Ever been in a committed relationship with a development workflow only to have your head turned by something shinier? That’s exactly what happened when I cheated on my customized Vagrant/VVV setup with Local by Flywheel – and spoiler alert: I never looked back! 🤓
The Development Affair
For years, I’d been Vagrant’s loyal companion, tweaking VVV with its VV wizard until it purred like a kitten. But like any tech-obsessed developer, I couldn’t help but wonder: is there something better out there? When a colleague whispered “Local by Flywheel” in my ear, curiosity got the better of me.
What makes this particularly interesting is Flywheel’s holistic approach. Having met their team at WordCamp (cool folks, by the way!), I appreciated how they’re tackling the entire WordPress journey – from your laptop all the way to production. Refreshing!
Installation: Ridiculously Simple
Getting Local is embarrassingly easy: visit local.getflywheel.com, smash that “Free Download” button, and share a few details about yourself. Choose between the stable Mac version or live dangerously with the Windows beta. After a quick installation dance, you’re greeted by a sleek interface where the real magic begins.
Settings: The Control Room
The Settings tab houses all your configuration options. While defaults work fine, I recommend personalizing a few key areas:
New Site Defaults: Set your admin credentials once and forget about it! I also tucked my sites path in my home directory for quick access – work smarter, not harder.
Add-Ons: I immediately adopted “Pressmatic Stats” and “Live Links” – trust me, you’ll want these goodies (more on that later).
Creating Sites: Child’s Play
Creating a new WordPress site is delightfully straightforward:
- Hit the plus sign
- Name your digital baby
- Choose your environment specs (I’m a PHP 7.0.3+ and nginx guy myself – matches my production setup)
- Click “Add Site” and grant administrator access when prompted
Boom! Your site springs to life faster than you can say “Vagrant provision.”
The Feature Fiesta
Once your site is humming along, the real treats begin:
Database Management: Connect via Sequel Pro or Adminer with one click. Migration just became your new best friend.
SSL Support: One-click certificate trusting for secure local development. Perfect for testing eCommerce or API integrations without the production anxiety.
Mailcatcher: Captures outgoing WordPress emails like a dream. No more wondering if those order confirmations are working properly!
Live Link: This feature alone is worth switching for! Generate a public URL to your local site instantly. Need to show a client your progress without deploying? Done! 😍
Performance Monitoring: Watch those CPU and memory graphs dance as you work. Oddly satisfying.
The Verdict: It’s a No-Brainer
After weeks of putting Local through its paces, I’m officially a convert. The speed difference alone is staggering – no more long coffee breaks waiting for Vagrant to provision. Local’s docker-based architecture makes everything lightning fast.
If you value your time and sanity, head over to Flywheel’s site and download Local immediately. Your future self will thank you!
Have you made the switch? Still clinging to your Vagrant setup? Drop a comment below – I’d love to hear about your experience! 🚀