Laragon: Your Ultimate Local Development Tool

In the world of web development, having a reliable local development environment is crucial. It allows you to work on projects offline, test new features, and troubleshoot without affecting live websites. Laragon, a powerful local development tool, has gained popularity for its ease of use and robust feature set. In this post, we’ll delve into the world of Laragon and guide you through the process of installing WordPress with this versatile tool.

What is Laragon?

Laragon is a lightweight, portable, and user-friendly local development environment for web developers. It provides a seamless platform for building web applications using popular server-side languages like PHP, along with databases such as MySQL and PostgreSQL. One of Laragon’s standout features is its simplicity. With a user-friendly interface and intuitive controls, it’s an ideal choice for developers of all levels of expertise.

Installing Laragon

Getting started with Laragon is a breeze. Follow these steps to install it on your system:

  1. Download Laragon: Visit the official Laragon website (https://laragon.org/) and download the installer that matches your operating system.
  2. Run the Installer: Once downloaded, run the installer. It will guide you through the installation process, allowing you to customize settings like installation directory and default services.
  3. Launch Laragon: After installation is complete, launch Laragon. You’ll be greeted by its user-friendly interface, complete with a menu of available services and tools.

Installing WordPress with Laragon’s One-Click Installer

Laragon’s one-click installer simplifies the process of setting up a WordPress project on your local development environment. Follow these steps to get your WordPress site up and running in no time:

Step 1: Download and Install Laragon

If you haven’t already, download Laragon from the official website and install it on your machine. Once the installation is complete, launch Laragon.

Step 2: Start Laragon and Create a New Project

After launching Laragon, you’ll see the Laragon control panel. Click on the “Start All” button to start the server, PHP, and MySQL.

Now, click on the “www” menu and select “Quick create,” then enter a name for your project. Laragon will automatically create a folder for your project within its “www” directory.

Step 3: Open the Quick App Menu

Once your project is created, click on the “www” menu again and select your project. You’ll see a “Quick App” menu on the right-hand side.

Step 4: Install WordPress

In the “Quick App” menu, you’ll find the “WordPress” option. Click on it, and Laragon will start the installation process. It will download the latest version of WordPress, set up the database, and configure everything for you.

Step 5: Configure WordPress

Once the installation is complete, you can access your WordPress site by typing the project name in your web browser. Laragon will also provide a link to access the WordPress admin dashboard.

Setting Up WordPress with Laragon Manually

Now that you have Laragon up and running, let’s dive into the process of installing WordPress:

Step 1: Creating a New Project

  1. Open Laragon and click on the “Quick create” menu.
  2. Select the desired PHP version and database server (MySQL or MariaDB) for your project.
  3. Enter a project name (e.g., my-wordpress-site) and click “Create.”

Step 2: Downloading WordPress

  1. Visit the official WordPress website (https://wordpress.org/) and download the latest version of WordPress.
  2. Extract the downloaded zip file to Laragon’s “www” directory, typically located at C:\laragon\www.

Step 3: Creating a Database

  1. Open Laragon and click on the “Database” menu.
  2. Create a new database (e.g., my_wordpress_db) and take note of the database name, username, and password.

Step 4: Configuring WordPress

  1. Navigate to the extracted WordPress folder in Laragon’s “www” directory.
  2. Find the wp-config-sample.php file and duplicate it, naming the copy wp-config.php.
  3. Open wp-config.php in a text editor and fill in the database details (name, username, password) you created in Step 3.

Step 5: Accessing Your WordPress Site

  1. Launch Laragon and start the Apache and MySQL services.
  2. In your web browser, enter http://my-wordpress-site.test (replace with your project name) to access your local WordPress site.

Congratulations! You now have WordPress successfully installed and running on Laragon.

Leveraging Laragon’s Benefits

Beyond WordPress, Laragon supports various other CMS platforms, frameworks, and programming languages. Its seamless integration with version control systems like Git and powerful extensions make it an indispensable tool for developers.

In conclusion, Laragon is a versatile and user-friendly local development tool that empowers web developers to create and test their projects efficiently. Its simplicity and robust feature set make it a valuable addition to any developer’s toolkit.

So, why wait? Dive into the world of Laragon and supercharge your local development workflow!


Photo credit: SearchEngineJournal

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