Setup Breakdance Builder with Local for WordPress

When in the early stages of development, the best place to host your WordPress site might be on a local server. We'll go over how to what they are, how to install Local, and how to activate Breakdance.

Justin Gluska

Updated December 28, 2022

Reading Time: 7 minutes

If you're looking to design your very own WordPress site, you'll need to host that website somewhere. When in the early stages of development, the best place to host your WordPress site is usually on a local server. Local servers are great because you don't have to pay for them & can edit them offline (like if you want to make website edits from your laptop on a plane). The main downside to hosting sites locally is... well uh.. they're hosted locally. This means they're not live on the internet so there's no link to share with others.

If you want to set up a local server to host your WordPress website, you'll have to install Local. Made by WPEngine, Local is the easiest way to set up and configure a WordPress website on your own computer. If you're new to WordPress, this is the preferred and simplest method of Installing WordPress. Other alternatives include software like MAMP, a more complex and advanced tool. Once you have WordPress set up somewhere, you can install Breakdance and start designing your website to your hearts desire.

Already know about WordPress Environments?

Skip to Installation

What's a Local WordPress Environment?

A local development environment is a server setup on your personal computer. It can be used to develop and test WordPress websites before publishing them live. By developing locally, you can avoid any potential disruptions that might occur from working on a live site (and save money while you do this!)

There are a few different programs you can use to set up a local development environment, some are more complex than others. Various applications allow you to install and configure a web server on your computer. Once the server is set up, you can create virtual "hosts" to host your websites.

Benefits of a Local Environments

There are several benefits of developing locally. First, it's free. You don't need to shell out any money for hosting while you're still in the early stages of development. It's also quite a bit faster – your computer doesn't have to send requests to a server in Atlanta if you're located in Memphis. Working locally means that you don't have to worry about slow loading times or bandwidth issues.

And lastly, you can edit your site offline! If you travel a lot or have a spotty internet connection, this can be a lifesaver. Developing locally is more secure. If something goes wrong, mitigating issues are exponentially less stressful.

Drawbacks of a Local Environments

There are a few drawbacks to developing locally as well. First I told you the good, now I have to tell you the bad. First, you need to set up the environment yourself. If you're a new developer or haven't worked with websites before – you could run into some confusion. If you pay for a host they do all the work behind the scenes & you can just login & start working with WordPress. If that sounds better for you, Bluehost is one of the easiest and most affordable options on the market.

You also can't share your site with others while it's still in development. If you want to show your work to a client or collaborator, you'll need to either host it live or find some other way to share your local environment. If you do decide to go live after using Local, the application conveniently has 1-click integrations with hosts like FlyWheel.

What About Hosted Sites?

In comparison to local environments, a hosted environments are basically on server set up and maintained by a hosting provider. When using a provider, you don't have to worry about maintaining the server yourself. The hosting provider will take care of all of the updates & behind-the-scenes security for you. Hosted sites can be accessed from anywhere in the world (so you'll need to be on one of these eventually)

Benefits of a Hosted Environments

Hosted sites are way easier to set up. You don't need to worry about configuring the server or installing anything – the hosting provider will take care of all of that for you. Hosted sites are also more reliable. This is because the hosting provider is responsible for maintaining the server. You might have seen ads for "99.9% uptime!" This is because clients like yourself can't afford any downtime – time is money.

Lastly, you'll get support from the hosting provider. If you have any problems with your server, they'll help you out. Whether it's plugins, security, backups – most providers will get you through your common headaches.

And The Drawbacks

The main drawback of using a hosted development environment is it actually costs money! And not all hosts are created equal – some are terrible!

You'll need to be careful about choosing a hosting provider. Some of them may not be able to provide the level of speed or support that you need. Do your research and read reviews before choosing a host, as it's a pain to switch once you're live.

How to Install WordPress Locally using LocalWP

Now that we've been over benefits of local & hosted environments, let's go over installing WordPress locally so you could build a site with Breakdance.

Download & Install LocalWP

First, you'll need to download and install LocalWP. You can do this by going to the Local website and clicking on the "Download" button. Once LocalWP is downloaded, double-click on the installer file and follow the prompts to install it on your computer.

Create Your Local WordPress Site

Once LocalWP is installed, open it and click on the "Create New Site" button on the bottom left of the program. You'll be asked to enter a few details about your site, such as the name, local domain, and WordPress username and password. Once you've entered all of the required information, click on the "Create Site" button.

create a wordpress website with local
setting up wordpress accounts in localwp

Login to WordPress Admin

Once your site is created, you'll be able to access it by going to the "Sites" tab and clicking on the "Start Site" button. This will turn the server on and launch your site in a new browser window. To login to the WordPress admin area, click on the "Login" button. Enter your WordPress username and password, and you'll be taken to the WordPress admin dashboard.

sample environment setup in local for wordpress websites

How to Install Breakdance Builder with Local

Once you've set up local (or any other environment), you can install the Breakdance page builder like any other builder by following these steps:

Upload Breakdance Plugin to WordPress

1. Download the Breakdance Builder plugin from the Breakdance Website

2. Navigate to the "Plugins" section of your WordPress admin dashboard.

3. Click on the "Add New" button at the top of the page.

4. On the "Add Plugins" page, click on the "Upload Plugin" button at the top of the page.

5. Select the Breakdance Builder plugin file that you downloaded in Step 1 from your computer and click on the "Install Now" button.

6. Once the plugin is installed, click on the "Activate Plugin" button.

7. You should now see a "Breakdance" menu item on the left-hand side of your WordPress admin dashboard.

breakdance builder on WordPress plugin dashboard

Configure Breakdance Builder

Once your plugin is uploaded and activated, you'll need to configure it before you can start using it. You should disable the current WordPress theme and enable the Breakdance Builder defaults while you're working on your site (especially if you want to build your whole site with the builder). Once you've gotten through setup, you can go ahead and start creating your pages with Breakdance. Make sure to activate the plugin with your license key before starting!

Breakdance builder license setting page

Conclusion

If you're looking for an easy way to set up a WordPress development environment, Local is a wonderful option. It's user-friendly and comes with a number of features that make it easier to manage your local development environment. Additionally, the Breakdance Builder plugin makes it easy to create custom pages for your website. You can download and install the plugin from the Breakdance website. Once you've installed and activated the plugin, you can begin creating your pages. Remember, since you've hosted your site locally, you'll need to export your site once you're ready to launch your live site. Thanks for reading! We hope this article helped you learn how to install WordPress & Breakdance builder locally on your computer.

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Written by Justin Gluska

Justin is the founder of Gold Penguin, a business technology blog that helps people start, grow, and scale their business using AI. The world is changing and he believes it's best to make use of the new technology that is starting to change the world. If it can help you make more money or save you time, he'll write about it!

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