How to Install WordPress on a Web Development VPS Environment

This document outlines the process of installing WordPress in a web development setting. The steps include setting up necessary software, configuring databases, and completing the installation of WordPress. Ensure that PHP, NGINX and MariaDB are installed before proceeding.

Step 1: prepare your VPS environment

Ensure that PHP, NGINX and MariaDB are installed in your development environment.

Create a separate user from the root user for usage and run this command to switch users:

“`bash title="Switch to the WordPress deployment user" su – YOUR_USER

Use the following command to make **WP-CLI** executable:

```bash title="Make the WP-CLI Phar executable"
chmod +x wp-cli.phar 

Download the WP-CLI Phar with:

Safety check: This legacy command uses plain HTTP. Prefer the official HTTPS WP-CLI release URL, verify the published checksum before execution, and keep the downloaded Phar outside the system path until verification succeeds.

“`bash title="Download the WP-CLI Phar" curl -O http://githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar

![Terminal downloading WP-CLI and making the command executable](/wp-content/themes/virtarix/assets/images/blog/posts/922/Step-1.webp)

## Step 2: set up WP-CLI and configure access

Move the **WP-CLI** file to an appropriate directory with

```bash title="Install WP-CLI in the system path"
sudo mv wp-cli.phar /usr/local/bin/wp 

You can then use it as the:

“`bash title="Invoke the WP-CLI executable" wp

Check the **WP-CLI** version by running:

```bash title="Display WP-CLI environment information"
wp cli info

Log in to MariaDB using

“`bash title="Open MariaDB as the root user" sudo mysql -u root -p

to proceed with database creation. Enter the root password when prompted.

![MariaDB prompt showing a failed and successful WordPress database creation command](/wp-content/themes/virtarix/assets/images/blog/posts/922/Step-2_2.webp)

## Step 3: set up and organize your WordPress database

Execute the SQL command

```sql title="Create the WordPress database"
CREATE DATABASE YOUR_DATABASE; 

to create the database. These commands are case sensitive, so be sure to type them as-is.

Grant necessary privileges to the WordPress user with

“`sql title="Grant a local user all database privileges" GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES on YOURDATABASE.* TO 'NEWUSER'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'STRONG_PASSWORD'

![MariaDB prompt showing a GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES query for the WordPress database](/wp-content/themes/virtarix/assets/images/blog/posts/922/Step-3_2.webp)

## Step 4: create and configure the WordPress database

After granting privileges, exit MariaDB by typing `EXIT;`. Navigate to `/var/www/html` using:

```bash title="Change to the WordPress document root"
cd /var/www/html

Step 5: prepare the WordPress installation directory

Install and download WP-Core using

“`bash title="Attempt to download WordPress core for a locale" wp core download –locale-en_[your-language]

Please note when downloading WP-Core make sure to adjust the language when installing e.g.

```text title="Show WordPress locale download examples"
 wp core download --locale-en_GB (English) or  wp core download --locale-en_NL (Dutch)

If permission errors occur, identify your user by typing whoami and adjust permissions for /var/www/html using:

Safety check: Confirm the target and keep a recent backup or snapshot. Preview the affected resources where possible, and document a tested recovery or rollback path before running this command.

“`bash title="Change ownership of the WordPress document root" sudo chown -R YOUR_USER /var/www/html

for the necessary access.

![WP-CLI downloading WordPress core files successfully](/wp-content/themes/virtarix/assets/images/blog/posts/922/Step-5.webp)

## Step 6: download and install WordPress core files

Once downloaded, execute

```bash title="Create wp-config.php with database credentials"
wp config create --dbname=YOUR_WP_DATABASE --dbuser=YOUR_USER --dbpass=STRONG_PASSWORD --dbhost=localhost 

to set up the wp-config.php configuration file.

Step 7: run the WordPress configuration command

Run the following command:

“`bash title="Install and configure the WordPress site" wp core install –url="YOURDOMAINNAME" –title="YOURSITETITLE" –adminuser="YOURUSER" –adminpassword="ANOTHERSTRONGPASSWORD" –adminemail="YOUR_EMAIL"

![WP-CLI confirming successful WordPress installation](/wp-content/themes/virtarix/assets/images/blog/posts/922/Step-7.webp)

## Step 8: configure PHP-FPM for WordPress

Verify the PHP-FPM version you have installed, and update the server configuration file to match this version. Here, we're using PHP 8.3.

Check the status of PHP FastCGI Process Manager with

```bash title="Attempt to check the PHP-FPM 8.3 service status"
sudo systemctl status php8.3-fpm.

If it is not installed use

“`bash title="Install PHP-FPM 8.3" sudo apt install php8.3-fpm

to install it.

![systemctl status output confirming PHP-FPM is active](/wp-content/themes/virtarix/assets/images/blog/posts/922/Step-8_2.webp)

If the PHP-FPM service is not running, start it with

```bash title="Start PHP-FPM 8.3"
sudo systemctl start php8.3-fpm

Enable it to start on boot with

“`bash title="Enable PHP-FPM 8.3 at boot" sudo systemctl enable php8.3-fpm

## Step 9: configure Nginx for WordPress

Configure NGINX by navigating to `/etc/nginx/sites-available` with:

```bash title="Change to the Nginx sites-available directory"
cd /etc/nginx/sites-available 

Create a new file for your domain using the

“`bash title="Open a new Nginx server block file" sudo nano YOURDOMAINNAME

command and add the server configuration.

Enter your root domain and fully qualified domain name in the `server_name` section as:

```nginx title="Set the Nginx server name"
server_name YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME; 

Save the file after editing.

Step 10: configure and activate Nginx for WordPress

Update your system by typing:

“`bash title="Refresh the APT package index" sudo apt update

## Step 11: add server names to your Nginx configuration

Create a symbolic link from sites-available to sites-enabled running this command:

```bash title="Enable the Nginx site with a symbolic link"
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/YOUR_DOMAIN_NAME /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

to ensure the configuration loads correctly.

Step 12: test and apply Nginx changes with PHP-FPM

Test the NGINX configuration with

“`bash title="Test the Nginx configuration" sudo nginx -t

to ensure it works properly.

![Nginx configuration test reporting successful syntax and configuration](/wp-content/themes/virtarix/assets/images/blog/posts/922/Step-12_1.webp)

Apply the new changes by restarting NGINX with `systemctl restart nginx`. You may be prompted to input a password to restart `nginx.service`.

![Terminal confirming authentication after restarting Nginx](/wp-content/themes/virtarix/assets/images/blog/posts/922/Step-12_2.webp)

## Step 13: set up DNS records for your VPS domain

Access your domain provider's settings to change DNS records, add an A record that points to your VPS.

## Frequently asked questions

### What software is required before installing WordPress on a VPS?

Ensure PHP, NGINX, MariaDB, a DBMS, and a web server are installed before starting.

### How do I create a database for WordPress?

Log in to MariaDB, execute SQL commands to create a database, and grant user privileges with a password.

### What should I do if I encounter permission errors during the installation?

Use the `whoami` command to identify your user and adjust permissions with `chown` for proper access.

### How do I test and apply NGINX server configuration changes?

Use the command `sudo nginx -t` to test the NGINX configuration. If there are no errors, apply the changes by restarting NGINX with this command:

```bash title="Restart Nginx"
sudo systemctl restart nginx

How can I connect my domain to the WordPress VPS?

Update DNS settings with your domain provider by adding an A record pointing to your VPS IP address.