How to create a staging site

Creating a Staging Copy

Here’s how to create your staging site:

Log in to cPanel

1. In the Software section, then Installatron. 
2. From the actions section within cPanel click the application you wish to work with.
3. In the top-right corner, click Clone.
   
4. In the Destination section, tick the option to make this a development clone.
   
5. Choose where the staging copy should be stored (e.g., in a subfolder or subdomain).
6. Click Clone — we’ll handle the rest automatically.
7. You’ll now have an identical copy of your website with “Stage” added to the name. For example: "My Blog" becomes "My Blog Stage".

 
Housekeeping Tips

To keep your account tidy and secure:

1. Remove any old staging sites you’re no longer using.
2. Keep your staging site up to date with security patches.

Updating & Syncing

You’ll see a Sync option in the actions menu for both live and staging sites.

1. Sync from Stage to Live – Push your changes from staging to your live website.
2. Sync from Live to Stage – Update your staging copy with the latest version of your live site.
   It works both ways — you’re always in control.

 
Resource Usage

Cloning a site means it will use extra disk space, files, and database resources. Check your available resources before creating a staging copy.

You can see your Disk Space and File Usage on the right-hand side of the cPanel home screen under Statistics.

For Manually Installed Websites

If your website was created manually (e.g., not through the Web Applications installer), you’ll need to import it before you can use staging.

To import:

1. In cPanel, select the type of site (e.g., WordPress).
2. Click the dropdown next to Install this application and choose Import existing install.
3. Once imported, you can manage it just like any other site — including creating a staging copy.

 
✅ Pro tip: A staging site is your best friend when you want to test new features, redesigns, or big content changes without any risk to your live site.