sandywp / plugins / wp-staging
WP STAGING
WordPress Backups, Restore, Migration & Clone
WordPress backup plugin: backups, restore & migration in minutes. Clone or duplicate your site, test updates on a staging copy. 100% unit-tested.
Ready in seconds.
v4.11.2 100,000+ installs WP 3.6+ PHP 7.0+
What you get inside
8 screens-
Create new WordPress staging / backup site (Dark Mode)
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Create new WordPress staging / backup site (Lite Mode)
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Select name for staging / backup site (Lite Mode)
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Create Full Site Backup (Dark Mode)
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Create Full Site Backup (Lite Mode)
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Cloning / backup processing (Dark Mode)
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Backup Complete (Dark Mode)
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Login to staging site
About this plugin
WordPress Backup, Restore, Staging, Cloning & Migration — All in One
WP STAGING is the all-in-one WordPress backup, restore, staging, cloning, and migration plugin, built for professional workflows with 100% unit-tested code, thousands of automated tests, and extensive end-to-end testing across supported PHP versions.
Create a full backup or an exact clone or copy of your website in minutes. Use it to duplicate your site, test plugin and theme updates safely, restore your site when needed, move or migrate WordPress to another server, transfer your site to a new host, or build a staging copy before making changes. WP STAGING also works as a WordPress duplicator, so you do not need a separate duplicator plugin to copy your website.
WP STAGING reliably backs up, clones, and migrates WooCommerce stores too, including orders, products, and customer data.
WP STAGING is developed in Germany and designed for agencies, developers, and businesses that need reliable WordPress backup, recovery, staging, restore, and migration workflows.
WP STAGING | PRO also includes advanced workflows such as Remote Sync, which lets you pull a WordPress site securely from one server to another using an API key, and WP STAGING CLI, which can turn a WP STAGING backup into a local Docker-based development site.
All data stays on your server unless you choose a transfer or remote storage workflow. WP STAGING is designed for speed, reliability, and low-resource environments, including shared hosting.
WP STAGING automatically performs search and replace for links and paths during cloning, backup, restore, and migration workflows.
This staging and backup plugin can clone your website quickly and efficiently, even if it is running on a weak shared hosting server.
WP STAGING FREE – BACKUP & STAGING FEATURES
- Clone the entire production site into a subdirectory like example.com/staging-site.
- High-performance backup and cloning, even for websites with very large databases.
- Create full or partial backups — full-site backup, database-only, or files-only backups.
- Scheduled backups with automatic daily backups.
- Easy to use: create a clone or backup in one click.
- Efficient background processing without slowing down your website.
- No Software as a Service and no external account required.
- All your data stays on your server. Your data belongs to you only.
- No server timeouts on huge websites or weak servers.
- Fast backup, clone, and restore workflows depending on site size and server resources.
- Use the clone as part of your backup and update strategy.
- Only administrators can access the cloned or backup website.
- SEO-friendly staging sites with login protection and no-index handling.
- The admin bar on the staging / backup website is orange colored and shows when you work on the staging site.
- Extensive logging features.
- Supports Apache, Nginx, Microsoft IIS, and LiteSpeed Server.
- Every release passes extensive automated tests to keep the plugin robust, reliable, and fast.
- Fast and professional support team.
WP STAGING | PRO – BACKUP & STAGING FEATURES
The features below are available in WP STAGING | PRO.
- Remote Sync – Pull a WordPress site securely from one server to another.
- WP STAGING CLI – Turn a backup into a local Docker-based development site.
- Migrate and transfer WordPress to another host or domain.
- Push staging changes to production (staging to live), including plugins, themes, and media files, with one click.
- Clone a backup or staging site to a separate database.
- Choose a custom directory for a backup or cloned site.
- Select a custom subdomain destination like dev.example.com.
- Define user roles for accessing the clone or backup site. This can be clients or external developers.
- Multisite support for migration, backup, and cloning.
- Schedule recurring backups by time and interval.
- Download and upload backups to another server for migration and transfer.
- Backup retention settings.
- Custom backup names.
- Email notifications if a backup cannot be created.
- WordPress multisite backup and restore.
- Cloud backup, offsite backup, and remote backups to external storage providers.
- Backup to Google Drive.
- Backup to Amazon S3.
- Backup to (S)FTP.
- Backup to Dropbox.
- Custom backup folder destinations for cloud storage providers.
- Priority support.
DOCUMENTATION
How to Backup and Restore WordPress
Backup and Restore WordPress
Backup & Transfer WordPress Site to Another Host
How to Migrate Your WordPress Site to a New Host
Remote Sync
Pull a WordPress Site from One Server to Another
Local Docker Development with WP STAGING CLI
WP STAGING CLI – Upgrade Now
All Backup Guides
All Backup Guides
Working with Staging Sites
Working with Staging Sites
FAQ for Backup & Cloning
FAQ for Backup & Cloning
Troubleshooting Backup & Cloning
Troubleshooting Backup & Cloning
WP STAGING BACKUP & CLONING TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS & INFORMATION
- Works on latest version of WordPress
- Minimum Supported WordPress Version 3.8
- Cloning and Backup work on all webhosts
- No extra libraries required
- Backup & cloning supports huge websites
- Custom backup format is much faster and smaller than any tar or zip compression
- Backup & cloning works in low memory & shared hosting environments
SUPPORT
Questions
- Why should I use a staging site and backup workflow?
Plugin updates, theme changes, and custom code should be tested before they reach your live site. A staging workflow lets you clone your production website, test changes safely, and keep a working backup ready in case something goes wrong. Safe updates and update testing on a staging copy protect your live site from broken releases.
Usually, it is best to run the staging site on an environment as close as possible to the production server. That is the best way to catch compatibility issues before they affect your live site.
WP STAGING combines backup, restore, staging, and migration in one workflow, so you can protect your live website, reduce downtime risk, and ship changes with more confidence.
- Is WP STAGING a backup plugin?
Yes. WP STAGING started as a staging plugin and grew into a complete WordPress backup plugin, with restore, staging, cloning, and migration in one tool.
Even the free version lets you create backups and restore them when needed. WP STAGING | PRO adds more advanced backup workflows, cloud storage destinations, migration tools, and developer-focused features.
- How is WP STAGING different from other backup plugins?
WP STAGING combines backup, restore, staging, cloning, and migration in one workflow. While many backup plugins focus mainly on archive-based backups or simple migration, WP STAGING also helps you create a working staging copy, test updates safely, and restore your site when needed.
Some backup plugins focus mainly on creating backup archives, while WP STAGING also creates working staging copies for safer testing and rollback workflows. This is especially useful when you want production-like validation before pushing changes live.
Some backup plugins may not fully support custom tables in all scenarios. WP STAGING is designed to work reliably with staging workflows and custom table prefixes used by its own cloned environments.
WP STAGING | PRO also includes advanced workflows such as Remote Sync and WP STAGING CLI, which can turn a backup into a local Docker-based development site. That makes WP STAGING especially attractive for developers, agencies, and site owners who want more than a basic backup plugin.
- How do I back up and restore a WordPress site?
After installing WP STAGING, go to the backup section in the plugin and create a full-site backup. You can then restore that backup if a plugin update, theme change, deployment, or unexpected issue breaks your site.
WP STAGING is designed to make backup and restore simple, even on shared hosting and large WordPress installations.
- What is Remote Sync in WP STAGING Pro?
Remote Sync is a Pro feature that lets you pull a WordPress site securely from one server to another using an API key. Instead of manually exporting databases and copying files, you connect the two sites and start the sync from inside WP STAGING.
This is especially useful for agencies, developers, and site owners who want a faster and more reliable workflow for moving content between WordPress installs.
Learn more:
Remote Sync: Pull a WordPress Site from One Server to Another- How can I turn a backup into a local Docker development site?
WP STAGING | PRO includes access to WP STAGING CLI, which can turn a WP STAGING backup into a local Docker-based WordPress site with one command.
This is ideal for debugging, QA, development, and reproducing client issues locally. It helps you create repeatable local environments without building custom Docker setups for every project.
Learn more:
WP STAGING CLI – Upgrade Now- How do I move, migrate, or transfer a WordPress site to a new host?
WP STAGING | PRO includes migration and transfer workflows that help you move a WordPress website to another host, transfer your WordPress site to a new host, change the domain, or move to another server. You can move your website between hosts without manual database exports.
If you want a guided step-by-step walkthrough, see:
How to Migrate Your WordPress Site to a New Host- How do I duplicate or clone a WordPress site?
WP STAGING works as a WordPress duplicator: it can duplicate or clone a WordPress site in a few clicks and create an exact copy of your site for testing, development, or as a safety net. Duplication runs in the background, so you can duplicate even large WordPress sites on shared hosting. If you have used a plugin like Duplicator before, WP STAGING covers the same clone and copy workflows and adds backup, restore, and staging.
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