Yes. Pass the full URL including the path to wp core install –url=. Download and config steps stay the same; only the site URL changes.

No. WordPress needs database credentials in wp-config.php before installation. Without config, WP-CLI cannot connect to MySQL and the install will fail.

Only when the database named in wp-config.php does not exist yet. On shared hosting the database is often pre-created — then skip this step. On local dev, create it with WP-CLI.

For most installs, use the latest stable release without –version. Pin a version only when you intentionally need parity with production or a legacy environment.

Use an empty directory for a fresh site. WP-CLI downloads core files into the current working directory. Mixing with existing files can leave stale plugins or themes from an old project.

wp core install fails because MySQL cannot connect to a database that does not exist. The error looks like a credentials problem but the fix is creating the database first.

Download core (wp core download), create configuration (wp config create), create the database (wp db create), then install (wp core install). Each step depends on the previous one.

WP-CLI is scriptable and repeatable — the same commands work on local, staging, and CI pipelines. No browser clicks, no upload limits, and easy to document as code.