while a missing container, dependency, or test directory indicates setup is incomplete.
wp-env is appropriate for focused plugin or theme tests, but it is not a substitute for the build and test orchestration in a WordPress core checkout.
Set up the WordPress Development repository for core testing
For direct core contribution work, use the Docker environment built into the WordPress Development repository. The Core handbook describes this as the recommended local environment and states that it can be started with npm run env:start regardless of whether the checkout uses Git or Subversion for source control.
1. Obtain a WordPress Development repository checkout
Place the checkout in a directory where you can install Node.js packages, build the source, and allow Docker to create its local environment. Keep your proposed patch and any test changes in this checkout so the repository scripts test the files you are actually modifying.
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2. Install JavaScript dependencies
From the repository root, run:
npm installThis installs the Node.js dependencies required by the repository scripts. The command must complete successfully before the build or environment commands can be relied on.
3. Build the development version
Run:
npm run build:devThe development build prepares the generated assets and files expected by the local core environment. Skipping this step can leave the site running an incomplete or stale build even though the containers start.
4. Start the repository environment
Run:
npm run env:startThis starts the Docker environment defined by the repository. It is distinct from running wp-env start in an arbitrary plugin or theme directory: the repository script knows how to connect the local site to the core source tree and its project configuration.
5. Install WordPress into the environment
Run:
npm run env:installThe installation step provisions the local WordPress site used by the repository tests. Treat it as a required stage rather than an optional convenience; the documented test sequence includes it before PHPUnit is invoked.
6. Run the core PHP test suite
Run:
npm run test:phpPHPUnit is the official testing framework selected by the WordPress Core team for PHP tests. The repository command runs the local PHP tests when the environment is running and the Composer dependencies are installed.
7. Keep a feedback loop for repeated changes
When you are iterating on a patch, use the repository’s watch command:
npm run test:php:watchThe watch mode is intended for repeated local runs while files change. It reduces the friction of manually starting the same test command after every edit, but it still depends on the environment and Composer setup completed in the earlier steps.
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What the core sequence is doing
The six commands are ordered because each prepares something the next stage needs:
npm installinstalls the repository’s JavaScript tooling.npm run build:devcreates the development build used by the local site.npm run env:startstarts the Docker services.npm run env:installinstalls WordPress into that environment.npm run test:phpexecutes the PHP tests through the repository’s PHPUnit configuration.npm run test:php:watchrepeats the PHP test workflow as files change.
Composer dependencies are part of the PHP-test prerequisite. If the test command reports missing PHP packages, finish the repository’s dependency installation rather than trying to replace the project’s PHPUnit configuration with a system-wide package.
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A passing PHPUnit run does not establish that a patch follows WordPress coding conventions. The Block Editor testing overview recommends PHP_CodeSniffer with the WordPress Coding Standards ruleset for style checks. Run that check using the repository’s documented linting instructions for the checkout you are working in, and treat style findings separately from behavioral test failures.
- PHPUnit failure: a test assertion, fatal error, or fixture setup failed.
- PHP_CodeSniffer finding: source formatting or coding-standard rules need attention.
- Build failure: generated assets or JavaScript dependencies are incomplete.
- Environment failure: Docker, the database service, or the local WordPress installation is unavailable.
Playground versus a persistent local environment
Playground is useful when you need to see a behavior quickly or verify a bug without installing Docker, Node.js, and a repository checkout. It is not the preferred route for command-line workflows, PHPUnit, end-to-end suites, or patches that must persist across repeated runs. A visual confirmation in Playground can tell you that a symptom is reproducible in that session; it cannot replace the repository’s controlled build, dependency, and test sequence.
Use Playground when the question is “Can I reproduce this browser behavior right now?” Use wp-env when the question is “Can I run repeatable tests against my plugin or theme?” Use the WordPress Development repository when the question is “Does this core patch pass the project’s own build and PHPUnit workflow?”
When a traditional local server is the only option
MAMP, WampServer, and XAMPP can host WordPress when Docker is unavailable. WordPress warns that these stacks are not optimized for core development, so you must perform more manual setup for PHP versions, the database, web-server configuration, source mounting, Composer dependencies, and test fixtures. They may be practical in a constrained environment, but they do not provide the same ready-made core workflow as the repository’s Docker setup.
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If you take this fallback, preserve the same conceptual stages: use a compatible PHP and database, install the repository dependencies, build the development files, provision a test WordPress installation, and run the repository’s PHPUnit command. Do not assume that a browser-accessible site alone means the core test environment is correctly configured.
Troubleshoot the most common setup failures
Docker commands fail immediately
Ensure Docker Desktop is open and the engine is running. Restarting the terminal does not start Docker itself. Once the engine is ready, rerun the same start command from the correct project or repository directory.
wp-env is not recognized
The global package may not have installed into a directory on your shell’s executable path. Reopen the terminal, verify that Node.js and npm are available, and reinstall @wordpress/env if necessary.
The browser cannot reach localhost:8888
Confirm that wp-env start completed rather than stopping during image download or container creation. Check Docker Desktop for a failed service, then retry after the engine is healthy. A core repository environment may use its own startup flow, so do not assume that the wp-env URL describes every repository configuration.
npm run test:php reports missing dependencies
Return to the repository root and complete npm install, the development build, and the Composer dependency installation required by the checkout. The test command expects the environment to be running and the PHP dependencies to be present.
Tests run against the wrong files
Check that you launched the command from the intended checkout or project directory. wp-env uses the project context, while the repository scripts use the WordPress Development source tree. Mixing directories can produce a valid-looking site that does not contain the code you meant to test.
The site works visually but automated tests are unavailable
This usually means you are using a browser-only check, such as Playground, or a site without the project’s test dependencies. Move to wp-env for a plugin or theme PHPUnit workflow, or use the core repository sequence for a core patch.
A practical decision checklist
- Choose wp-env if your code lives in a plugin or theme directory and you want the quickest repeatable local site.
- Choose the WordPress Development repository workflow if you are changing WordPress core or need the project’s build, Composer, PHPUnit, and watch commands.
- Choose Playground only for a quick visual or bug check when installing local software is not practical.
- Choose a traditional server stack only when Docker is unavailable and you accept the additional manual configuration.
- For core PHP testing, do not skip the build and environment-install stages before
npm run test:php. - For repeated core changes, use
npm run test:php:watchafter the initial setup has succeeded.
What a successful setup gives you
A successful wp-env setup gives a plugin or theme project a local WordPress site at http://localhost:8888, a standard administrative login in the default configuration, and container-provided access to WordPress test files, WP-CLI, Composer, and PHPUnit. A successful core-repository setup gives you the source tree’s development build, a Docker-backed WordPress installation, and the commands used to run the project’s PHP tests. Those are different outcomes, so select the workflow before you begin rather than trying to retrofit a browser-only environment into a core test harness.
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