DDEV: The Docker Development Environment That Actually Works

Published: July 16, 2025

I’ve been burned by local development environments more times than I care to admit. MAMP that randomly stopped working after an OS update. Docker Compose files that worked perfectly until they didn’t. Vagrant boxes that consumed more RAM than my actual projects. When a colleague recommended DDEV last year, I was skeptical. “Another development environment? Really?”

Turns out, sometimes skepticism is wrong. DDEV isn’t just another local development tool—it’s the local development tool that finally gets everything right. After using it for over a year on dozens of WordPress projects, I can’t imagine going back to anything else.

What Makes DDEV Different

DDEV is built on Docker, but it hides all the complexity that makes Docker intimidating for day-to-day development. No Dockerfile writing, no docker-compose wrestling, no networking headaches. You get all the benefits of containerized development without feeling like you need a Computer Science degree.

The magic is in the abstraction. DDEV provides sensible defaults for common development scenarios while still allowing deep customization when you need it. It’s like having a senior DevOps engineer configure your environment, but you don’t have to pay their salary.

Getting Started: Stupidly Simple

Installing DDEV on macOS is literally one command:

brew install ddev/ddev/ddev

For a new WordPress project, it’s three commands:

mkdir my-wordpress-site
cd my-wordpress-site
ddev config --project-type=wordpress --docroot=web
ddev start
ddev wp core download

That’s it. You now have a fully functional WordPress installation running at `https://my-wordpress-site.ddev.site` with SSL, proper URL rewriting, and a MySQL database. No configuration files, no virtual hosts, no DNS trickery.

The WordPress Experience

DDEV’s WordPress integration is where it really shines. The built-in WP-CLI integration means you can run any WordPress command without installing WP-CLI globally:

ddev wp plugin install contact-form-7 --activate
ddev wp user create admin [email protected] --role=administrator
ddev wp search-replace oldsite.com my-wordpress-site.ddev.site

Need to import a database backup? `ddev import-db < backup.sql`. Want to quickly snapshot your current state? `ddev snapshot`. Need to access the database directly? `ddev mysql` drops you into a MySQL prompt.

It handles all the WordPress-specific gotchas automatically. File permissions are correct, URLs resolve properly, and uploads work without weird Docker volume mount issues.

Multi-Environment Workflows

Here’s where DDEV really earns its keep: managing multiple projects and environments. I regularly work on 5-10 WordPress sites simultaneously, each with different PHP versions, different plugin requirements, and different databases.

With DDEV, each project gets its own isolated environment. Project A can run PHP 8.3 with the latest WordPress, while Project B runs PHP 7.4 with WordPress 5.8 for legacy compatibility. No conflicts, no global configuration headaches.

Switching between projects is instant: `ddev stop`, `cd ../other-project`, `ddev start`. Each environment remembers its configuration and picks up exactly where you left off.

Performance That Doesn’t Suck

Docker on macOS used to be synonymous with slow file system performance. DDEV solves this with Mutagen, a file synchronization tool that keeps your local files in sync with the container without the traditional volume mount performance penalty.

The difference is dramatic. Page loads that took 3-4 seconds with traditional Docker setups now happen in under a second. File watching for build tools actually works reliably. It feels like native performance because, effectively, it is.

Debugging and Development Features

DDEV includes Xdebug out of the box, properly configured and ready to use with VS Code or PhpStorm. No more wrestling with PHP configuration or struggling to get step debugging working.

The built-in MailHog catches all outgoing emails, so you can test contact forms and user registration without accidentally spamming real email addresses. The logs are accessible via `ddev logs`, and you can tail them in real-time with `ddev logs -f`.

Need to test with HTTPS? Every DDEV site gets a valid SSL certificate automatically. Want to share your local site with a client? `ddev share` creates a temporary public URL using ngrok.

Customization When You Need It

While DDEV’s defaults cover 90% of use cases, it’s fully customizable when you need something special. Custom nginx configuration, additional services like Redis or Elasticsearch, or specific PHP extensions—all possible with simple configuration files.

I’ve customized DDEV environments for clients who needed specific server configurations, added custom build processes for React-based themes, and integrated with CI/CD pipelines. The flexibility is there when you need it, hidden when you don’t.

Team Collaboration

One of DDEV’s biggest advantages is team consistency. When everyone on the team uses DDEV, environment-related bugs virtually disappear. The `.ddev` configuration folder lives in your git repository, so everyone gets exactly the same environment.

No more “it works on my machine” conversations. No more debugging issues that turn out to be different PHP versions or missing extensions. The development environment becomes a solved problem, and you can focus on actual development.

Migration from Other Tools

Moving from MAMP, XAMPP, or Local by Flywheel to DDEV is surprisingly painless. DDEV can import existing WordPress installations, databases, and configurations. I’ve migrated dozens of projects, and the process usually takes less than 10 minutes per site.

The hardest part is often convincing yourself that it’s really this easy. After years of fighting with local development environments, DDEV’s simplicity feels almost suspicious. But it’s real.

Real-World Usage

I’ve used DDEV for everything from simple brochure sites to complex WooCommerce installations with custom integrations. It handles large databases (500MB+) without breaking a sweat, works reliably with complex plugin combinations, and scales from solo development to team environments.

The most telling endorsement: I’ve stopped thinking about my local development environment. It just works, consistently, across different projects and different machines. That’s exactly what a development tool should do.

The Few Drawbacks

DDEV isn’t perfect. The Docker dependency means it requires more system resources than traditional LAMP stacks. The learning curve exists if you want to customize beyond the defaults. And if you’re already happy with your current setup, the migration effort might not feel worth it.

But these are minor complaints. The resource usage is reasonable on modern machines, the learning curve is gentle, and the productivity gains make migration effort pay off quickly.

Why It Matters

Local development environment setup shouldn’t be a skill. It should be solved, automated, and invisible. DDEV gets us closer to that ideal than anything else I’ve used.

When I onboard new developers or work with clients who want to make content updates locally, DDEV removes a huge barrier to entry. They can focus on WordPress, design, or content without becoming Docker experts first.

That’s the mark of great tooling: it solves problems so well that you forget the problems existed. DDEV does that for local WordPress development, and honestly, it’s about time.