WordPress Server

What you get

A server ready to host WordPress sites: Nginx, PHP-FPM with every extension WordPress uses (MySQL, GD, Imagick, Intl, Mbstring, XML, Zip, cURL and OPcache), and MariaDB listening on the server only. All three are enabled and running. The template does not download WordPress, create a database or configure a site: those belong to each site.

Choosing the options

PHP version — choose the newest version your themes and plugins support. The version is installed beside any PHP already on the server.

What happens

1. Update Packages — all available updates.
2. Install Nginx.
3. Install PHP — the chosen version with WordPress's extensions and PHP-FPM.
4. Install MariaDB.

The steps run in order on each server, over one connection. If a step fails, the steps after it are skipped on that server and the run says which step failed and why.

After the run

For each site:

1. Create its database and account in MariaDB (the Install MariaDB page shows the commands).
2. Download WordPress into the site's folder and give the web server's account ownership of wp-content.
3. Add an nginx site for it that sends .php requests to the PHP-FPM service of the version you chose.
4. For HTTPS, run Install Certbot, obtain a certificate for the site with certbot certonly --webroot, pointing it at the site's folder, add the certificate to the nginx site, and keep it renewing with Configure Certificate Renewal.
5. Add a website monitor in Monitoring and a backup of the site's folder and database in Backups.

Common problems

Each step's page lists its own problems. The most common here:

• Port 80 is in use — another web server such as Apache is running. See Install Nginx.
• MySQL is installed — MariaDB cannot be installed beside it. See Install MariaDB.
• An extension is not available for the chosen PHP version on this distribution. See Install PHP.