Title: Getting Started with localhost install
Last modified: August 30, 2016

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# Getting Started with localhost install

 *  [sonouna](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sonouna/)
 * (@sonouna)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/getting-started-with-localhost-install/)
 * Hello,
    I am called to do some web developmet for my company but I’m really new
   to the job and trying to make sense of the existing documentation. I have experience
   working with WordPress and building child themes online , but I am now trying
   to set up a local dev environment. I used MAMP to set up a localhost environment
   on OS X, backed up and loaded my site’s database through PHPMyAdmin, and I am
   now trying to follow along with the Codex instructions here: [https://codex.wordpress.org/Running_a_Development_Copy_of_WordPress](https://codex.wordpress.org/Running_a_Development_Copy_of_WordPress)(
   trying to stick to first option, “Creating a Second Installation With Separate
   Tables” I think I have changed my values correctly in wp.config.php for DB_NAME
   DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD and B_HOST (this is now “localhost”, right?)
 * but what about the following box, after “then the DB changes you’ll have to do
   are:”, where would I put that code? in the same file?
 * And don’t I need to change the values for WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL?
 * Thanks for any help, really appreciate
    Elena

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  [RossMitchell](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rossmitchell/)
 * (@rossmitchell)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/getting-started-with-localhost-install/#post-6311541)
 * > And don’t I need to change the values for WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL?
 * If you do what most people do and run there site as “localhost”, then yes you
   have to change them, and also change lots of other database entries which specify
   images etc. BUT do NOT do this.
 * What I strongly advise you to do is to configure your locally served website 
   to use “VirtualHost” settings.
    Details here: [http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/vhosts/name-based.html](http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/vhosts/name-based.html)
   And put your domain name into your “hosts” file, details here: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_%28file%29](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_%28file%29)
 * Then you can turn off the selection of the live website and your local copy by
   a simple edit of your hosts file.
 * This way your website never knows that it has moved.
 *  Thread Starter [sonouna](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sonouna/)
 * (@sonouna)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/getting-started-with-localhost-install/#post-6311592)
 * Thanks RossMitchell
    I think I do have VHost set up, I followed these instructions
   instead: [http://foundationphp.com/tutorials/vhosts_mamp.php](http://foundationphp.com/tutorials/vhosts_mamp.php)
   and I see some of the steps match those in the links you provided.
 * Can you please clarify this sentence
 * > Then you can turn off the selection of the live website and your local copy
   > by a simple edit of your hosts file.
 * Where would I turn of selection of the live site? That one is not hosted locally,
   it’s hosted on Dreamhost.
    Are you suggesting that the local domain should name
   match the live site domain? Are the changes I did on the wp-config.php file still
   necessary?
 * thanks 🙂 – as I said I’m pretty confused about this new section of WordPress
   development
 * Elena
 *  [RossMitchell](https://wordpress.org/support/users/rossmitchell/)
 * (@rossmitchell)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/getting-started-with-localhost-install/#post-6311604)
 * > Where would I turn of selection of the live site? That one is not hosted locally,
   > it’s hosted on Dreamhost.
 * What happens is that BEFORE a name is given to the internet DNS system to be 
   mapped to an IP address, the name is first looked up in your HOSTS file. Editing
   the hosts file and making the line(s) for your local testing website into comments(
   prefix of “#” or is it “;” ? will mask the local lookup. When you want to test
   locally again, “uncomment” the lines. My entries are like:
 *     ```
       mysite.com.au 127.0.0.1
       www.mysite.com.au 127.0.0.1
       ```
   
 * > Are you suggesting that the local domain should name match the live site domain?
 * Yes, exactly the same, then you don’t need to change ANYTHING in te database.
 * > Are the changes I did on the wp-config.php file still necessary?
 * Yes, the database name, user name and password etc have to match what is in your
   local mysql database server.
    Of course if you want to you can create the database
   and everything to have the same names but I don’t find it worth the trouble. 
   It is also helpful to be able to tell which database is which from the name.
 *  Thread Starter [sonouna](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sonouna/)
 * (@sonouna)
 * [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/getting-started-with-localhost-install/#post-6311609)
 * Thank you so much!
    I’ll give that a try early next week and update here when
   I’m done. Elena

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The topic ‘Getting Started with localhost install’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [MAMP](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/mamp/)
 * [wp_config](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wp_config/)

 * In: [Localhost Installs](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/localhost-installs/)
 * 4 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [sonouna](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sonouna/)
 * Last activity: [10 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/getting-started-with-localhost-install/#post-6311609)
 * Status: not resolved

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