WordPress Playground
Run WordPress entirely in the browser using WebAssembly. Ephemeral instances with SQLite, perfect for demos, testing, and quick prototyping.
Quick Start
Local Development Server
npx @wp-playground/cli@latest server --auto-mount
This starts a local Playground instance, auto-mounts your plugin/theme, and provides hot reload.
Browser-Based
Visit playground.wordpress.net for instant WordPress.
Blueprint Files
Blueprints automate Playground setup — install plugins, themes, configure settings.
Basic Blueprint
{
"$schema": "https://playground.wordpress.net/blueprint-schema.json",
"landingPage": "/wp-admin/",
"preferredVersions": {
"php": "8.2",
"wp": "6.9"
},
"steps": [
{
"step": "installPlugin",
"pluginData": {
"resource": "wordpress.org/plugins",
"slug": "gutenberg"
}
},
{
"step": "installTheme",
"themeData": {
"resource": "wordpress.org/themes",
"slug": "twentytwentyfive"
}
}
]
}
Mount Local Plugin
{
"steps": [
{
"step": "mountPaths",
"paths": {
"/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/my-plugin": "./my-plugin"
}
},
{
"step": "activatePlugin",
"pluginPath": "my-plugin/my-plugin.php"
}
]
}
Import Content
{
"steps": [
{
"step": "importWxr",
"file": {
"resource": "url",
"url": "https://example.com/test-content.xml"
}
}
]
}
Use Cases
Plugin Development
npx @wp-playground/cli@latest server \
--auto-mount \
--php 8.2 \
--wp 6.9
Demo Links
Share instant demo environments:
https://playground.wordpress.net/#{"steps":[{"step":"installPlugin","pluginData":{"resource":"wordpress.org/plugins","slug":"your-plugin"}}]}
Testing Matrix
Test across PHP/WP versions without local infrastructure:
{
"preferredVersions": {
"php": "8.3",
"wp": "trunk"
}
}
Key Characteristics
- Ephemeral — data doesn't persist by default
- SQLite-backed — not MySQL (some queries may differ)
- Sandboxed — safe for experimentation
- No external network — HTTP requests are limited
References
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