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DevKit Image URL Redirect: Local WordPress Without the Media Library

devkit

To work on a production WordPress site locally, you usually have to download the whole thing, and most of that download is the media library. On a larger site that can be several gigabytes just to test a design change. DevKit's Image URL Redirect lets you export the site without media, import it locally in seconds, and load every image from the live site. You skip the big download and the pages still look right, including inside Bricks Builder.

The problem: huge media libraries

You work on a local copy so you can experiment without the risk of breaking the live site. The catch is that you pull down every uploaded file along with the database.

In the video, the "production" site is a small test site with one page (Mushroom), 16 images in the media library, two inline images and a background image. Even this small site gives a 340 MB full export with All-in-One WP Migration. A real client site with years of uploads can be several gigabytes, which is slow to download and slow to import.

Export a site without media

You don't need the image files locally if the local site can load them from the live site. So the first step is to leave them out of the export.

  1. On the live site, go to All-in-One WP Migration → Export.
  2. Expand Advanced options.
  3. Check Exclude media library (files).
  4. Under Export site to, choose File and download the backup.

Without the media library, the same site exports at about 64 MB instead of 340 MB.

Import it locally, fast

A smaller backup is quicker to move and quicker to import. The local site in the video starts with only All-in-One WP Migration installed. DevKit comes along with the imported site.

  1. On the local site, go to All-in-One WP Migration → Import and drop in the backup.
  2. When you see Your site has been imported successfully!, go to Settings → Permalinks and save the structure again (the video uses Post name).
  3. Open the page on the front end.

The import finishes in seconds. The page loads, but every image is broken: you can see the alt text ("selective focus photograph of mushroom") and an empty space where the background should be. That's expected, because no media files were copied.

Add the image redirect root URL

This step fixes the broken images without downloading them. DevKit rewrites image URLs so they load from the live site.

  1. Go to DevKit in the local site's admin and scroll down to the Image URL Redirect section. It sits below Add New Thumbnail Size.
  2. Check Enable URL redirect.
  3. Paste in the root URL of the live site that the export came from.
  4. Click Save settings. You'll see the confirmation "Image URL Redirect settings saved!"
  5. Reload the page.

The inline images and the background image now show up, and your local install is still only about 60 MB. The Media library also shows its images again, because they are served from the live site.

Toggle on/off: before and after

If you're unsure whether an image lives locally or comes from production, flip the setting and compare.

  • Uncheck Enable URL redirect and save: the images break again.
  • Check it again and save: everything comes back.

This also shows that the images are served from the live site, not quietly copied into your local install.

Export database-only changes

Once you've made your changes locally, you have to get them back to the live site. Content and design changes are stored in the database, so you can leave all the files out.

  1. Make your edits locally and save.
  2. Go to All-in-One WP Migration → Export → Advanced options.
  3. Exclude everything except the database: Exclude media library (files), Exclude themes (files), Exclude must-use plugins (files) and Exclude plugins (files). Leave Exclude database (sql) unchecked.
  4. Export to File. In the video the backup is about 68 KB.
  5. Import it on the live site and save permalinks again.

The edited page on the live site now has your local changes, and the transfer was under a megabyte.

Works inside Bricks Builder too

The redirect has to work in your page builder as well as on the front end, or you'd have broken images while editing. The video tests this with Bricks Builder.

  1. Activate Bricks on the local site.
  2. Create a new page (the video uses "Test Bricks redirect"), publish it and open it with Bricks.
  3. Add an Image element and select an image from the media library.

The image appears in the builder canvas even though the file only exists on the live site. Because the page references the live image URLs, you can move this change to the online site the same way and it will still work there.

Bricks is the only builder shown in the video. If you use another builder, test it and let us know in the comments. We're happy to add more integrations.

Who is this for

  • Freelancers and agencies who need a local copy of a client site with a large media library and don't want to download gigabytes for a quick test.
  • Site builders using Bricks Builder who want to try out layouts locally with the real images visible in the builder.
  • Anyone moving local edits back to production, who can send a database-only export of a few kilobytes instead of the full site.

FAQ

How do I work on a WordPress site locally without downloading the media library? Export the site with All-in-One WP Migration and check Exclude media library (files), then import it locally. In DevKit, enable Image URL Redirect and enter the live site's root URL. Images then load from the live site.

Are the images copied to my local site? No. The image URLs are redirected to the live site. If you turn off Enable URL redirect, the images break again, which shows that nothing was downloaded.

Does Image URL Redirect work in page builders? The video tests it in Bricks Builder: an Image element added in the builder shows the live-site image. Other builders aren't shown, so test yours and send us feedback if something doesn't work.

How do I push my local changes back to the live site? Export only the database: exclude media, themes, must-use plugins and plugins in the export's Advanced options. In the video that export is about 68 KB. Import it on the live site and re-save permalinks.

How much smaller is the export without media? In the video, the full export of a small demo site is 340 MB, 64 MB without the media library, and about 68 KB for the database alone. Your numbers depend on your site.

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