You can install WordPress on Mac by using local development environments. There are different software programs that you can use to create a local development environment. Some of the most popular ones include Local by Flywheel, DevKinsta, MAMP, and XAMPP.
This article will give you an overview of the best local development environment that you can use to install WordPress on your Mac computer.
Local
Local is one of the best local development tools specifically designed for WordPress. The tool comes with a simple yet intuitive interface, making it perfect for those who are new to WordPress.
Local equips many valuable features that make the environment powerful, fast, and efficient. Such as, it has SSH & WP-CLI, which is a command-line interface that lets you manage your WordPress site easily from the terminal.
The Mailcatcher feature is also handy as it can help you test how your WordPress site would handle emails.
Besides, if you need to troubleshoot any issues with your WordPress site, the Local by Flywheel can be very helpful. The PHP, NGINX, and MySQL logs are all available in the tool’s interface. This can make it much easier to identify and fix any problems that may be occurring on your site.
Some other cool features of Local By Flywheel include:
- Cloud Backups: Backup and store your site’s files directly from Local to Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Image Optimizer: This add-on helps you optimize images on your WordPress site to improve load times.
- Quick Links: This feature offers you a swift and persistent URL to check the site’s responsiveness or review the site with colleagues.
- One-click Admin: A feature that allows you to easily access the admin area of your WordPress site with just one click.
Local By Flywheel is an excellent tool for those who want an easy way to install WordPress on their Mac computer. The tool comes with many features that can make developing and managing a WordPress site easier.
DevKinsta
DevKinsta is another good local development environment to install WordPress on Mac. It is developed by the team behind Kinsta Hosting, one of the market’s best managed WordPress hosting providers.
Like Local by Flywheel, DevKinsta also comes with a simple and easy-to-use interface. It is also packed with many features that can make developing WordPress sites easier.
One of the best things about DevKinsta is its one-click WordPress site creation. This means that you can easily install and create a WordPress site with just a few clicks.
Other features of DevKinsta include:
- Multisite Support: You can easily create and manage multiple WordPress sites from a single DevKinsta account.
- Latest PHP Version: This feature allows you to use the latest version of PHP, which can help improve the performance of your WordPress site.
- Database Manager: The database manager lets you easily view, edit, and delete data from your WordPress database.
- Built-in Email Testing: This feature uses MailHog to test and enable you to see and debug outgoing emails.
DevKinsta is pretty easy to install and use. It is packed with a lot of features that can help you develop WordPress sites easily on your Mac computer.
MAMP
MAMP is another popular local development environment that you can use to install WordPress on Mac. It is free and open-source software that you can download from the internet.
MAMP is not explicitly optimized for WordPress. However, it can still be used to develop and manage WordPress sites on your computer.
The MAMP software comes with many features that can make developing WordPress sites easier. It has an Apache and Nginx server and a MySQL database that you can use to install WordPress.
MAMP also comes with phpMyAdmin, a tool you can use to manage your WordPress database. Other features of MAMP include:
One-click installation: Although not specifically designed for WordPress, MAMP Pro (the paid version) still lets you install WordPress on your computer with just a few clicks.
Other Features for WordPress: MAMP Pro for Mac equips several other features like WordPress Publisher, WordPress Import, WordPress server migration, etc.
Virtual Hosts: This feature lets you create and manage multiple WordPress sites from a single MAMP installation.
SSL Support: With MAMP, you can easily add SSL certificates to your WordPress site to make it more secure.
XAMPP
XAMPP is the most popular cross-platform local development environment. It is an Apache distribution that you can use to install WordPress on Mac. It is free and open-source software that you can download from the internet.
XAMPP has a module for WordPress that you can install to develop and manage WordPress sites on your computer. The module comes with many features that can make growing WordPress sites easier.
- One-click Installation: With XAMPP, you can easily install WordPress on your computer with just a few clicks.
- Cross-Platform: XAMPP is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. This means that you can use it to develop WordPress sites on any platform.
- Extensive feature set: XAMPP is packed with many features like multi-author support, multilingual publishing, and up-to-date frameworks that can make developing WordPress sites easier.
Conclusion
These are some of the best local development environments that you can use to install WordPress on Mac. Each option has its own set of features and benefits that can make developing WordPress sites easier.
Which one you choose will depend on your needs and preferences. If you need a more robust solution, you can go with something like Local by Flywheel or DevKinsta. If you need a more lightweight and generalized solution, you can go with MAMP or XAMPP.
No matter which option you choose, you can be sure that you’ll be able to develop WordPress sites easily on your Mac computer.