Kinsta, a managed WordPress hosting company, announced its local development tool named DevKinsta earlier today. The tool allows developers to spin up new WordPress sites, including multisite support, in moments. Each site is automatically configured with Nginx, PHP, and MySQL.
DevKinsta packages Adminer, an open-source database manager. The system also includes an SMTP server and email inbox for testing outgoing emails locally.
“This is the first version of the tool, let’s say the MVP, but we have a dedicated development team supporting and adding a lot of new features to it,” said Tom Zsomborgi, Kinsta’s Chief Business Officer.
Developers can run and test HTTPS support and enable WP_DEBUG
at the flip of a switch. Kinsta web hosting customers can also deploy their sites directly from the interface.
It took me around an hour to get the system set up and running. To be more exact, I spent 53 minutes. Close enough. Between having to sign out, restart my laptop, and waiting for various pieces to install, I at least managed to get a little laundry done in those dull, in-between moments.
Installing DevKinsta on Windows.
The setup process was not a completely pain-free affair. However, the price of admission to use this tool — a little bit of my time — was well worth it.
Let me be clear. I have tested far worse systems. Even with over 15 years of development experience under my belt, I have utterly failed at setting up other local dev environments. For DevKinsta to simply get me to the finish line is a success.
However, I like simple things, and I prefer them to move along relatively quickly. I am accustomed to a 20-minute XAMPP setup. While it may not be as fancy or have the bells and whistles of more sophisticated development tools, it gets the job done and rarely doles out headaches.
The holdup was setting up Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2) and Docker, which are both requirements. Jump-starting DevKinsta itself was a breeze. And, as an old-school XAMPP user, DevKinsta’s ease of use has pulled me in enough to do more than just give it a passing glance. I could actually see myself using this on a day-to-day basis.
In short, I am sold. DevKinsta is a tool all WordPress developers should at least spin up once.
Thus far, the feedback on Twitter has been generally positive. However, Linux users may have to wait a bit because the tool is only available for macOS and Windows at the moment.
“I love seeing companies releasing local development tools but I wish more would offer their services to Linux users,” tweeted WordPress developer Chad McCullough. “There are a lot of us developers out there running Linux.” The Kinsta team responded that the tool will eventually support Linux and that news is forthcoming.
Spinning up a new WordPress site.
The simple and straightforward UI is what makes this tool useful. Most developers do not need overly complicated configurations and options. They simply need to launch an environment that lets them work on their own projects. Anything beyond the basics far too often gets in the way.
DevKinsta makes it easy to launch and manage multiple development installs. Developers can also switch PHP versions via a simple dropdown — versions 7.2 – 8.0 are currently supported.
Site management screen.
The obvious comparison for DevKinsta …….
Source: https://wptavern.com/kinsta-launches-free-local-wordpress-development-tool