AgilePress

Tag: Cloudways

  • Cowboys Code in Production: The Staging Protocol

    It is Friday at 4:30 PM.

    You want to make a “small tweak” to your checkout page CSS. You edit the file directly in the WordPress dashboard or via FTP.

    You hit “Save.”

    Suddenly, the screen goes white. Critical Error.

    Your online store stops processing orders. You scramble to undo the change, but you don’t remember exactly what line you deleted.

    This is called “Cowboy Coding.” It is shooting from the hip in a live environment. It is unprofessional, dangerous, and strictly forbidden in the AgilePress philosophy.

    Errors should happen in private, not in public. That is why you need a Staging Environment.

    What is Staging?

    A Staging Site is an exact clone of your live website. It lives in a private URL (e.g., staging.yoursite.com).

    • It has the same plugins.
    • It has the same content.
    • It has the same server configuration.

    But it is disconnected from the public. You can update plugins, switch themes, or break the code entirely. If it breaks, nobody sees it. You fix it, test it, and then copy it to the live site.

    Here are the four levels of Staging, ranked from “AgilePress Standard” to “Avoid.”

    Level 1: The Gold Standard (Server-Level Staging)

    This is the best option because it happens at the server infrastructure level.

    Providers: Cloudways, Kinsta, WPEngine, SiteGround.

    • How it works: You log into your hosting panel and click “Create Staging.” The server duplicates the entire application in minutes.
    • The Deploy: When you are happy with the changes, you click “Push to Live.”
    • Why it wins: It guarantees the server environment (PHP version, Caching rules) is identical. If it works on Staging, it will work on Live.

    Level 2: The Developer’s Lab (LocalWP)

    This is where code is born.

    Tool: LocalWP (Free).

    • How it works: You run the website on your own computer (offline).
    • Use Case: Ideal for building a new site from scratch or doing heavy custom coding (creating a custom plugin).
    • The Limitation: It is hard for clients to approve changes since the site is on your laptop. You usually need to push it to a Staging server for final approval.

    Level 3: The “Guerrilla” Solution (Staging Plugins)

    What if you are stuck on a cheap shared hosting plan (cPanel) that doesn’t offer Staging? You use a plugin.

    Tool: WP Staging (Pro recommended).

    • How it works: It creates a clone of your site inside a subfolder (e.g., yoursite.com/staging) and disconnects it from the main database.
    • The AgilePress Warning:
      • Bloat: It duplicates your database tables (using prefixes like wpstg_) and doubles your file usage.
      • Performance: It uses the same server resources as your live site. Heavy testing on staging might slow down the live site.
      • Verdict: Use this only if you cannot upgrade to better hosting.

    Level 4: The “Old School” (Manual Subdomains)

    Method: Creating a subdomain dev.site.com, creating a new FTP folder, copying files, exporting the database, finding and replacing URLs…

    Verdict: AVOID.

    Why? Because friction kills discipline. If creating a staging site takes 1 hour, you won’t do it for a small plugin update. You will take the risk. Automation is the key to safety.

    The Danger Zone: The “Time Travel” Problem

    This is the most critical part of this article. Read this carefully if you run a WooCommerce store or a Membership site.

    The Scenario:

    1. Monday: You create a Staging copy.
    2. Tuesday: You are working on the design in Staging. Meanwhile, 5 customers buy products on the Live site.
    3. Wednesday: You finish the design and click “Push to Live” (overwriting the database).

    The Result:

    You just deleted the 5 orders from Tuesday. You overwrote the Live database with the Staging database (which is from Monday). Those orders are gone forever.

    The AgilePress Rule for Dynamic Sites:

    • Code (Files, Plugins, Themes) flows UP: Staging -> Production.
    • Data (Orders, Users, Posts) flows DOWN: Production -> Staging.

    How to handle it:

    If you are on a server-level staging (Level 1), most hosts allow you to “Push Files Only” and skip the database.

    If you need to push database changes (e.g., you created a new page), you must put the Live site in Maintenance Mode while you work, so no new orders come in.

    Conclusion: Professional Peace of Mind

    An “Update Failed” message on a Tuesday morning can ruin your week.

    A white screen during a Black Friday sale can ruin your business.

    Staging is not a luxury tool for big agencies. It is the seatbelt for your website.

    1. Check if your host offers Staging (Level 1).
    2. If not, use WP Staging (Level 3).
    3. Never edit code on a live site.

    Amateurs hack the live site. Professionals deploy from Staging.

  • Hosting Strategy: Stop Paying for Marketing, Pay for Performance

    You can build the fastest Formula 1 car in the world (perfect code, no bloat), but if you drive it on a dirt road full of potholes, it will be slow.

    In the digital world, Hosting is the road.

    Many clients come to us complaining about speed. They blame WordPress. But 80% of the time, the problem is that they are hosting their business on a $3/month plan.

    At AgilePress, we don’t believe in “Unlimited Space” marketing tricks. We believe in physics. Here is a simple guide to choosing the right home for your website based on who you are.

    The 3 Tiers of Hosting (The Housing Analogy)

    Before we recommend a solution, you must understand the difference between the options. Don’t look at Gigabytes; look at Neighbors.

    • Tier 1: The Hostel (Cheap Shared Hosting).You rent a bunk bed in a crowded room. If a neighbor gets sick (virus) or throws a party (traffic spike), you suffer.Examples: GoDaddy, Ionos, Bluehost.
    • Tier 2: The Shared Apartment (Premium Hosting).You have your own private room. It is clean and secure. You still share the kitchen (CPU), but the landlord is strict and keeps the place quiet.Examples: SiteGround, LucusHost.
    • Tier 3: The Detached House (Cloud / VPS).You own the land. No shared walls. Total isolation. Even if the neighborhood burns down, your house stands.Examples: Cloudways, Rocket.net.

    Which Profile Are You? (The Prescription)

    We don’t want you to guess. Identify your business type below, and we will tell you exactly what you need.

    Profile A: “I offer services” (The Brochure Site)

    Who you are: A law firm, an architect, a restaurant, or a consultant.

    Your Website: Users visit to read about you, see photos, and fill out a contact form. They do not log in or buy things directly.

    The Physics: Your site is mostly “Read-Only.” We can use caching to make it fly without needing expensive dedicated hardware.

    ✅ The AgilePress Recommendation:

    You need a reliable “Shared Apartment” (Tier 2).

    • The DIY Option: If you want to manage it yourself, buy a plan at LucusHost (Great value/Spanish support) or SiteGround.
    • The AgilePress Service: We can host you on our Private Node.
      • It is technically a shared environment, but we are the landlord.
      • We don’t accept “noisy neighbors.” We only host trusted maintenance clients.
      • You get the peace of mind of a managed service without the high cost of a dedicated server.

    Profile B: “I sell online” (The Machine)

    Who you are: An E-commerce store (WooCommerce), an Academy (LMS), or a Membership site.

    Your Website: Users create accounts, add items to carts, and pay.

    The Physics: These actions cannot be cached. The server has to “think” for every single click. If you are in a shared environment, your checkout will struggle during traffic spikes.

    ✅ The AgilePress Recommendation:

    Shared hosting is forbidden here. You must have a “Detached House” (Tier 3) with isolated resources.

    • Our Policy: We do not host these sites internally. High-traffic stores require 24/7 infrastructure specialists.
    • The Solution: We strongly recommend you hire Cloudways (for control) or Rocket.net (for pure speed). We can help you set it up, but the engine should be theirs.

    Market Comparison: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

    If you decide to hire a provider yourself, use this table to avoid scams. We have ranked them by performance and reliability.

    ProviderType (Analogy)Agile RatingBest For…RegionPrice
    CloudwaysDetached House⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐WooCommerceGlobal€€ – €€€
    Rocket.netDetached House⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Global ScaleGlobal€€€€
    LucusHostApartment⭐⭐⭐⭐Local ServicesSpain/EU€ – €€
    SiteGroundApartment⭐⭐⭐StartersGlobal€ – €€
    KinstaLuxury Apartment⭐⭐⭐⭐CorporateGlobal€€€€
    HostingerHostel⭐⭐HobbyGlobal€
    GoDaddy / IonosHostel⭐AvoidGlobal€
    BluehostHostel⭐AvoidUS€

    The Hidden Trap: “Unlimited”

    One final warning: Be careful with providers offering “Unlimited Storage” for $3/month.

    • The Reality: Websites don’t need unlimited space (most use <1GB). They need Processing Power (CPU).
    • Cheap hosts (Hostels) limit your CPU hidden in the fine print. That’s why your site is slow even if you have “Unlimited GB.”

    Conclusion: Infrastructure is an Asset

    Your hosting is the foundation of your digital business.

    If you are a Consultant (Profile A), you need a clean, quiet office (AgilePress Private Node or LucusHost). If you are a Supermarket (Profile B), you need a massive warehouse with your own logistics (Cloudways).

    Don’t treat your hosting as an expense. Treat it as your physical location.