GUIDE

Local WordPress development without Docker

SiteShift runs complete WordPress sites on your machine with bundled PHP and MySQL — no containers, no VMs, no system config. When you're done, push straight to your host over SSH.

WHY SITESHIFT

Everything a local WordPress stack needs

One app replaces Docker Desktop, MAMP-style stacks and manual database setup.

No Docker, no VMs

Static PHP and MySQL binaries live under ~/.siteshift. Nothing touches your system PHP, no daemons run in the background.

A site in about a minute

One command downloads WordPress, provisions a database and serves the site at mysite.localhost.

PHP 8.1–8.4 per site

Match every project to its production PHP version and switch runtimes per site without reinstalling anything.

One-click WP admin

Open wp-admin through one-time login links — no juggling local passwords across projects.

Local isn't a dead end

Push files and database to any SSH-reachable host when you're ready, and pull production back down to debug locally.

Host integrations

API-assisted setup discovers SSH details for supported providers, so connecting a host takes minutes.

Hostinger SiteGround Cloudways Kinsta DigitalOcean OVHcloud
HOW IT WORKS

From download to deployed

Three steps. About a minute to your first live site.

1

Download one binary

No installers, no dependencies, no Docker Desktop. Unzip and run.

2

Create a site

WordPress downloaded, database provisioned, installed and served at mysite.localhost in about a minute.

3

Connect your host and push

Drop in SSH credentials, then one click to deploy files + database over the wire.

siteshift — install

Local development questions

No. SiteShift bundles static PHP and MySQL binaries, so a full WordPress site runs natively on your machine — no Docker Desktop, no containers, no virtual machines.

Yes. PHP 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 and 8.4 are bundled, and you can switch the runtime per site to match each project's production server.

Connect your host over SSH (or use a one-click integration), then push. SiteShift deploys the files and the database to any SSH-reachable server — you're not tied to one hosting provider.

SiteShift runs on macOS and Windows. It ships as one binary — unzip and run.

One plan with everything included: €9/month excl. VAT, or 15% off billed yearly. You can cancel anytime from your account, so trying it for a month is low-risk.

Ready to ship? Get SiteShift Pro — cancel anytime.

Get Pro