How to Install WordPress on Ubuntu 22.04

WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for building websites, known for its flexibility and ease of use. If you’re looking to set up your own website, installing WordPress on Ubuntu 22.04 is a great choice. This guide will walk you through the process step by step, ensuring you get your WordPress site up and running smoothly. Whether you’re a beginner or have some technical experience, this tutorial will make the installation process straightforward and easy to follow.

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) used worldwide for creating websites and blogs. It is open-source, easy to use, and highly customizable. This guide will walk you through the process of installing WordPress on an Ubuntu 22.04 server, ensuring you have a robust foundation for your website.

LAMP Stack: A collection of open-source software used to host websites and applications. LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP.

• Linux: An Operating System
• Apache: The web server software
• MySQL: The database management system
• PHP: The programming language used for server-side scripting

WordPress: A free and open-source CMS composed in PHP and combined with a MySQL or MariaDB database. It includes a plugin architecture and a layout framework, referred to inside WordPress as Themes.

Virtual Hosting : Apache’s service can host different websites on the same server, allowing you to host multiple domains on a single computer.

Step 1: Update & Upgrade system

It is considered to be a best practice to update and upgrade your Ubuntu system before installing or Configuring any software.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) Stack

Install Apache

sudo apt install apache2

Install MySQL

During the installation, Follow the on-screen instruction guide and makes sure that to choose the strong root password and also remember it.

sudo apt install mysql-server
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Install PHP

 sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql

Step 3: Create a MySQL Database and User

Login MySQL

sudo mysql

Create a database & user

CREATE DATABASE wordpress;
CREATE USER 'wordpressuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpress.* TO 'wordpressuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 4: Download, Install and Configure WordPress

Go to the web root directory

cd /var/www/html

After navigating in directory, Download wordpress by using following commands

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

Move the files and set permissions

sudo mv wordpress/* .
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html

Step 5: Configuration of Apache

Create a new Apache Web configuration file for wordpress

sudo vim /etc/apache2/sites-available/wordpress.conf

Add code in configuration file

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin admin@example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com

    <Directory /var/www/html>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Restart the Enable site and rewrite module

sudo a2ensite wordpress.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 6: Complete the Installation of WordPress

Open your browser and navigate to “http://your_domain” which is www.example.com or you can directly type your IP_Address of the system “http://your_system_IP”, If you don’t know your ip_address, then open your terminal and type “ifconfig” . You will see the WordPress Settings Wizard. Follow the instructions to complete the setup, Installation, enter database credential that we have configured earlier.

By following the steps above mentioned, you can successfully install WordPress on your Ubuntu 22.04 server and create a solid foundation for building your website or blog. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, this setup will help you take advantage of the power and flexibility of WordPress.

What is WordPress and why should you use it?

It is popular due to its ease of use, flexibility, and wide ecosystem of plugins and elements that allow users to customize their websites and it has huge variety of templates.

What is the LAMP stack, and why do I need it for WordPress?

It is an open source software system that uses Linux/Ubuntu as an operating system, Apache as the web server, MySQL for database management, and PHP as server-side scripting, providing a powerful environment for hosting websites and applications.

How do I back up my WordPress site?

You can restore/back-up your WordPress site using plugins like UpdraftPlus or BackWPup that allow you to automate the backup process. It is also recommended to restore WordPress files and documents via FTP and phpMyAdmin.

How do I move my WordPress site from one server to another?

To migrate to a WordPress site, you need to back up your files and documents, transfer them to the new server, and update the WordPress configuration file (wp-config.php) with the new database details. Tools like Duplicator and All-in-One WP Migration can make this task easier.

How can I secure my WordPress installation?

To protect your WordPress installation, keep WordPress and all plugins/themes updated, use strong passwords, put login limits, use two-factor authentication, and do back-up your site regularly. And also set security file permissions and use security plugins.