When you start learning WordPress development, the first confusion usually is: “Where should I write code? How do I set up everything properly?”
A good development environment makes your work easier, faster, and much more organized.
In this article, we’ll set up the basic tools you need to start building plugins and themes the right way.
Local Development Setup
You should never work directly on a live website. A local development tool lets you install WordPress on your own computer, so you can experiment freely.
There are a few popular options:
LocalWP
Very easy for beginners. One-click WordPress installation, database access, SSL, everything is handled automatically.
DevKinsta
Similar to LocalWP. Good performance and simple UI.
Laravel Valet (for Mac)
Lightweight and fast. Suitable if you prefer something minimal. Setup requires a bit more understanding, but it feels great once you get used to it.
Docker
More advanced. Gives you full control over PHP versions, MySQL, Nginx etc. Good for learning production-like environments.
If you are new, just start with LocalWP. It’s simple and stable.
Installing WordPress Quickly with WP-CLI
Instead of downloading and extracting WordPress manually, you can install it using WP-CLI (WordPress Command Line Interface).
Once WP-CLI is installed, you can run commands like:
wp core download
wp config create --dbname=mydb --dbuser=root
wp core install --url=http://mysite.local --title="My Site" --admin_user=admin
Don’t worry if you don’t understand the commands yet—we will learn WP-CLI later in the course.
Just know that this tool saves you a lot of time.
Database Tools
Every WordPress site has a MySQL database. To explore it, you can use tools like:
- phpMyAdmin (comes with most local setups)
- Adminer
- TablePlus (paid, but very comfortable to use)
As a fresher, you don’t need to dive deep into the database right away. Just get familiar with tables like:
- wp_posts
- wp_postmeta
- wp_users
- wp_options
These will appear in almost every project you build.
Code Editor Setup
You will spend most of your time inside your code editor. The two most popular choices are:
VS Code (free)
Perfect for beginners. Add these extensions:
- PHP Intelephense
- Prettier (for formatting)
- WordPress Snippets (optional)
- GitLens (understand version changes)
PHPStorm (paid)
Very powerful for PHP projects. If you plan to become a serious developer, this is worth it, but not necessary in the beginning.
VS Code is more than enough when you’re starting out.
Organizing Your Project Folder
If you’re building a plugin or theme, it’s good to keep files structured. For example, a plugin might look like this:
my-plugin/
my-plugin.php
inc/
assets/
templates/
You don’t have to memorize this now. We will build a real plugin in the upcoming articles, and you’ll understand the structure naturally.
Version Control with Git
Professional developers use Git to track and manage code changes.
Even if you are working alone, Git helps you:
- Undo mistakes
- Try new ideas safely
- Keep your code organized
- Manage multiple versions
You don’t need to master Git from day one. Start with simple commands like:
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
Later, you can learn GitHub to store your projects online.
Why This Setup Matters
Setting up the right environment may feel boring in the beginning, but it makes everything else easier.
With a proper setup:
- Your workflow becomes smoother
- You avoid mistakes
- You learn faster
- You can follow professional tutorials
- You can work with teams or clients easily
Think of this article as preparing your toolbox before building something.
What’s Next
In the next article, we’ll talk about how WordPress loads your code. This helps you understand what actually happens when someone visits a page or when your plugin runs.
If this writing style feels right, I’ll continue the entire course exactly like this.