wp-dev-sync

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$ npx wp-dev-sync watch

CLI for syncing WordPress themes to remote servers.
Edit locally. Auto-sync on save. SSH or FTP.
Like shopify theme dev, but for WordPress.

★ GitHub Quick Start → npm ↗

npx wp-dev-sync <command>

cat problem.md

the-problem.diff

- The Old Way

Open FileZilla
Navigate to remote dir
Upload files manually
Refresh browser
Repeat 500× a day

+ The wp-dev-sync Way

Run npx wp-dev-sync watch
Edit files in your editor
Files sync automatically
SSH delta = only changed bytes
Done. Go build things.

Think shopify theme dev, but for WordPress.

npx wp-dev-sync --help

wp-dev-sync help

WP Dev Sync

Usage: wp-dev-sync <command>

⟳watchWatch for changes and auto-sync to remote

↑pushOne-time upload to remote server

↓pullOne-time download from remote server

◇diffCompare local vs remote without syncing

◈envManage multiple environments

★tunnelOpen public tunnel for client previews

◆setupCheck dependencies and test connection

◇initCreate .env file from template

1 npx wp-dev-sync init # Create .env

2 nano .env # Set credentials

3 npx wp-dev-sync setup # Verify

4 npx wp-dev-sync watch # Sync!

cat how-it-works.txt

architecture

  ┌─────────────┐         ┌─────────────┐         ┌─────────────┐
  │             │         │             │         │             │
  │  Your       │   SSH   │  wp-dev-    │  rsync  │  Remote     │
  │  Editor     │ ──────▶ │  sync       │ ──────▶ │  Server     │
  │             │   FTP   │  (watcher)  │  lftp   │             │
  │  Save file  │         │  Detects Δ  │         │  Theme live │
  │             │         │             │         │             │
  └─────────────┘         └─────────────┘         └─────────────┘
         │                       │                       │
     localhost               auto-sync             your-server.com

🔍

Compare

Dry-run diff finds
local vs remote changes

→

🤝

Reconcile

Choose per category:
upload, download, delete

→

⚡

Sync

Gradient progress bar
tracks each file

→

👁

Watch

Auto-sync on every
file save

diff ssh.md ftp.md

SSH (rsync) RECOMMENDED

Delta transfer — only changed bytes

Fast delta sync (~200 bytes per edit)
Encrypted connection
Passwordless with SSH keys
Checksum-based change detection

Install: choco install rsync · brew install rsync

FTP (lftp) FALLBACK

Full file mirror — works everywhere

Universal hosting support
No server setup needed
Works with any cPanel/Plesk
Transfers full files, not deltas

Install: choco install lftp · brew install lftp

cat .syncignore

.syncignore

# Files and directories to exclude from sync

# One pattern per line. Supports glob patterns.

# Version control

.git

# Dependencies

node_modules

vendor

# Build artifacts

public/hot

public/.vite

*.map

# IDE & OS

.idea

.vscode

.DS_Store

✔ Created automatically by npx wp-dev-sync init

✔ Works alongside SYNC_EXCLUDE in .env — patterns are merged

✔ SSH uses rsync --exclude-from natively (full glob support)

✔ FTP merges patterns into lftp exclude flags

OS	WATCHER	LATENCY	INSTALL
macOS	fswatch	~0.5s	brew install fswatch
Linux	inotifywait	~0.5s	apt install inotify-tools
Windows	Polling	~2s	Built-in (no install)