The update goes straight to the live site
- payments-gateway updated to 3.2.1
- Fatal error /checkout
- First customer email: “can’t pay”
- Restore started from last night
Customers found the problem first, and checkout was down for almost an hour.
FeatureStaging for WordPress
One-click WordPress staging, hosted by BlogVault
A staging site is a private copy of your website for testing updates and changes before they go live. BlogVault builds that copy on our own servers in one click, so you don’t need a subdomain, extra hosting or a staging plugin, and your live site never slows down. When your changes work, push them live.
- 1 clickTo create a staging site
- Our serversWe host it, nothing to set up
- IncludedOn every plan, at no extra cost
- 6 monthsLongest a staging site lasts
How BlogVault staging works
Here, a store tests three updates on a staging site. One of them breaks the checkout on the copy, so it never reaches the live store. The other two work, and are pushed live.
- [Create]Create the staging site from a backup▸ Backup · Sep 7, 22:00 · PHP 8.2
- [Change]Make and test your changes▸ 2 plugins updated · 1 theme edit
- [Compare]See what’s different from live▸ 3 differences · 1 failed check
- [Merge]Push only what works to live▸ 2 merged · 2 held back
An illustration of the BlogVault staging dashboard. Plugin names and versions are examples.
Why test updates on a staging site first
Plugin and theme updates are the most common reason a WordPress site breaks. Here is the same plugin update, done two ways.
The update is tested on a copy first
- Staging built from the 22:00 backup
- payments-gateway updated to 3.2.1
- Fatal error /checkout · staging only
- Held back · live still on 3.1.4
You found the problem on the copy. Visitors to the live site never saw it.
Times are illustrative.
Step by step
Setting up a staging site takes one click
No subdomain to create, no extra hosting and no migration plugin. Your live site only changes at the last step, when you decide.
Read the step-by-step guideStaging workflowBuilt on our servers
[Create]
Choose a backup and click Add staging
Pick today’s backup or an older one, and the PHP version you want. BlogVault builds the copy on its own servers, at a BlogVault address.
What the copy includes[Protect]
It’s private from the start
Every staging site is password-protected, hidden from search engines, blocked from sending email and served over SSL.
Privacy settings[Change]
Work on it like your live site
Log in to WordPress as usual. For deeper work, each staging site has its own SFTP login and phpMyAdmin.
Compare staging options[Merge]
Push your changes to the live site
The dashboard shows what’s different between staging and live. Choose the changes to push, and leave everything else as it is.
See it in actionPrivacy settings
Your staging site stays private
A staging site is a full copy of your real site, including customer data and automated emails. So every BlogVault staging site starts with these four protections switched on. There is nothing to configure.
- ▸ Passwordon
Password protected
Visitors need a username and password before they even reach the WordPress login, so only your team can see the staging site.
Password required - ▸ Search enginesblocked
Hidden from Google
Search engines are blocked, so Google never finds a duplicate of your site and your SEO isn’t affected.
Search engines blocked - ▸ Outgoing emailblocked
Emails are blocked
Order receipts, password resets and newsletters can’t be sent from staging, so customers never get emails from your test site.
Outgoing email blocked - ▸ SSLon
SSL included
Every staging site runs on HTTPS, so it is secure and behaves the same way as your live site.
HTTPS on
On for every staging site, automatically
What else you can do with a staging site
Testing updates is the main use, but a staging site is also the safe place for a few other jobs that are risky on a live site.
- [PHP]
Test a new PHP version
Choose the PHP version when you create the staging site, and check that your plugins and theme still work before you upgrade PHP on the live site.
- [Backups]
Look at an older version of your site
Create a staging site from any backup, not just today’s, to see how your site looked and worked before a change.
- [Tools]
Edit files and the database
Each staging site comes with its own SFTP login and phpMyAdmin, so developers can upload files and work on the database directly.
- [Servers]
Nothing runs on your web host
BlogVault hosts the staging site on its own servers, so it doesn’t use your host’s disk space, memory or bandwidth, and it can’t slow your live site down.
- [Address]
No DNS or subdomain setup
Your staging site gets its own BlogVault address automatically. You don’t need to create a subdomain or change any DNS settings.
- [Multisite]
Staging for Multisite
You can create staging sites for subdirectory Multisite networks, with every staging feature. Multisite is on the Business and WooCommerce plans.
BlogVault staging compared with the alternatives
You can also create a staging site with a plugin on your own server, through your web host, or by hand. They all work; here is how they differ.
| Question | A staging plugin on your server | Your host’s staging | By hand | BlogVault |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▸ Where the copy runs | On your server, beside live | On your host’s servers | Wherever you set it up | On BlogVault’s servers |
| ▸ Load on your live server | Copying and running it both use it | Often the same server as live | Depends on where | None |
| ▸ Set-up | Install, then clone | A button, if your plan has it | Subdomain, DNS, copy, search and replace | One click, no DNS |
| ▸ Private by default | Often, check the settings | Varies by host | Only if you set it up | Password, no-index, no email, SSL |
| ▸ Choose what goes live | Varies; selective push is often paid | Usually push files, database or both | Copy it back yourself | Review differences, merge what you pick |
| ▸ Start from an old backup | Not usually | Not usually | If you kept one | Any backup |
| ▸ Change PHP on the copy | Usually the same as live | Sometimes | If you control the server | Yes, per copy |
Host staging has one advantage worth knowing: the copy usually runs on exactly the same server setup as your live site.
How long each staging site lasts
Staging is included on every plan. Your plan decides how long a staging site stays available; when one expires, you can create a new one from any backup.
Compare plans- Personal1 day
Enough time to test an update.
- Business30 days
Time to test a redesign or a batch of updates.
- WooCommerce6 months
For stores that test every change before release.
This platform has proved to be invaluable. I tried a few other options for staging & found BlogVault to be the easiest to manage & migrate.
- 400,000+Sites on BlogVault
- 120Countries
- 4.5 / 5From 328 WordPress.org reviews
Documentation
Staging guides
Step-by-step help with creating a staging site, pushing it live without losing orders, and staging a Multisite network.
Read the step-by-step guide4 guidesStaging guides
- How to create a WordPress staging siteWith BlogVault, with a plugin, with your host or by hand.
- Push a staging site to liveFiles, tables or both, and how to keep live orders and comments.
- WordPress Multisite stagingStaging a network without breaking its subsites.
- What a staging website is forWhen a copy is worth it, and when it isn’t.
▸ Support knowledge base
Step-by-step articles, kept with the product.
Start hereCreate a WordPress staging siteStep-by-step guide
Staging questions
Does creating a staging site slow down my live site?
No. The copy is built from a backup we already hold and runs on our servers, so your host does no extra work to create or run it.
Will merging overwrite orders or comments that came in on live?
Only if you select them. A merge replaces the files and tables you choose; it doesn’t reconcile the two sites row by row. On a store, leave the order tables out and send the plugin or theme change on its own.
Can I use my own domain or subdomain for staging?
No. Staging runs on a BlogVault subdomain, which is why there is no DNS to set up. If you need staging at your own address, your host’s staging or a copy you build yourself is the better fit.
How long does a staging site last?
1 day on Personal, 30 days on Business and 6 months on WooCommerce. When a copy expires you can create a new one from any backup.
Does staging work with WordPress Multisite?
Yes, for subdirectory networks, with every staging feature. Multisite is on the Business and WooCommerce plans. If your network uses subdomains, ask support before you plan around staging it.
Will the staging site send emails to my customers?
No. Outgoing email is blocked on every staging site, so order receipts, password resets and marketing sequences never leave the copy.
Does staging cost extra?
No. It is included in every BlogVault plan, with no add-on and no separate hosting to pay for.
More from BlogVault
The same engine backs up, restores, stages and moves your site. Here is where it helps next.
- Restores
One-click restores
Check a backup works before you restore it, then bring back the whole site or only one plugin, even when the site won’t load.
How restores work - Backups
Reliable WordPress backups
Backups that finish on any host, even for sites of 100 GB and more. Only the changes are copied, and every backup is stored encrypted off your server.
How backups work - Migrations
One-click migrations
Move your site to any host or domain. BlogVault copies it, updates the URLs for you, and you switch DNS when you’re ready.
How a migration runs
Backups built for scale. Restores for the bad day.
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