Test building a new version of a web site

Question

I am working to build a new version of my website.

During the time I'm building it I would like to view it live on the internet without having to delete the old one.

What is the best way to do this?

Answer 1

If it must be available online the easiest way is to create a subdomain on your main website and place your code in there. Just make sure to block that website from search crawlers. The best way to do that is with Basic Authentication.

Answer 2

Another way to do this, if you use Git for version control, is to make use of Github's new Github Pages feature. Every time you push an update to the site, it will go live at username.github.io/repo-name. Alternately, you can use your own domain name.

Even if you don't use Git regularly, learning it takes an hour or two, and then you can have your live updates as you're working on it.