Docker for Local WordPress Development

I have used every local WordPress environment: MAMP, WAMP, Local by Flywheel, Vagrant, even raw Apache installations. Docker is the first one that consistently works across machines without surprises.

The docker-compose.yml

My standard WordPress development stack fits in one file:

services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wp
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: wp
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
    volumes:
      - ./wp-content/themes/mytheme:/var/www/html/wp-content/themes/mytheme
      - ./wp-content/plugins:/var/www/html/wp-content/plugins

  db:
    image: mariadb:11
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
      MYSQL_USER: wp
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: wp
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql

  phpmyadmin:
    image: phpmyadmin
    ports:
      - "8081:80"
    environment:
      PMA_HOST: db

volumes:
  db_data:

Why Docker Wins

The killer feature is reproducibility. The same docker-compose.yml works on macOS, Linux, and Windows. New team member? docker compose up and they have an identical environment in 60 seconds. No “works on my machine” problems.

WP-CLI in Docker

I add a wrapper script for WP-CLI that runs inside the container:

#!/bin/bash
docker compose exec wordpress wp "$@" --allow-root

This lets me run ./wp plugin list or ./wp db export from my host machine while the commands execute inside the container with the correct PHP and database configuration.

The Trade-Off

Docker has a steeper initial learning curve than tools like Local by Flywheel. But once you understand the basics, the flexibility and consistency are worth it. I can spin up WordPress 6.x with PHP 8.3 and MariaDB 11 in seconds, or test against PHP 7.4 and MySQL 5.7 just by changing image tags.