WordPress Studio continues to evolve with features that make local WordPress development more powerful and flexible. In Studio version 1.3.9, you now have custom domains and HTTPS (SSL) support.

As a reminder, Studio is our free and open source local development environment. It’s a powerful, lightweight tool that enables straightforward workflows for both extending and building WordPress sites.

Why custom domains and HTTPS matter

When developing WordPress sites, you often need to replicate the production environment as closely as possible. Many WordPress plugins and themes require specific domain names or HTTPS to function correctly. Previously, accessing your local WordPress sites in Studio meant using localhost with port numbers, which could limit your testing capabilities.

With custom domains and HTTPS support, you can now:

• Assign custom domain names (e.g., my-blissful-website.wp.local) to your local Studio sites.
• Test features that require proper domain names.
• Develop with SSL/HTTPS enabled.
• Create a more production-like environment locally.

How it works

The implementation is designed to be as seamless as possible, with Studio handling nearly all of the technical details in the background.

To enable these features in Studio:

1. Create a new site or edit an existing site using the “Edit site” button on the “Settings” tab.
2. If creating a new site, toggle “Advanced settings” in the modal that appears.
3. Enable the “Use custom domain” option.
4. Choose a domain name with the .local TLD (e.g., my-blissful-website.wp.local).
5. Optionally, check the “Enable HTTPS” option for secure connections.

6. Click the “Add site” or Save button, depending on whether you are creating a new site or editing an existing one. 
7. When prompted, permit Studio to modify the system hosts file. Studio will configure everything else automatically. 
8. For HTTPS connections, a root certificate authority will be generated and installed. On macOS, you’ll need to manually install the certificate to avoid browser warnings. Refer to the documentation for more details.
9. Navigate to your site using the custom domain.

What’s next for Studio

At WordPress.com, we’re constantly fielding your feedback and iterating to make Studio the best local development environment for WordPress sites. Custom domains and HTTPS are just some of the many features we’re adding based on your needs and feedback.

Have more feedback to share with us? Open an issue in GitHub.

Download Studio today to start developing locally, and subscribe to our developer newsletter, Dev & Deploy, to stay in the loop on all things Studio.