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Pushing to a Development Server

Follow these steps to create a new subdomain, configure DNS settings, set up the database, and deploy your WordPress site. This process ensures a smooth transition from local development to a staging environment where you can test your site before pushing to production.

  1. Login to VentraIP:

    • Access VentraIP and navigate to the cPanel for perth.agency.

  2. Create a New Domain:

    • In cPanel, create a new domain, e.g., sitename.startdigital.com.au.
    • Untick Share document root and set the document root to a simple name like sitename.

  3. Configure DNS in Cloudflare:

    • Log in to Cloudflare and navigate to the DNS settings for startdigital.com.au.
    • Create an A record with the name as sitename and the IPv4 address as the IP address listed on cPanel.
    • Ensure the name matches the domain created within cPanel and proxy is turned off.

  4. Set Up MySQL Database:

    • In cPanel, go to MySQL® Databases.
    • Create a new database, a database user, and add the user to the database with all permissions.

  5. Upload WordPress Core:

    • Access the File Manager in cPanel, locate the sitename folder.
    • Upload and extract the WordPress core into this folder.

  6. Install WordPress:

    • Navigate to the domain, e.g., sitename.startdigital.com.au, and proceed with the standard WordPress setup.

  7. Install WP Migrate Plugin:

    • Install the WP Migrate plugin on both the local site and the development site.

  8. Migrate Content:

    • On the local site, navigate to Tools > WP Migrate and select 'push'.
    • Create a find and replace rule for 'http://' with 'https://'.
    • Select all options except themes and proceed with the migration.

  9. Edit GitHub Workflow:

    • Modify the deploy.yaml file within your .github/workflows directory.
    • Change the server-dir to the domain document root created earlier, e.g., sitename/.

  10. Configure FTP Credentials:

    • In VentraIP, click manage on perth.agency to find the username and password.
    • Enter the username into the deploy.yaml.
    • In the GitHub repository, go to Settings > Secrets & Variables > Repository Secret, and create a DEV_FTP_PASS secret containing the FTP password.

  11. Deploy Changes:

    • Push the changes to GitHub and monitor the GitHub Actions to ensure the deployment is successful on the server.