This guide details how to work on a WordPress site with a development environment.

Preamble

• The process can be used at the beginning of a staging process, that is, the creation of a new version of your live website, in a development or testing environment:
  • This allows website owners to test features, security updates, plugins, themes, WordPress updates, and content changes, without risking disruptions or issues on the live site.
  • Once the tests have been conducted and the changes have been validated on the staging copy, it is possible to deploy them to production (on the live site) using automated deployment tools or by making the changes manually.
• For additional help contact a partner or launch a free tender — also discover the role of the host.

Simple method

To install and set up a new WordPress site with the Infomaniak installer without overwriting your current website:

1. Install WordPress in a second location

Refer to this other guide to create the new site (in parallel with the old site domain.xyz) by assigning it a domain name in the form of new.domain.xyz for example and installing WordPress via Web Applications (Infomaniak WordPress installer).

At this stage, the main site (domain.xyz) remains untouched and you can calmly work on the new site new.domain.xyz. Both function in parallel.

2. Replace the old site with the new one

Once the new site is complete, you can delete the first site in order to reuse its domain name for the new one:

1. Delete the old site to make the domain name available and reuse it.
2. Add domain.xyz as an alias for new.domain.xyz.
3. Reverse the alias with the main domain.
4. Remove (unlink/delete) new.domain.xyz which has become an alias.
5. As a precaution, check the main URL of the WordPress site via the Web Applications dashboard on the Infomaniak Manager, to ensure it matches the new name, and not the subdomain you had chosen.

Advanced method

To work on an existing WordPress site without modifying its public version, it is recommended to proceed in 3 steps:

1. Duplicate the existing site
2. Work on its copy
3. Change the target directory of the production site to the production environment directory and modify the URLs of the pre-production site according to the domain name of the production site using a WordPress extension or via phpMyAdmin.

1. Duplicate the site to a second location

1. Refer to this other guide to create the new site (in parallel with the old site domain.xyz) by assigning it a domain name in the form of new.domain.xyz for example and installing WordPress via the Applications Web (Infomaniak WordPress installer).
2. Copy your existing site and paste it onto the newly created second WordPress site, using a WordPress extension.

2. Edit the duplicated site

1. At this stage, the main site (domain.xyz) remains untouched and you can calmly work on the new site new.domain.xyz. Both function in parallel.
2. It is recommended to install a WordPress extension (there are dozens available) dedicated to putting the second site into maintenance mode.
3. If you modify the structure of your site and the URLs of your articles/pages change, you can use a free extension like Redirection to automatically create redirects. This will prevent your visitors from encountering 404 pages while search engines reindex your site or if external sites link to your site.

3. Replace the target

1. When you have finished redesigning your site, all you have to do is change the target directory of the production site to the production environment directory and change the URLs of the pre-production site according to the domain name of the production site using a plugin.
2. If you are using a caching extension like WP-Rocket, W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache, it will be necessary to completely clear all the cache or even disable and then reactivate the plugin.
3. If you continued to modify your site in production during the site overhaul, it will be necessary to retrieve your modifications (articles, media, pages, etc.).
4. After the usual checks (missing images, broken links, etc.), all you have to do is disable the maintenance mode of your site and admire the result.

This guide explains how to install a new WordPress site with WordPress & Apps Infomaniak included in the offersWeb hosting paid.

Install WordPress Infomaniak…

... while creating a new site on hosting

In order to access the Web Hosting and add a new site by installing WordPress at the same time:

1. Click here in order to access the management of your product on the Manager Infomaniak (Need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product concerned.
3. Click on the button to add a site:
   
4. Choose to install WordPress.
5. Click the Next button:
   
6. Click on the button to use a domain name already present in your Organization (or on the other button if you need to first order a new domain).
7. Select the domain name from your already acquired domains (advanced options include choosing a custom location on the hosting server, and an earlier version of PHP).
8. Click the Next button:
   
9. Wait for a few minutes to create the site on the accommodation.
10. Enter the requested information, it will serve you to connect in the WordPress dashboard (it is possible to modify this information at any time after installation).
11. Click the Next button:
    
12. Enter the information about your site (it is possible to modify this information at any time after installation).
13. Click the Next button:
    
14. Choose between the Divi theme and the official theme of the most recent WordPress version (it is possible to modify this information at any time after installation).
15. Click Next.
16. Choose whether to install two Premium extensions offered with your subscription: Monarch and Bloom.
17. Click Next.
18. Confirm the installation from the summary page.
19. You can then log in to the WordPress dashboard or go back to the management of the Infomaniak website.

... on an existing and empty site

In order to access the existing blank site on the hosting and to install WordPress:

1. Click here in order to access the management of your product on the Manager Infomaniak (Need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product concerned:
   
3. Click on the button to add an application:
   
4. Choose to install WordPress:
   
5. At the bottom, click the Next button.
6. Enter the requested information, it will serve you to connect in the WordPress dashboard (it is possible to modify this information at any time after installation).
7. Click the Next button:
   
8. Enter the information about your site (it is possible to modify this information at any time after installation).
9. Click the Next button:
   
10. Choose between the Divi theme and the official theme of the most recent WordPress version (it is possible to modify this information at any time after installation).
11. Click Next.
12. Choose whether to install two Premium extensions offered with your subscription: Monarch and Bloom.
13. Click Next.
14. Confirm the installation from the summary page.
15. You can then log in to the WordPress dashboard or go back to the management of the Infomaniak website.

Uninstall WordPress Infomaniak...

... while deleting the hosting website (and keeping WordPress data or not)

In order to access the Web Hosting and remove the website:

1. Click here in order to access the management of your product on the Manager Infomaniak (Need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product concerned.
3. Click on the action menu to the right of the item.
4. Click Unlink the site:
   
5. Choose if you want to erase everything or keep the WordPress data on the hosting server.
6. Confirm deletion:
   
    

... keeping the site on the accommodation

In order to access Web Hosting and uninstall WordPress:

1. Click here in order to access the management of your product on the Manager Infomaniak (Need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product concerned.
3. Click on the action menu to the right of the application.
4. Click Remove Application:
   
5. Confirm the deletion.
6. Click Uninstall to remove WordPress:
   

Read more

• See all WordPress FAQs
• Install a free SSL certificate
• Install another web application

This guide explains how to implement a network of WordPress sites in order to manage multiple sites from the same Infomaniak WordPress installation, with URLs of type site1.domain.xyz, site2.domain.xyz, or even with domain1.com, domain2.com, etc.

Installation of Multisite WordPress

To this end:

1. Install WordPress via Infomaniak on your hosting space.
2. Log in by FTP.
3. Edit file wp-config.php.
4. Above the line "/* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */" add:

define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);

Then go under TOOLS of your WordPress in order to create a network.

Follow the directions. In particular, it will be necessary to:

1. Remove any SSL certificate.
2. Disable WordPress extensions:
    
   

Add sites to your WP network

To this end:

1. In WordPress, come back under TOOLS > Networking
2. Choose the method of creating your different WordPress (on sub-domains)
3. Add the necessary information in the wp-config.php and .htaccess on the server
4. After reconnexion to your WordPress you will get a new menu "My sites" in which you can add and manage your different sites from the same network
     
   
    
5. On the Manager, add an alias to your site of the form *.your-domain-here (the asterisk allows to create an alias wildcard) with DNS update so that the good CNAME be automatically added to the area.
6. When you create a new site within the network, for example by naming it site1 then it will become accessible via site1.domain.xyz And so on.

Sub-domain and whole domain

Right after the addition in the WordPress network, you have the possibility to change URL the added site:

Click on Edit Site to specify the full URL:

Thank you for entrusting the hosting of your WordPress site to Infomaniak.

Preamble

• For your information, the WordPress site creation tool can be:
  1. hosted by the WordPress.com infrastructure (paid) and in this case Infomaniak is not involved in the hosting
  2. installed freely but manually by the user thanks to the archive provided by WordPress.org, Infomaniak is then the web host but does not manage any updates and does not list the application in the Web Applications section of the Infomaniak Manager; you will be in this case if you migrate an external WordPress to Infomaniak
  3. installed automatically by the tool available on the Manager and in this case WordPress is maintained (in terms of security) largely by Infomaniak
• This is the third and final point that is developed in this guide.

Install WordPress & Apps

Infomaniak makes it easy to install the WordPress application (and other applications as well):

• Install WordPress using the Infomaniak installer
• Access the WordPress management interface

Using WordPress

Although WordPress is one of the easiest CMS to use, it is necessary to tame it. To help you in this process, here are external resources in several different languages to get started with WordPress:

• Essential basics to know to get started with WordPress
• WordPress French-speaking community help forum
• FAQ about backups / restorations
• Using a theme or extension ElegantThemes
• Free WordPress training provided by the site progresser-en-informatique.com. If you want to get to the point, focus on the following modules:
  • Understanding the administration interface
  • How to properly configure WordPress
  • Adding content to your website

This guide provides tips to perform operations related to a WordPress site, which notably allows you to…

• …copy and migrate a WordPress site from a competing host to Infomaniak,
• … change the domain name of a WordPress site,
• … backup an entire WordPress site…

Preamble

• Depending on the context, instead of performing a WordPress transfer, you can also simply…
  • … change the site address (the associated domain name) very easily if you have installed WordPress via the Infomaniak installer,
  • … duplicate a WordPress site to work in parallel in a development environment…
• For additional help, contact a partner or launch a free tender — also discover the migration service of Infomaniak.

Transfer a WordPress site…

… with the All-in-One WP Migration extension

• Refer to this guide.
• Requires installing a new, clean WordPress (e.g., via the automatic installer) to import the old site onto it.

… with the Duplicator extension

• Refer to this guide.
• Requires connecting to the hosting via FTP to send a .zip archive and a PHP file to reinstall the old site.

This guide explains how to add a theme from Elegant Themes (Divi) for free to a WordPress site already installed via the Infomaniak installer.

Prerequisites

• Your WordPress site must be installed via the Infomaniak WordPress tools to use these themes and extensions.
• Themes can be added during installation (step 14 of this other guide) or afterward.
• To benefit from Elegant Themes support (customer service) you must subscribe to an Elegant Themes offer.

Add an Elegant Themes theme

To do this:

1. Click here to access the management of your WordPress site on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
   • If your site does not appear here, it means it was not installed via the Infomaniak tools… Refer to the prerequisites above.
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product:
   
3. Click on the action menu ⋮ located to the right of the relevant Web Application.
4. Click on Settings for the application:
   
5. Click on Edit under Theme:
   
6. Activate the desired theme.
7. Click on the Save button:
   

Using an Elegant Themes extension

Refer to this other guide to install Monarch, Bloom.

This guide explains how to install a new Web Application (Joomla, Drupal, Typo3, PrestaShop, etc.) in a few clicks on the paid Web Hosting offers.

Prerequisites

• Have a Infomaniak Web Hosting (order if necessary).
• Add a blank website to the Infomaniak hosting.

Specific guides

Take note of these guides if you are concerned with the specific installation of:

• WordPress
• ownCloud

Guides for any other Web Application

To access Web Hosting and install a Web Application:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product.
3. Click on the Add an app button:
   
4. Choose the desired application (if necessary, filter and search).
5. Click on Select:
   
6. Click at the bottom of the page on Next.
7. Enter a name.
8. Leave the default location or choose to install the app in a new folder that you can create using an icon visible to the right of point 8 in the image.
9. Optionally, choose to install an earlier version if necessary.
10. Click on the Next button:
    
11. Set the username and password.
12. Specify certain advanced settings if necessary (backup type, among others).
13. Review and accept the terms of use of the selected app.
14. Click on the Next button:
    
15. Confirm the installation of the application in the next step and wait.
    • Take note of any error message on the screen if, for example, the installation folder chosen is not empty or if the PHP version of the site on which you are attempting the installation is not compatible.

Uninstall a Web Application

To access Web Hosting and uninstall the previously installed application:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the relevant product.
3. Click on the action menu ⋮ located to the right of the application to uninstall.
4. Click on the trash can icon to delete the application:
   
5. Confirm the deletion.

Learn more

• Modify the domain name associated with the Web Application
• Configure backups for Web Applications
• Restore a Web Application

This guide explains how to add a free extension from Elegant Themes (Monarch, Divi Builder, Bloom, etc.) or a theme to an already installed WordPress site via the Infomaniak installer.

Prerequisites

• Your WordPress site must be installed via the Infomaniak WordPress tools to use these themes and extensions.
• The extensions can be added during installation (step 16 of this other guide) or later.
• To benefit from Elegant Themes support (customer service) you must subscribe to an Elegant Themes offer.

Add an Elegant Themes plugin

For this:

1. Click here to access the management of your WordPress site on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
   • If your site does not appear here, it means it was not installed via the Infomaniak tools… Refer to the prerequisites above.
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the product in question:
   
3. Click on the action menu ⋮ located to the right of the relevant Web Application.
4. Click on Settings for the application:
   
5. Click on Add under Extensions:
   
6. Activate the desired extensions.
7. Click on the Save button:
   
8. The extensions are then available in your WordPress admin interface:
   

Use an Elegant Themes theme

Take note of this other guide to install an Elegant Themes theme with Infomaniak.

This guide explains how to disable all extensions installed on your WordPress on a Web Hosting.

Preamble

• If you encounter an issue with your website, disabling WordPress extensions allows you to quickly identify if one of them is causing the problem and to draw the necessary conclusions to fix your site.
• For additional help, contact a partner or launch a free tender — also discover the role of the host.

Quickly disable WP extensions

To disable all WordPress plugins:

1. Log in to the server via FTP (need help?).
2. Go to the site location (folder corresponding to your WordPress site).
3. Rename /wp-content/plugins to /wp-content/_plugins for example
   • To disable a specific extension, rename /wp-content/plugins/PluginName to /wp-content/plugins/_PluginName for example.

This guide explains how to replace the main domain name associated with a Website hosted on Infomaniak in case you want to, for example, change the name of your activity or modify the spelling.

Preamble

• It is not possible to simply change the spelling of the domain name in question.
• You must own the new domain name and install it in place of the current one by performing a swap (read below).
• You can also rename your Web Hosting product in the Infomaniak Manager but changing the name of a hosting service has strictly no impact on the URLs of the sites.
• You need to act on the domain name and, if necessary, adapt the content of the site.

Change the website's domain name

Prerequisites

• Prepare the new domain name (if necessary you need to buy it).
• If the change you are looking for is more of a "subdomain" to "main domain" type (dev.domain.xyz → domain.xyz for example) then refer to this other guide.

To replace the domain name assigned to the site with another domain name:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click directly on the name assigned to the concerned product:
   
3. Then click on the chevron ‍ to expand the Domains section of this site:
   
4. Refer to this other guide to link the new domain name to your site (read the prerequisites carefully):
   • It is this new linked domain that will replace the current primary domain name after the inversion you will perform below.
5. Once the new domain name is linked to your site, click on the action menu ⋮ to the right of it.
6. Choose Set as primary domain:
   
7. If necessary, delete the old domain name and its variants that have become alias domains alias (and no longer primary domains).

If you are using a SSL certificate, you will need to update it to include the added aliases.

If you are using the dedicated IP option, you will need to uninstall and reinstall it after performing the swap.

Adapt the site content to the new name

In some cases, the web application used to develop the site needs to be adjusted to work with the new domain name. Click on the link corresponding to the development of your site to adapt the content:

• WordPress
• Joomla
• Prestashop
• application offered in WordPress & Apps