Title: Basic usage Author: WordPress VIP Documentation Published: November 4, 2021 Last modified: January 22, 2026 --- 1. [VIP Local Development Environment](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-local-development-environment/) 2. Basic usage # Basic usage Available commands for the [VIP Local Development Environment](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-local-development-environment/) and their options can be reviewed by running `vip dev-env --help` or `vip dev-env- h`. **Caution** **VIP-CLI commands, including **`dev-env`**, should never be run with **`sudo`**.** If `sudo` is used, `destroy` the affected VIP Local Development Environment. Create a new environment without the `sudo` command in order for the local environment to work as expected. ## Setup wizard When a `[vip dev-env create](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-cli/commands/dev-env/create/)` or a `[vip dev-env update](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-cli/commands/dev-env/update/)` command is run, a command line setup wizard will appear and ask a user to confirm settings for all other environment options that were not set in the command. For example, by including `--multisite=y` in the `vip dev-env create` command, the setup wizard will skip the “**Multisite** (y/N)” option, but will ask a user to confirm other environment settings (e.g., “**WordPress site title**“, “**WordPress**** version**“). An example command that sets multiple option values: ```wp-block-preformatted vip dev-env create --title="WPVIP Dev" --multisite=y --php=8.0 --mu-plugins="~/vipdev/vip-go-mu-plugins" --app-code="~/vipdev/vip-go-skeleton" --slug=example-site ``` Setting options in the setup wizard: * **WordPress site title** · Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to accept the default value “VIP Dev”, or type a new custom value and then select the **Enter** or **Return** key to proceed to the next option. * **Multisite** (y/N) · Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to accept the default value “False”, or type “y” to create a [WordPress multisite](https://docs.wpvip.com/wordpress-multisite/) local environment. * **PHP version to use** · Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to accept the default version, or use the **Down Arrow** or **Up Arrow** to highlight the desired version and then select the **Enter** or **Return** key to proceed to the next option. * **WordPress – Which version would you like** · Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to accept the highlighted default version, or use the **Down Arrow** or ** Up Arrow** to highlight the desired version and then select the **Enter** or ** Return** key to proceed to the next option. * **How would you like to source application-code** · Use the **Down Arrow** to highlight the “Demo” option and run the local environment with a default, uneditable codebase. Or, select the default setting “local folder” to configure the local environment to [load an application’s wpcomvip GitHub repository](https://docs.wpvip.com/update-a-local-environment-to-load-application-code/) that has been `git` cloned to the local machine. Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to proceed to the next option. * **Enable Elasticsearch (needed by Enterprise Search)?** (y/N) · Select the ** Enter** or **Return** key to accept the default value “false”, or type “y” to enable Elasticsearch for the local environment. * **Enable phpMyAdmin** (y/N) · Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to accept the default value “false”, or type “y” to enable phpMyAdmin for the local environment. * **Enable XDebug** (y/N) · Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to accept the default value “false”, or type “y” to enable XDebug for the local environment. * **Enable Mailpit** (y/N) · Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to accept the default value “false”. * **Enable Photon** (y/N) · Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to accept the default value “false”. * **Enable Cron** (y/N) · Select the **Enter** or **Return** key to accept the default value “false”. ## Default WordPress login credentials Once a local environment is in an `UP` state, the WordPress Admin dashboard can be accessed by appending the output **NGINX URLS** value with `/wp-admin/`. For example: `http://example-site.vipdev.lndo.site/wp-admin/` By default, a newly created local environment is supplied with a default WordPress user account that has the username `vipgo`. The `vipgo` user is assigned an [Administrator](https://wordpress.org/support/article/roles-and-capabilities/#administrator) role for [WordPress single site](https://docs.wpvip.com/wordpress-single-site/) or a [Super Admin](https://wordpress.org/support/article/roles-and-capabilities/#super-admin) role for [WordPress multisite](https://docs.wpvip.com/wordpress-multisite/) installations. A unique password is automatically generated for the `vipgo` user account per-environment. The value of the environment’s `DEFAULT PASSWORD` can be retrieved from terminal output after the completion of commands such as `info`, `create`, `start`, `update`,` stop`, and `list`. Users can optionally be auto-logged into the WordPress Admin dashboard with the default credentials by loading the generated **LOGIN URL** value into a browser window. ## Retrieve information about a local environment After a VIP Local Development Environment is [created](https://docs.wpvip.com/local-development/use-the-vip-local-development-environment/), information about the environment will be automatically output after the completion of commands such as `create`, `start`, `update`, and `stop`. Information about an environment can be retrieved on demand with the command: `[vip dev-env info [options]](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-cli/commands/dev-env/info/)`. Information output: * **SLUG:** The value assigned to the `--slug` option * **LOCATION**: Path to the local environment on the local machine(e.g. `/Users/ user-name/.local/share/vip/dev-environment/example-site`) * **SERVICES**: A list of available services provisioned in the local environment( e.g. [Search Dev Tools](https://docs.wpvip.com/enterprise-search/dev-tools/), NGINX, PHP, database, Memcached, Elasticsearch, WordPress, vip-mu-plugins, demo- app-code) * **NGINX URLS**: URLs for accessing a running local environment in a browser ( e.g. `http://example-site.vipdev.lndo.site/`) * **STATUS**: State of the local environment (e.g., `UP` , `DOWN`) * **LOGIN URL**: Automatically log in to the WordPress Admin dashboard with the default credentials by loading this generated URL value in a browser window. * **DEFAULT USERNAME**:  `vipgo`                                               * **DEFAULT PASSWORD**:  A unique value that is automatically generated for the` vipgo` user account when an environment is created.   ## Execute WP-CLI commands Execute WP-CLI commands against the local environment’s containers (as opposed to the host machine) with the command: `[vip dev-env exec [options]](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-cli/commands/dev-env/exec/)`. Separate the arguments of the `vip` process and the WP-CLI command to be executed with `--` (two standard hyphens). For example, to run the WP-CLI command `[wp post list](https://developer.wordpress.org/cli/commands/post/list/)` against the WordPress site in the running local environment named `example-site`: ```wp-block-preformatted vip dev-env exec --slug=example-site -- wp post list ``` **Note** Commands run with `exec --` are running inside of the local environment’s containers and not the host machine. Because of this, paths to local files on the host machine might not work as expected. The `wp db export` WP-CLI command can be used to [export database tables from a locally running WordPress site](https://docs.wpvip.com/databases/import/export-a-file-for-migration/#2-database-exports-with-wp-cli). Ensure that the generated file is exported to a location that is easily retrievable by the user and not exported to the Docker container’s file system by using the `- >` operators: ```wp-block-preformatted vip dev-env exec --slug=example-site -q -- wp db export - > /Users/example-user/Desktop/example-export.sql ``` Last updated: January 22, 2026