How To Install WordPress With Nginx On Centos 8

WordPress is a popular content management system and blogging platform that provides a user-friendly interface for creating and managing websites. Nginx is a high-performance web server that can handle a large number of requests efficiently. In this article, we will guide you on how to install WordPress with Nginx on CentOS 8.

Before we begin the installation process, ensure that you have the following prerequisites:

• A VPS or a dedicated server running CentOS 8.
• A non-root user with sudo privileges.
• A domain name pointed to your server’s IP address.
• Nginx web server installed on your server.

Here are the steps on how to install WordPress with Nginx on Centos 8

Install PHP and Required PHP Modules

To install WordPress, we need to install PHP and the required PHP modules. Run the following command to install PHP and its dependencies:

sudo dnf install php php-fpm php-mysqlnd php-opcache php-gd php-xml php-mbstring -y

Once the installation is complete, start the PHP-FPM service and enable it to start at boot time:

sudo systemctl start php-fpm
sudo systemctl enable php-fpm

Install MariaDB Server

WordPress requires a database to store its data. We will use MariaDB as our database server. To install MariaDB, run the following command:

sudo dnf install mariadb mariadb-server -y

Once the installation is complete, start the MariaDB service and enable it to start at boot time:

sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Next, we need to secure the MariaDB installation by running the following command:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Create a Database and User for WordPress

Next, we need to create a database and a user for WordPress to connect to MariaDB. Login to MariaDB shell using the following command:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Create a database for WordPress:

CREATE DATABASE wordpress;

Create a user for WordPress and grant all privileges to the database:

GRANT ALL ON wordpress.* TO 'wordpressuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

Flush the privileges and exit the MariaDB shell:

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download and Install WordPress

Download and extract the latest version of WordPress using the following command:

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

Copy the WordPress files to the Nginx document root directory:

sudo cp -R /tmp/wordpress/* /var/www/html/

Change the ownership of the WordPress files to the Nginx user:

sudo chown -R nginx:nginx /var/www/html/*

Configure Nginx

Create a new Nginx configuration file for WordPress:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/wordpress.conf

Add the following configuration to the file:

server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
root /var/www/html;
index index.php index.html index.htm;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}
location ~ .php$ {
try_files $uri =404;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php-fpm/www.sock;
fastcgi_index index.php;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
include fastcgi_params;
}
}

Replace example.com with your domain name.

Test the Nginx configuration and reload the Nginx service:

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Complete WordPress Installation

Open your browser and enter your domain name in the URL bar. You will be redirected to the WordPress installation page.

Select your language and click on the “Continue” button.

Enter your website title, username, password, and email address, and click on the “Install WordPress” button.

Conclusion

In this article, we have shown you how to install WordPress with Nginx on CentOS 8. We have covered the installation of PHP, MariaDB, and Nginx, and the configuration of Nginx for WordPress. We have also shown you how to complete the WordPress installation. By following this guide, you can easily set up a WordPress website with Nginx on CentOS 8.

Things To Consider When Installing WordPress With Nginx On Centos 8

Here are some things to consider when installing WordPress with Nginx on CentOS 8:

Security: Ensure that your server is secure by disabling unnecessary services and installing a firewall. It is also important to keep your software up-to-date to prevent vulnerabilities.

Performance: Nginx is known for its high-performance and scalability. However, you can further optimize your server by configuring caching and using a CDN.

Backups: Regularly backup your WordPress files and database to prevent data loss in case of a server failure or hacking attempt. You can use tools like rsync or tar to create backups.

Maintenance: Keep your WordPress installation up-to-date by installing updates and plugins as necessary. Regularly check your server logs for errors and performance issues.

By considering these factors, you can ensure that your WordPress website with Nginx on CentOS 8 is secure, fast, and reliable.