How Do I Debug a Live WordPress Site?

Debugging a live WordPress site can be a daunting task, but with a bit of know-how and some simple steps, it can be done.

First and foremost, it is important to understand that debugging a live WordPress site is not the same as debugging a codebase that is already live. The live environment is constantly changing, and your debugging efforts may be thwarted by new code or configuration changes.

Instead, you should use a live WordPress development environment or a WordPress plugin to debug your site. A development environment is a specially configured WordPress site that allows you to access and modify the codebase.

A plugin allows you to debug WordPress sites from within the WordPress admin area.

Once you have a development environment or plugin setup, you can start debugging by following these steps:

1. Identify the issue.

The first step is to identify the issue. This can be done by logging into the live site and looking through the logs to see what is happening.

Alternatively, you can use a plugin like WP Smush to analyze the traffic on the site and see which pages are being load more heavily than others.

2. Check the code.

Once you have identified the issue, it is time to check the code. This can be done by viewing the source code for the pages or posts that are causing the issue.

If the issue is with a plugin, you may need to view the code for the plugin’s entire installation.

3. Check the settings.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a setting within the WordPress site or within a plugin. It is important to check the settings for the site and the plugin to see if anything is causing the issue.

4. Check the database.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a missing or incorrect database query. It is important to check the database for any errors or inconsistencies.

5. Check the theme.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a missing or incorrect theme file. It is important to check the theme files for any errors or inconsistencies.

6. Check the theme settings.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a missing or incorrect theme setting. It is important to check the theme settings for any errors or inconsistencies.

7. Check the plugin settings.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a missing or incorrect plugin setting. It is important to check the plugin settings for any errors or inconsistencies.

8. Check the codebase.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a problem with the codebase. It is important to check the codebase for any errors or inconsistencies.

9. Check the database schema.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a problem with the database schema. It is important to check the database schema for any errors or inconsistencies.

10. Check the database tables.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a problem with the database tables. It is important to check the database tables for any errors or inconsistencies.

11. Check the database connection.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a problem with the database connection. It is important to check the database connection for any errors or inconsistencies.

12. Check the WordPress settings.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a problem with the WordPress settings. It is important to check the WordPress settings for any errors or inconsistencies.

13. Check the theme files.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a problem with the theme files.

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If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a problem with the theme setting. It is important to check the theme setting for any errors or inconsistencies.

15. Check the plugin files.

If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a problem with the plugin files. It is important to check the plugin files for any errors or inconsistencies.

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If the issue is with the code, it may be due to a problem with the plugin setting. It is important to check the plugin setting for any errors or inconsistencies.

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