📟 Introducing `local-wpcli` for Local by Flywheel

It has been more than a year since I switched to Local by Flywheel for the local development of WordPress websites. I must admit that it is one of the best tools available for local development 💯 Local by Flywheel uses Docker to create WordPress sites in separate containers.

One thing that stuck out after switching was the use of WP-CLI 👀 WP-CLI is an essential tool for WordPress developers because it helps to speed up our workflow. However, to access the CLI for a website on Local by Flywheel, you have to go through a two-step process.

✅ Right-click on the name of the website in Local and select Open Site SSH. As a result, a new terminal window will appear which will automatically log you in via SSH protocol, and then WP-CLI becomes available for you.

💡 So, to streamline my workflow, I started searching for a solution which does not require logging into the container to access the CLI. And I made a CLI of my own, local-wpcli

✅ Introducing local-wpcli

local-wpcli creates configuration files which enable WP-CLI — installed on your computer — to connect with locally hosted websites of Local by Flywheel within your terminal. Use the following command in your terminal to install it globally.

npm install --global local-wpcli

⚙️ How it Works

Once the installation is complete, follow these steps to connect WP-CLI with your WordPress site.

• 1️⃣ Open your terminal and go to the root folder of the website.

cd ~/local-sites/local-wp/

• 2️⃣ Now input the following command and press enter.

local-wpcli

• 3️⃣ The CLI will ask the following details:
  → Remote Host (IP Address) — default is 192.168.95.100
  → Remote Port

👉 You can find the details mentioned above in DATABASE tab of the website in Local by Flywheel’s desktop app.

The CLI creates two configuration files in the root folder namely,

• 1️⃣ wp-cli.local.yml
• 2️⃣ wp-cli.local.php

That’s it 🎉 Once the files are created, WP-CLI will be ready to use to your heart’s content 🙌