WP Staging CLI creates Docker sites with WordPress in every one of them — except when you tell it not to. The add command’s --skip-wordpress flag builds the same web server, PHP, database, and HTTPS environment without installing WordPress: a clean local home for PHP applications and static pages.
Create a Plain PHP Site
wpstaging add myapp.local --skip-wordpressYou get the full container stack with trusted HTTPS on the local domain, an empty database, and one placeholder index.php in the site directory. Replace it with your application — or delete it and drop static HTML files into the folder.
Choose the Stack
The site takes every environment option a WordPress site takes:
wpstaging add myapp.local --skip-wordpress --php=8.4
wpstaging add legacy.local --skip-wordpress --use-apache --use-mysql --db-version=5.7The database credentials are passed to the PHP container as DB_HOST, DB_NAME, DB_USER, and DB_PASSWORD — no configuration files to wire up.
Work With the Site
wpstaging open myapp.local— open the site directory in your file manager to drop files in.wpstaging shell myapp.local— a shell inside the PHP container.wpstaging start / stop / restart / status myapp.local— the usual container controls.wpstaging list --jsonandwpstaging status myapp.local --jsonreportsite_type: "php"so scripts can tell these sites apart.wpstaging reset myapp.local— empty the web directory and the database, ready for a fresh run.
WordPress Commands Are Refused
Because there is no WordPress to talk to, the WordPress-only commands — wp, switch-wp, restore, magic-link, update-subdomains — stop with the error code site_has_no_wordpress instead of failing halfway through. Automatic admin sign-in stays off for these sites as well.
Why This Helps AI Agent Workflows
A pipeline or an AI coding agent gets an isolated, reproducible PHP sandbox with a real web server, HTTPS, and a database in one command — and throws it away when the run is done. Multiple copies of the same app run side by side on their own local domains.
Next Steps
- Manage Docker WordPress Sites – add sites, options, and flags
- Choose Apache or MySQL for Local WordPress Sites – pick Apache or MySQL at a specific version
- Automate WP Staging CLI With JSON Output – machine-readable output for scripts
