Announcing Duplicator WP-CLI Commands (And How They Speed Up Backups)
Looking for a smarter way to manage site backups? Explore Duplicator's new features, including customizable WP-CLI commands and permission settings!
Announcing Duplicator WP-CLI Commands (And How They Speed Up Backups)
Joella Dunn
Joella Dunn
John Turner
John Turner
Ever stared at an error on your WordPress site, feeling completely helpless? I’ve been there.
I can’t count how many times I’ve encountered mysterious issues that seemed impossible to track down — until I discovered the right debugging tools.
Here’s the thing about WordPress sites: they’re complex systems with lots of moving parts. Themes, plugins, and core WordPress files all need to work together perfectly. When something goes wrong, finding the culprit can feel impossible.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
With the right WordPress debugging tools, you can quickly identify and resolve issues that would otherwise take hours to track down.
Whether you’re dealing with plugin conflicts, performance problems, or mysterious PHP errors, having the proper toolkit makes all the difference.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the most effective WordPress debugging tools I’ve personally tested and relied on. Let’s get started!
Before diving into specific tools, let’s talk about the real issues you’ll be able to tackle.
Understanding these common problems will help you know exactly when and how to use your debugging toolkit.
Those moments when your site suddenly shows nothing but a blank white screen can be panic-inducing.
Debugging tools can trace this issue back to its source, which is often a PHP error or memory limit problem. Instead of guessing what went wrong, you can get exact error messages and stack traces pointing to the problematic code.
Your site seems slow, but you can’t figure out why.
Debugging tools can reveal hidden bottlenecks. They’ll show you how long each page element takes to load, which database queries are running slowly, and which plugins consume excessive resources.
One of the most frustrating WordPress problems is when plugins or themes have conflicting software.
It can be difficult and time-consuming to solve the problem through trial and error. Debugging tools show you exactly which components are conflicting, what errors they’re generating, and where in the code these conflicts occur.
Ever wonder why some pages load instantly while others take forever? Often, it’s because of inefficient database queries.
Debugging tools can show you every query running on your page, how long each takes to execute, and which queries are redundant or poorly optimized.
Many WordPress issues stem from PHP problems that are hidden from regular users. These can range from simple notices to fatal errors that crash your site.
With the right debugging tools, you can:
When it comes to debugging WordPress, no single tool does it all. That’s why professional developers maintain a toolkit of debugging solutions.
Let’s explore the most effective tools available, starting with WordPress’s built-in debugging capabilities.
WordPress comes with powerful debugging features that many users don’t even know exist. We’ve tested these extensively across dozens of sites and found them invaluable for initial problem diagnosis.
The built-in debugging system works by adding specific constants to your wp-config.php file. When enabled, it reveals errors, warnings, and notices that are normally hidden from view.
To enable WordPress debug mode, you’ll need to add these lines to your wp-config.php file:
define( 'WP_DEBUG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true );
define( 'WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false );
Here’s what impressed us most during our testing:
The WordPress debug log feature creates a detailed record of all errors, making it possible to track down issues. We found this particularly useful when dealing with hosting environments where errors don’t display directly on the screen.
One notable drawback we encountered was that the debug output can be overwhelming for beginners. It can display notices that aren’t actually causing problems, making it harder to identify real issues.
WordPress’s native debugging provides the foundation for all other debugging tools. It’s often my first step in error diagnosis because it requires no additional plugins and can catch issues at the deepest level of WordPress operations.
Query Monitor emerged as our top choice of WordPress debugging plugins. This free tool provides deep insights into your site’s operations. Plus, it has an easy-to-use interface that even newer developers can navigate.
What sets the Query Monitor plugin apart is its comprehensive database query analysis. The ability to sort queries by execution time, calling function, or component makes it easy to pinpoint exactly where optimization is needed.
I particularly appreciated how Query Monitor breaks down page load time by component. It can show you how specific parts of your site impact the user’s experience.
Query Monitor is one of the best free WordPress debugging tools. It’s valuable for debugging performance issues and database problems.
While not WordPress-specific, Chrome DevTools is a great addition for debugging workflows. Its network panel and performance profiler can give you insights that WordPress plugins can’t match.
If you’re using a Chrome browser, you can right-click on an element in your website and inspect it. Chrome DevTools automatically opens, giving you quick access to your site’s HTML code.
With Chrome DevTools, you can monitor your site’s performance, debug JavaScript, identify CSS improvements, and much more.
Its powerful front-end debugging capabilities make it an essential complement to WordPress-specific tools. The ability to debug JavaScript and analyze network requests in detail fills crucial gaps in WordPress debugging tools.
Duplicator is primarily known for its backup and migration functionality, but did you know it’s also a valuable tool for debugging?
Before making any changes while debugging, it’s crucial to have a recent backup. Duplicator can create a complete backup of your site, including files and the database, ensuring that you are prepared if something goes wrong.
Debugging on a live site can be risky. Duplicator allows you to quickly create a staging environment. This staging site mirrors your production site, giving you a place to safely test and debug any issues.
Instead of pinpointing an exact problem, you could just restore a backup. Duplicator allows you to restore your site in one click, instantly rolling back any serious errors.
Plus, there’s disaster recovery if your site is completely offline.
Duplicator gives you a safety net with backups and makes staging environments easily accessible. Its restore functionality makes it an essential part of any debugging toolkit.
If you want to start debugging in WordPress but you’re a complete beginner, consider installing WP Debugging. This plugin activates the built-in WordPress debugging mode for you.
Once you’re done debugging, deactivate WP Debugging. It’ll automatically remove debug constants from your site files.
However, if you’re comfortable editing your wp-config.php file, skip this plugin. It doesn’t offer additional functionality beyond enabling debugging and slightly configuring error displays.
Its simplicity makes it perfect for users who need quick access to WordPress debugging features without editing configuration files.
WPCode allows you to insert custom code snippets directly into your WordPress site without needing to edit your theme’s functions.php file.
With WPCode, you can easily add and manage your site’s code snippets. It has error tracking, so you’ll instantly know about problems in your PHP code.
WPCode automatically disables bad snippets. It’ll even highlight the line of code that caused the error, allowing you to easily fix it.
WPCode is a great plugin to help debug issues with custom code without needing to edit any theme files. The error logging makes it a valuable addition to your debugging arsenal.
Never start debugging without a recent backup of your site. One wrong move while troubleshooting can compound your problems.
I recommend using Duplicator Pro for creating automatic backups. You’ll always have a clean backup to fall back on.
Before debugging, set a full backup as the recovery point. Even if your site is broken, you don’t want to lose any more data. Duplicator will roll back your site to where you started if anything goes wrong.
Never debug on a live site. Set up a staging environment that mirrors your production site where you can safely test and debug issues.
Duplicator Pro makes this process seamless by allowing you to create an exact clone of your site in a staging environment with just a few clicks. You’ll simply have to back up your original site and drop this backup into the staging area.
Remember that debug logs can contain sensitive information. Never share raw debug logs publicly without reviewing and redacting sensitive data first.
Keep an eye on your server resources while debugging. Some debugging tools can be resource-intensive, so you might need to disable other non-essential plugins temporarily during the debugging process.
When you’re debugging, document everything. Keep detailed notes of:
This documentation becomes invaluable when similar issues arise in the future.
Debug WordPress by enabling the debug mode in the wp-config.php file. Add the line define('WP_DEBUG', true); to activate it. Review errors in the debug log (wp-content/debug.log). Check for plugin conflicts by deactivating plugins one by one, and test with a default theme.
Open tools for WordPress development by pressing F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I (Windows) or Cmd + Option + I (Mac) in your web browser. This opens the browser’s developer tools, where you can inspect HTML for debugging.
See all errors in WordPress by enabling debugging in the wp-config.php file. For on-screen error display, use define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', true);. Ensure error reporting is enabled in your server’s PHP configuration.
To enable debug mode in WordPress, edit the wp-config.php file to include define('WP_DEBUG', true);. For other platforms, consult their specific debug settings. Debug mode helps identify errors and logs them for troubleshooting.
The best WordPress debug plugin is Query Monitor. It provides detailed insights into database queries, PHP errors, hooks, and enqueued scripts. It helps developers identify performance issues and conflicts. Other popular options include Debug Bar, WP Debugging, Debug This, and Debug Log Manager.
Effective debugging is essential for maintaining a healthy WordPress site, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right tools and approach, you can quickly identify and resolve issues before they impact your users.
Remember that debugging is most effective when done proactively. Regular site maintenance and monitoring can catch potential problems before they become critical issues.
While you’re here, I think you’ll like these other WordPress guides:
Ready to implement a professional debugging workflow? Try Duplicator Pro today and experience seamless site backups and staging environment creation for safer debugging.
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