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Create a Plain PHP or Static Site Without WordPress
add --skip-wordpress builds the same Docker site with web server, PHP, database, and HTTPS - but no WordPress. For PHP apps and static pages.
Founder
Rene Hermenau
Building WordPress infrastructure tools since 2015
About
About René Hermenau
I'm René Hermenau, founder of WP STAGING. I've been developing WordPress infrastructure software since 2013, building WP STAGING since 2015, and publishing code on GitHub since 2011.
WP STAGING started as a developer project to solve a problem I kept running into during client work: cloning and migrating WordPress sites safely without breaking serialized data, file paths, media references, or database relationships.
Today, WP STAGING is built and maintained by a team of more than 10 people. The free plugin is used on 100,000+ active WordPress installations, and WP STAGING Pro powers backup, migration, staging, and deployment workflows for agencies, hosting providers, ecommerce stores, and professional WordPress teams.
I'm still hands-on with the codebase, architecture, and technical direction of the product. Much of my work focuses on reliable database exports, memory-efficient processing on large WordPress sites, safe restore workflows, staging-to-production deployments, and reducing the risk of partially written files or database tables during migrations.
On this author page, you'll find technical articles, documentation, and product guides I have written, reviewed, or helped shape with the WP STAGING team.
When you touch code, leave it 10% better than before and write a test.
If you're stuck on a WP STAGING question, start with the documentation. If you hit a bug, file it on GitHub. Our team reads everything that lands there.
Areas of expertise
WordPress backups and restore workflows
WordPress staging sites and cloning
WordPress migrations and site transfers
WordPress database structure and serialized data
Remote Sync and server-to-server WordPress transfers
WP STAGING CLI and local Docker-based WordPress development
Plugin architecture, large-site performance, and safe deployment workflows
At a glance
Role: Founder of WP STAGING
Focus: WordPress backups, staging, migrations, database handling, plugin architecture, and deployment safety
Experience: Developing WordPress infrastructure software since 2013 and building WP STAGING since 2015
Code: github.com/rene-hermenau
Recent articles by Rene Hermenau
2,699 total-
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Choose Apache or MySQL for Local WordPress Sites
WP Staging CLI defaults to nginx and MariaDB, but every site can run on Apache or on MySQL at a specific database version to match production.
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Automate WP Staging CLI With JSON Output
Every WP Staging CLI command can answer in machine-readable JSON — for CI jobs, dashboards, and AI coding agents that recreate local sites on demand.
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Run WP-CLI Commands on Local WordPress Sites
The wpstaging wp command runs WP-CLI inside the PHP container of a local site — no docker exec, no copied binaries.
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Sign In to wp-admin Without a Password
WP Staging CLI magic-link creates one-time, expiring login links for your local WordPress sites — from the terminal or the site list.
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Create a WordPress Multisite Network Locally
Create a subdomain multisite with WP Staging CLI, restore a production multisite backup, and keep subsite addresses working in the browser.
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Switch PHP and WordPress Versions on a Local Site
Change the PHP or WordPress version of a WP Staging CLI site in place, without reinstalling, and test a client backup across several versions.
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UpdraftCentral Security Incident: How to Check and Protect Your WordPress Site
If your WordPress sites run UpdraftPlus and you have ever connected them to a teamupdraft.com account or to UpdraftCentral, this guide explains what has been reported about the…
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Keep CI Running When GitHub Is Down
Self-hosted runners do not survive a GitHub Actions outage — they wait for an orchestrator that is gone. Here is the fallback control plane we built, the commands…
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Cloudflare Rate Limiting Blocks the WP STAGING REST API (HTTP 429)
If your site sits behind Cloudflare and a rate limiting rule is active, that rule can also match the WP STAGING REST API. Cloudflare then answers those requests…
Try WP STAGING
Clone, stage, and back up WordPress sites in seconds. Built and maintained by Rene Hermenau and team.