SandyWP Cloner copies your live site into a throwaway SandyWP sandbox so you can test plugins, themes, updates, or hand a client a safe playground without touching production.
Click once and the plugin works in the background while you keep using your site:
- Packages your database and
wp-contentinto a single archive. - Uploads it securely to your SandyWP account (large sites use resumable, direct-to-storage uploads).
- SandyWP lays down clean WordPress core, restores your content, and rewrites URLs.
- The new sandbox URL with a one-click admin login appears right on the screen.
A live progress screen shows each step. You can close the page and come back; the clone keeps running.
You need a SandyWP account to use this plugin. Connect in one click with the Connect to SandyWP button (no token to copy), or paste a personal API token (Account → API keys) as a fallback.
Why use it
- One-click clone no manual export/import, no FTP, no database juggling.
- Runs in the background with a real-time status screen.
- Handles large sites: resumable, chunked uploads that survive flaky connections.
- Your live site is never modified only read.
Third-Party Service
This plugin sends your site’s data to SandyWP, a third-party hosting service, to create the sandbox clone. It is not functional without a SandyWP account.
- Connecting your account: clicking “Connect to SandyWP” opens SandyWP in your browser to authorize this site (an OAuth authorization-code + PKCE flow); SandyWP then returns a connection key scoped to cloning only. Your site URL is sent as part of this request. Alternatively you can paste a personal API token, which is verified against SandyWP’s identity endpoint.
- What is sent when cloning: your site’s database export and a copy of your
wp-contentfiles, plus your site URL, WordPress version, and PHP version (in a small manifest). Data is transmitted to the SandyWP URL you configure (defaulthttps://app.sandywp.com) using the connection key. - When: account data is sent when you connect; site data is sent only when you click “Clone to SandyWP”.
- Service: SandyWP https://sandywp.com
- Terms of Service: https://sandywp.com/terms
- Privacy Policy: https://sandywp.com/privacy