Discover how we built a self-hosted WordPress Playground that showcases Splendid Sales Booster in a full WooCommerce store while keeping premium code safe. Learn the steps we took to disable exports, add single-use download tokens, and craft a friction-free cross-sell demo that merchants can test in seconds.
Why a live demo matters to store owners
Running an online store is a daily juggling act. Orders drop in, support tickets pile up, campaigns demand attention. Nobody wants to spin up a staging site just to check if a plugin keeps its promises. One click, a live shop, and the key feature in view, that is what merchants need.
Seeing real cross sell offers under a product is more convincing than any feature list. Clicking through checkout with a discount feels better than a screenshot. A live demo turns claims into proof and answers the only question that matters, “Will this solve my problem today?”
It also builds trust. If we show the plugin in a sandboxed store we have nothing to hide. The merchant can poke around, break things, and leave with a clear verdict. No sales call can match that hands on proof.
That is why we chose WordPress Playground as the backbone of our demo for Splendid Sales Booster. It cuts technical hurdles, spins up a WooCommerce site in seconds, and gives every visitor a clean trial.
Our first brush with WordPress Playground
We first encountered Playground at WordCamp Europe 2023, where Adam Zieliński, already an Automattic engineer, spun up a full WordPress site in the browser before the audience finished their coffee. The prototype had started as a weekend side project, and after its success Adam was formally assigned to develop Playground and later built a small team around it.
He later wrote:
Playground is WordPress running on your device with one click and no hosting fees. You can learn about websites, test code, or build apps, for example a private RSS reader. Playground is an official WordPress project, open source, and free forever (GPL).
After the session we spoke with Adam in the hallway. The idea of a Playground demo for Splendid Sales Booster took root that day.
Fast forward to January 2025, the post that flipped the switch
On 24 January 2025 Ján Mikláš shared a guide (Demo your Woo extension with WordPress Playground) on the WooCommerce developer blog that showed how to build a Playground demo for an extension. We loved the clarity, but the real spark came in the comments. Pi suggested hosting a private ZIP and serving it only when the referrer matched Playground.
We liked the idea, but two holes appeared fast. Referrers can be faked, and Playground ships with an export button that zips the whole site, plugin code included. If we wanted a demo we had to patch both gaps.
Mapping the risks, setting the goals
We listed the threats. Fake referrers. Full site export. Premium code leaking onto torrent sites. Success meant three things: the demo loads in seconds, always starts clean, and never leaks the premium ZIP.
Building a self hosted Playground that protects premium code
Cutting the export cord
The upstream toolbar includes an Export button. Handy for learning, fatal for a commercial plugin. We removed the module, rebuilt the bundle, and the button vanished.
Serving the premium ZIP once and only once
When the Blueprint loads it pings an endpoint that issues a fresh one time token. If the token is valid the server streams the premium ZIP. After that the token dies. No token, no file.
Designing the demo experience
A demo should feel like a tidy showroom. We loaded a small catalogue: burgers with a Cola add on, fries that pair with a wrap, and an electronics trio of phone, case, and headphones. Using the ruleset option we applied cross selling by tags, categories, or across all products.
So, check it out! Link to our demo.
Visitors land on a product that shows cross sell in action. They run as Shop Manager so they can edit products but cannot install plugins or export data. The instance resets hourly so every guest starts fresh.
Why we added a step-by-step instruction inside the demo
Merchants open a demo with one goal: see how the plugin behaves in a real store as fast as possible. The instruction inside the Playground environment gives them a direct path, so they don’t waste time guessing where features live.
Here’s what the instruction inside the demo highlights and why each part matters:
Check cross-sell configuration for a single product
This shows how Splendid integrates with the standard WooCommerce product editor. Merchants often want to confirm that setup is simple and that the options are easy to find.
See how cross-sells appear on the frontend
The customer view matters most. Store owners want to verify that the offers look natural, match the theme, and appear in the right places.
Try the Ruleset manager
Rulesets are the core of the PRO version. Many users would miss this feature entirely without guidance. This step leads them straight to bulk cross-sell logic.
Review global settings
More technical users want to understand the full scope of control. This point shows that Splendid includes global WooCommerce-level settings that shape how cross-selling behaves across the store.
This demo lives in the browser only
This removes fear. Nothing can break. Nothing is stored. The whole instance resets when the tab closes, which frees users to experiment without hesitation.
The hidden discount notice
A small reward for exploring. The discount code appears only inside the demo and encourages users to actually click through the flows instead of skimming.
WordPress Playground in a broader context
Playground comes down to a single URL. Open https://playground.wordpress.net/ and you get a blank WordPress site running in the browser. Add a parameter and it behaves like a staging server you know.
https://playground.wordpress.net/?plugin=advanced-custom-fieldsThe ?plugin= parameter installs a plugin from WordPress.org.
- To test a specific theme:
?theme=theme-name - To test a specific plugin:
?plugin=plugin-name - To use a specific WordPress version:
?wp=6.8
Swap plugin for theme to test a design, or chain parameters to craft a full recipe. No Docker, no local host, no hosting fee.
For complex setups Blueprints step in. A small JSON file can install plugins, load content, and set a landing page. Drop the file next to your plugin and a Playground button can spin the same environment for anyone.
Check details about Blueprints.json directly in the documentation.
Open invitation to fellow developers and agencies
We have shared our path, now we want to hear yours. Found a smarter seeding trick, patched Playground for external APIs, or hit a wall we missed? Send your story or snippet and we will add the best insights with a backlink.
Reach out via our contact form → https://splendidplugins.com/contact-us/
- Test drive Splendid Sales Booster → https://splendidplugins.com/
- Free version on WordPress.org → https://wordpress.org/plugins/splendid-sales-booster/
We cannot wait to read your take.