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Transferring Plugins and Themes to a New WordPress Installation with IONOS Blueprints

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With the new IONOS Blueprints feature, you can quickly and easily set up your WordPress projects with your custom selection of plugins and themes.

What are Blueprints?

When you start with a new WordPress project, installing all of the required plugins and themes can take some time. Especially for those who frequently create similar websites, it's worth creating a Blueprint for this purpose.

Blueprints are installation templates that you can create based on existing WordPress websites. They contain the information about which plugins and themes to install. For future websites, you then only need to import the corresponding Blueprint file and no longer need to install your plugins and themes individually.

Please Note

Your settings and customisations to plugins and themes will not be transferred.

Below we will show you how to create Blueprints based on an existing WordPress installation and apply them by importing them into another WordPress installation.

Installation of the IONOS Blueprints plugin

Before you can start creating Blueprints, you must first install the IONOS Blueprints plugin for WordPress.

The Blueprints plugin works with all WordPress installations where the use of plugins is not restricted.

Additional Information
  • Since the Blueprints plugin includes only the Blueprint creation feature, you only need to install it in the WordPress project with which you want to create a Blueprint.
  • If the WordPress project for which you want to create a Blueprint is included in a WordPress package that you ordered after 27 September 2022, you do not need to install the plugin. This is because the plugin is already installed automatically with WordPress in our latest packages.
  • Log in to the WordPress installation you want to use as a template.
  • From the WordPress admin menu, choose Plugins > Add New.
  • In the search box above the details pane, type IONOSBlueprints.
  • Click the Install Now button in the Blueprints tile. You will recognise this by the author IONOS.
  • Click the Activate button. Blueprints will then be added as a menu item in the WordPress administration.

Creating a Blueprint

  • Log in to the administration panel of the WordPress installation that you want to use as a template for another WordPress installation.
  • In the WordPress admin menu, click IONOS > Blueprints. If you don't see this menu item, please make sure that the IONOS Blueprints plugin is installed (see previous paragraph).
  • You can now select the themes and plugins you want.

    By default, all themes and plugins are preselected. If you want to include only certain themes or plugins in the Blueprints file, uncheck the toggle icon in front of Export All Themes and Export All Plugins.
  • Save your selection to your local system using the Download Blueprints File button.

You now have a Blueprints file that you can use with other WordPress installations to install the appropriate themes and plugins there.

Please Note

The Blueprint file is saved in the JSON format. It contains the information about which plugins and themes to install. This also takes into account the dependencies between child themes and parent themes. In addition, which theme is active is stored. Take note, however, that no personal settings and customisations are saved. This also applies to customisations in child themes.

Importing a Blueprints File in the IONOS WordPress Assistant

To apply a Blueprint file to a new WordPress project and install the appropriate themes and plugins, first start the installation of WordPress from your IONOS account. Then, follow the installation process until you are on the IONOS Assistant main page. Here, you will then perform the following steps:

  • In the IONOS Assistant, click Import Blueprint File at the bottom. The import dialog is displayed.
  • Drag and drop the desired Blueprint file into the drop window. A summary of the themes and plugins to be installed is displayed.
    Alternatively, use the Select File button to locate and select the Blueprint file on your local system.
  • To start the installation, click the Install button.

The themes and plugins will now be installed automatically. You will then be redirected to the administration area of your WordPress installation, where you can configure your themes and plugins as desired.

For experts: Use Blueprints with WP CLI

This feature is only available for WordPress packages created after 27/09/2022.

You can also use the Blueprint feature via the WordPress Command Line Interface (WP CLI). WP CLI allows you to control WordPress with text commands, for example, to run installations automatically.

The commands for creating and applying Blueprints are described below.

Creating a Blueprint

Creates a blueprint export, output inside the console:

wp ionos blueprint create

Creates a blueprint export, output inside a file:

wp ionos blueprint create > /tmp/blueprint.json

Creates a blueprints export, output inside the console. No themes are included..:

wp ionos blueprint create --no-themes

Creates a blueprints export, output inside the console. No plugins are included:

wp ionos blueprint create --no-plugins

Creates a blueprints export, output inside the console. Only plugins are included:

wp ionos blueprint create --plugins

Creates a blueprints export, output inside the console. Only themes are included:

wp ionos blueprint create --themes

Apply Blueprint

The following command applies a blueprint file to an existing WordPress installation and installs the desired plugins/themes.

wp ionos blueprint apply <file>

Example:

wp ionos blueprint apply /tmp/blueprint.json

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