Snapshots

Snapshots capture the complete state of a sandbox at a point in time: the SQLite database and the entire wp-content directory.

Create a snapshot

wp rudel snapshot my-sandbox-a1b2 --name=before-update

This copies the sandbox's database and wp-content into a named snapshot stored within the sandbox directory. Snapshots are fast because they are simple file copies.

Restore from a snapshot

wp rudel restore my-sandbox-a1b2 --snapshot=before-update

This replaces the sandbox's current database and wp-content with the snapshot's contents. You will be prompted for confirmation unless you pass --force:

wp rudel restore my-sandbox-a1b2 --snapshot=before-update --force

Restoring is destructive to the current state. If you want to preserve the current state before restoring, create another snapshot first.

Use cases

• Before risky changes: Snapshot before running migrations, updating plugins, or making large code changes.
• A/B testing: Create multiple snapshots at different states and switch between them.
• Agent checkpoints: Let AI coding agents snapshot before attempting changes, enabling easy rollback.
• Demo environments: Snapshot a clean state and restore after each demo.