static wordpress github multi environment workflow
Why Multi-Environment Workflows Matter
Most WordPress-to-static workflows treat the site as a single entity. But when your project grows — with contributors, testers, clients — you need environments: development, staging, and production.
Multi-environment workflows keep your live site safe while you experiment and improve behind the scenes.
Core Components Of Multi-Environment Workflow
- Development Server: A private WordPress install where changes and experiments happen first.
- Staging Site: A static build deployed to a GitHub branch or separate repo for preview and testing.
- Production Site: The main public GitHub Pages deployment that users see.
- CI/CD Automation: GitHub Actions automating builds, tests, and promotions between environments.
This approach mimics professional-grade deployment workflows used by larger web projects.
Setting Up The Development Environment
Set up a local or cloud WordPress instance. Use plugins like Simply Static or WP2Static to generate static builds on demand or on a schedule.
This environment is messy by design. Break things, try new plugins, experiment with layouts — no fear, because users never see this directly.
Deploying A Staging Environment
After building a new static version, push it to a separate GitHub branch, like staging. Alternatively, use a completely different repository dedicated to staging builds.
Set up GitHub Pages to serve from this branch or repo so you (or your team or clients) can preview the site before it hits production.
Example staging deployment with GitHub Actions:
name: Deploy Staging Site
on:
push:
branches:
- develop
jobs:
deploy:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- name: Checkout develop
uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Build and deploy
uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4
with:
github_token: $
publish_dir: ./staging-static-folder
publish_branch: staging
Promoting From Staging To Production
Once you're happy with staging, merge the changes into the main branch (or your production branch). A second GitHub Actions workflow automatically deploys this to your live GitHub Pages site.
Example: after approving staging updates, use:
git checkout main
git merge staging
git push origin main
Simple, clean, and verifiable through Git history.
Managing Secrets Across Environments
- Separate Secrets: Use GitHub Secrets scoped to staging and production workflows independently.
- Different APIs: Point your staging build to test APIs and your production build to live APIs.
- Form Testing: Use sandbox forms and test webhook URLs for staging to avoid messing up live data.
This separation ensures you never accidentally leak production data or API keys during testing phases.
Example Real-World Use Case
In one client project, we maintained three static WordPress sites under one repo:
- development: Updated multiple times daily by developers.
- staging: Updated weekly after internal QA checks.
- production: Updated monthly after client sign-off.
Each environment had its own GitHub Actions workflow, Secrets, and even analytics configurations. This made scaling from a 5-page site to a 500-page documentation system smooth and safe without risking outages.
Benefits Of Multi-Environment Static WordPress Workflow
- Safety: Reduce the risk of bad deployments breaking your live site.
- Speed: QA teams can validate staging sites immediately without waiting for manual uploads.
- Scalability: Add more workflows easily as the team or project grows.
- Professionalism: Impress clients and stakeholders by having an organized, reliable publishing pipeline.
Conclusion Elevate Your Static WordPress Game
Moving to a multi-environment workflow brings static WordPress sites into the realm of modern web operations. With GitHub, GitHub Pages, and automation, you can confidently build, test, and deploy without fear — and with a lot more efficiency and reliability.
In the end, it’s about creating a system where your focus remains on quality content and user experience, not firefighting broken deployments.
