Skip to content

WordPress stack documentation

WordPress stack

Docker4WordPress

This is the overview for Wordpress stack deployed via Wodby. For local environment (Docker4WordPress) documentation see this article

Deployment

See main code deployment article to learn about code deployment options on Wodby.

Vanilla WordPress

For demo purposes and simple WordPress installations you can use Vanilla WordPress deployment option. In this case WordPress code that comes with the Docker image will be used. In case of changes all data made to your codebase will persist but there will be no versions control.

Direct git integration

We recommend using Composer to manage dependencies in your repository. Dependencies will be installed via post-deployment scripts:

  1. Fork our boilerplate
  2. Create wodby.yml in repository root (our boilerplate already has it) with the following content:
      pipeline:
      - name: Install dependencies
        type: command
        command: composer install -n
        directory: $APP_ROOT
    
  3. Enter web (it's a directory name with WordPress root in our boilerplate) in Codebase dir input on the 3rd step of new application deployment form

CI/CD

CI/CD tutorial

For a detailed instructions of setting up CI/CD workflow see the main deployment article

The following services are CI services that will be built by default:

  • php
  • crond
  • sshd
  • HTTP server: nginx or apache

Import

No top level directory

While importing files from a tarball or an archive make sure there's no top level directory. The contents of the archive/tarball will be unpacked inside the uploads/ directory

There are different ways to import files and database for WordPress website.

From duplicator archive

Install duplicator plugin on your existing website. Go to admin part of your WordPress website and create a new package via duplicator.

Now navigate to Apps > Deploy and choose duplicator archive as data source on the 3rd step.

From separate archives

Import WordPress via separate archives for database and files. We support .zip, .gz, .tar.gz, .tgz and .tar archives. This option is available on the 3rd step of a new instance deployment form and also on [Instance] > Import page of existing instance.

Manual import

In case your import data is huge it makes sense to import it manually from the server. Follow these steps:

  1. Deploy your WordPress application without importing data
  2. Gzip your SQL dump
    gzip db-dump.sql
    
  3. Create a tarball for your files:
    tar cvf files.tar -C /path/to/wp-content/uploads .
    
  4. Download your archives:
    • If your archive/tarball available by URL you can connect to the PHP container via SSH (the SSH connection command can be found under App Instance > Stack > SSH server) and download the archive via wget [URL]
    • You can copy an archive/tarball from your local computer (or any other machine) to the PHP container via scp, you can find the example SCP command from App Instance > Stack > SSH server
  5. Unpack your SQL dump archive gunzip db-dump.sql.gz
  6. Import unpacked database dump:
    • Connect to database via wp db cli
    • Drop database for wipe existing tables:
      DROP DATABASE wordpress;
      CREATE DATABASE wordpress;
      
    • Run import wp db import db-dump.sql
  7. Now let's import your files (wp-content/uploads is a symlink to /mnt/files/public):
    tar xvf files.tar -C /mnt/files/public
    
  8. If you get permissions error during the previous step you should give your user (wodby) writing permissions:
    sudo files_chmod /mnt/files/public
    
  9. Make sure that the public files can be read by others (non-owner user/group) so the HTTP server can serve them:
    chmod -R o=rX /mnt/files/public/
    
  10. Fix permissions for files directory so PHP (www-data user) have access to it:
    sudo files_chown /mnt/files/public
    
  11. That's it! Clear WP cache and remove import artifacts

Import between instances

You can import database and files from one instance to another regardless of whether instances are on the same server or not. Go to [Instance] > Import tab and select an instance where you'd like to import database/files from.

Upgrading WordPress

Use composer

We recommend managing WordPress core and plugins dependencies with composer, you can find a boilerplate at https://github.com/wodby/wordpress-composer

Add the following lines to your wp-config.php to disable all automatic updates:

define( 'WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', false );

Upgrading core

Upgrading WordPress core requires a full writing permissions on the entire codebase, we do not provide such wide permissions for security reasons. So you'll have to upgrade your core either manually via your git or by upgrading your stack if you deployed a vanilla WordPress.

Upgrading themes and plugins

If your theme or plugin introduces a new directory or a file under a non-standard path, you'll have to grant writing permissions manually by changing the owner's group to :www-data and adding writing permissions to the group. Connect to your app instance by SSH and run:

chown :www-data YOUR_FILE
chmod 664 YOUR_FILE

Or if you want to set writing permission on a directory recursively:

chown :www-data -R YOUR_DIR
chmod 664 -R YOUR_DIR

WordPress config

wp-config.php

The wodby.wp-config.php file contains configuration settings for integration with Wodby services such as Database connection, Cache storage and Reverse Caching Proxy settings. You can override settings specified in wodby.wp-config.php in your wp-config.php file after the include.

Wodby automatically adds include of wodby.wp-config.php to wp-config.php file in WP root with every deployment if there's no occurrences of wodby.wp-config.php in your config file, otherwise we assume you've already added the include manually. If wp-config.php file does not exist Wodby will create it automatically.

Do not edit wodby.wp-config.php, all changes to this file will be reset.

Use environment variable $WP_TABLE_PREFIX to override your table prefix ($table_prefix).

Files

Files for WordPress located in /mnt/files/public and symlinked to wp-content/uploads.

Base URL

The domain marked with primary flag will be used as a WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL in wodby.wp-config.php file.

Mail delivery

See OpenSMTPD container

Cron

By default, we run the following cron command from crond container every hour:

wp cron event run --due-now --path="${HTTP_ROOT}" --url="${BASE_URL}"

You can customize crontab from [Instance] > Stack > Settings page.

Cache control

You can clear caches and control cache settings from [Instance] > Cache page. The following actions are available:

  • Clear application cache
  • Clear redis cache (if enabled)
  • Clear varnish cache (if enabled)
  • Clear all caches
  • Enable/disable opcache

Multi-site

WordPress multi-site supported, both subdomains and subdirectories based.