How to Install WordPress with Nginx: A Step-by-Step Guide

Nginx is an open-source web server that offers numerous benefits for your WordPress website. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install WordPress with Nginx on your Linux platform.

Why Use Nginx With WordPress

Nginx has gained immense popularity as an alternative to the Apache web server. It supports reverse proxy, caching, media streaming, load balancing, and more, making it an excellent fit for a WordPress website running on a VPS solution. Some of Nginx’s key features include:

Low memory usage
High concurrency support
IPv6 enabled
Efficient reverse proxy with caching
Inbuilt load balancer
WebSockets support
Optimized handling of index files and static files
FastCGI for efficient caching

Nginx outperforms many legacy web servers and solves scalability issues, making it an ideal solution for WordPress. Now, let’s dive into the installation process.

Prerequisites for Installing WordPress With Nginx

You have sudo access
Nginx is preinstalled
You have an SSL certificate installed for your domain
You own a domain name pointing to your server’s public IP (e.g., sample.com)

How to Install WordPress with Nginx

Follow these step-by-step instructions to install WordPress with Nginx:

Update Your System
Update the package index:
```
sudo apt update
```
Update system packages to the latest version:
```
sudo apt upgrade
```
Install Nginx
Install Nginx using the following command:
```
sudo apt install nginx
```
Check the status of the Nginx service:
```
sudo systemctl status nginx
```
Configure UFW (Optional)
If you’re using UFW to manage your VPS firewall, open ports 80 and 443 for HTTP and HTTPS respectively:
```
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
```
Verify the status of UFW:
```
sudo ufw status
```

Install and Configure MySQL Database

Install MySQL using the following command:

sudo apt install mysql-server

Check the status of the MySQL service:

sudo systemctl status mysql

mysql -u root -p

Create a database and user for WordPress:

CREATE DATABASE WordPress CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER 'WordPressUser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Install PHP

Install the required PHP extensions using the command:

sudo apt install php8.1-cli php8.1-fpm php8.1-mysql php8.1-opcache php8.1-mbstring php8.1-xml php8.1-gd php8.1-curl

Install WordPress with Nginx

Create a directory for WordPress:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/html/sample.com

Download the latest WordPress archive:

cd /tmp
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz

Extract the archive and move the files to the WordPress directory:

tar xf latest.tar.gz
sudo mv /tmp/wordpress/* /var/www/html/sample.com/

Change the file permissions:

sudo chown -R www-data: /var/www/html/sample.com

Configure Nginx for WordPress
Create a new server block for WordPress:
```
(Nginx configuration code)
```
Create a symbolic link for easier management:
```
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/sample.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
```
Validate the Nginx configuration:
```
sudo nginx -t
```
Restart Nginx:
```
sudo systemctl restart nginx
```
Configuring WordPress for Nginx
Open your browser and enter your domain name (e.g., http://sample.com).
Follow the instructions to configure your database details and set up your WordPress username and password.
Once logged in, you can start customizing your WordPress website.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you have learned how to install WordPress with Nginx on your Ubuntu server. You now have a fully functional WordPress website running on a powerful virtual private server. Enjoy exploring the capabilities of WordPress and take advantage of the additional features provided by Nginx!

About the Author:

Edward S. is a content editor with years of experience in IT writing, marketing, and Linux system administration. He aims to help readers establish an impactful online presence. In his free time, Edward enjoys spending time with his dogs, playing the guitar, and learning about space.

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