WordPress test sites are a necessity for developers and website owners, regardless if the work is related to site maintenance or building the website from the ground up. For these and all other WordPress enthusiasts, TasteWP is a quick and easy solution to launch free test sites without any obligations.
Earlier I also wrote about free WordPress hosting services, but TasteWP is different from these, as currently specializes in the demo and test sites, and creates them at such a speed, that it cannot be matched by others.
Without even registering, you can get your first test site with two clicks. However, signing up will unlock the additional set of features that TasteWP offers, so I recommend that you start by signing up.
The quickest way to launch the WordPress test sites
Clicking on the “Set it up!” button on the TasteWP home screen will start a fresh test site with the latest version of both WordPress and PHP. In just a blink of an eye, full WordPress installation will be delivered to you, and keys in hand.
For signed-up TasteWP users, test sites last seven days, and for non-signed-in, they last two days. Signed-up users also relish a maximum of six active test sites, instead of two how much you can have without registering. Limits are removed for use of premium test sites.
Using Advanced Setup to generate test sites
By clicking on the “Advanced setup” button, you will be able to create test sites with an expanded setup. Advanced Setup lets you select specific WordPress and PHP versions that will be used, a selection of pre-installed plugins and themes, and several options from Advanced WP Config. These include: WP debug and log, WP cache, WP cron, and automatic updates.
On the same screen, you can also set up a WP multisite, name your new test site, and finally, choose to create it as a normal or a premium test site.
Sites overview and control options from TasteWP Dashboard
The Site Manager section of the TasteWP Dashboard provides TasteWP users with a clear overview and the ability to manage their test sites. On this screen, users can also see information about sites, such as size, expiry timer, WordPress and PHP versions that are used for each test site, and also if any of the test sites are WordPress multisite.
From the Site Manager screen, users may also log in directly to a test site’s admin area and also reset the admin password. Additional options here include disabling all plugins on test sites, changing the active PHP version, downloading debug logs, deleting sites, or upgrading them to premium ones.
Premium TasteWP test sites have increased space of 25GB, and last as long as users need them.
TasteWP plugin demo links
TasteWP offers a nifty new way to launch demo sites of any plugin from the official WordPress plugin repository. To run the plugin demo, all you need to do is edit the plugin page URL so that “wordpress” is changed into “tastewp” and press Enter.
For example, if you were reading our article on Best WordPress Security Plugins, you might have wanted to check out how the Wordfence plugin works on a real website. Starting from the Wordfence plugin’s official page: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wordfence/ you may just rework the URL to https://tastewp.org/plugins/wordfence/ and run it.
In a couple of seconds, a brand new test site will be created with the specified plugin, and you will be redirected directly to the plugin’s menu within the WP Admin area.
TasteWP also offers a cool tool called magic bookmark, that automatically does the job of the URL editing process with one mouse click, so manual editing is not required anymore.
For a more sophisticated way of constructing demo links, TasteWP offers a Site Templates feature, that is lauded by plugin developers. This feature allows users to designate up to 5 plugins and a theme that will be installed with a single demo link.
Conclusion
TasteWP is much more than the platform to get your free WordPress test site. Cool features are being introduced often, and both newbies and seasoned WordPress developers benefit from them equally. Connecting WordPress enthusiasts globally in 20 languages, TasteWP is growing to become the most popular service for WordPress test sites, and you can join in for free today.