How to Install WordPress on a VPS (Step-by-Step)

Installing WordPress on a VPS gives you complete control over your website's performance, security, and functionality. This comprehensive step-by-step guide will walk you through the entire process, from server setup to launching your WordPress site.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have:

A VPS running Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04
A domain name pointed to your VPS IP address
Basic knowledge of command line operations

The installation process takes approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.

Step 1: Update Your System

Start by updating your package lists and upgrading installed packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

**Screenshot description**: Terminal showing package update progress with green checkmarks indicating successful updates.

Step 2: Install the LEMP Stack

WordPress requires Nginx, PHP, and MySQL (LEMP stack). Install these components:

sudo apt install nginx mysql-server php-fpm php-mysql php-curl php-gd php-mbstring php-xml php-xmlrpc php-soap php-intl php-zip -y

This command installs:

Nginx (web server)
MySQL (database server)

**Screenshot description**: Terminal showing installation progress with package names being downloaded and configured.

Step 3: Secure MySQL Installation

Run the MySQL security script to secure your database:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow these recommendations during setup:

Set up Validate Password Component: Yes

**Screenshot description**: Interactive prompt showing MySQL security configuration options.

Step 4: Create WordPress Database

Log into MySQL and create a dedicated database for WordPress:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Enter your MySQL root password, then run these commands:

CREATE DATABASE wordpress_db;
CREATE USER 'wordpress_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourStrongPassword123!';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpress_db.* TO 'wordpress_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

**Screenshot description**: MySQL command line interface showing database and user creation commands.

Step 5: Configure PHP

Adjust PHP settings for better WordPress performance:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.1/fpm/php.ini

Find and modify these settings:

memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_execution_time = 300

Restart PHP-FPM to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart php8.1-fpm

**Screenshot description**: Text editor showing php.ini file with WordPress-recommended settings highlighted.

Step 6: Download WordPress

Download the latest WordPress to your server:

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

Create the web directory and copy WordPress files:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/yourdomain.com
sudo cp -a /tmp/wordpress/* /var/www/yourdomain.com/
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/yourdomain.com/
sudo find /var/www/yourdomain.com/ -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
sudo find /var/www/yourdomain.com/ -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

**Screenshot description**: File browser showing WordPress directory structure with proper permissions.

Step 7: Configure Nginx

Create a Nginx configuration file for your site:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com

Add this configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
    root /var/www/yourdomain.com;
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
    }

    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }

    location = /wp-config.php {
        deny all;
    }
}

Enable the site and restart Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

**Screenshot description**: Nginx configuration file with WordPress-specific rules and terminal testing configuration syntax.

Step 8: Install Let's Encrypt SSL

Install Certbot and obtain free SSL certificate:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Choose option 2 to redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS when prompted.

**Screenshot description**: Certbot interactive prompt showing SSL certificate configuration options.

Step 9: Complete WordPress Installation

Open your browser and navigate to https://yourdomain.com. You'll see the WordPress setup screen. Fill in these details:

Database Name: wordpress_db
Username: wordpress_user
Password: YourStrongPassword123!
Database Host: localhost
Table Prefix: wp_ (default is fine)

Click "Run the installation" and follow the remaining steps to create your admin account.

**Screenshot description**: WordPress web installation interface with form fields highlighted.

Step 10: Post-Installation Configuration

Set Permalinks

In WordPress admin, go to Settings → Permalinks and choose "Post name" for better SEO:

Settings → Permalinks → Post name → Save Changes

Install Essential Plugins

Install these must-have plugins:

Yoast SEO (for search engine optimization)

**Screenshot description**: WordPress admin plugin installation screen with popular plugins highlighted.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

404 Errors

If you get 404 errors, ensure your Nginx config includes:

location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}

Permission Issues

Fix file permissions:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/yourdomain.com
sudo find /var/www/yourdomain.com -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
sudo find /var/www/yourdomain.com -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

Database Connection Errors

Check wp-config.php database credentials and ensure MySQL is running:

sudo systemctl status mysql

**Screenshot description**: Error log showing database connection issues and corresponding fixes.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've successfully installed WordPress on your VPS. Your site is now running with:

li>Nginx web server for optimal performance li>PHP-FPM for fast PHP processing li>MySQL database for content storage li>Free SSL certificate for security

Next steps: Install your theme, configure plugins, and start creating content. Regularly update WordPress, themes, and plugins to maintain security and performance.

**Screenshot description**: Final WordPress admin dashboard with success message.

Your WordPress VPS installation is complete! 🚀