How to Install WordPress on Ubuntu Linux
This tutorial will teach you how to install WordPress on Ubuntu Linux. This tutorial is intended for intermediate to advanced users. It is recommended that you have some basic knowledge of using Linux shell commands. If you are just starting out, please take some time to learn the basic commands first.
Requirements
To install WordPress on Ubuntu you will need:
- an Ubuntu Linux compatible computer.
- an Internet connection.
- a free space on your hard drive (at least 20 GB of free space).
- a secure and preferably a private internet connection.
- curl installed on your computer.
- a name for your site (this will be your WordPress login name)
Step 1: Install Ubuntu
The first thing you need to do is to install Ubuntu. You can download Ubuntu from any of the popular websites such as
- Ubuntu.com – for general use
- Torrents – for more adventurous users
- BitTorrent – for those who need an even more streamlined experience
- Github – for programmers
- Distrowatch – for those who want to try out different Linux distributions
It is recommended that you use the torrents for downloading Ubuntu since they are the most efficient way to download large files. After you download the file, you should use a flash drive to transfer the ISO image to your hard drive. You can do this by using the “WinZip” program on your computer. After that, you can use the Ubuntu disc installation tool to install Ubuntu on your computer.
Step 2: Install Nginx Server
Nginx is the Swiss army knife of web servers. It is highly recommended to install Nginx on your system due to its lightweight nature and the large number of useful features it provides.
To install Nginx on your computer, you will need:
- a secure and preferably a private internet connection.
- a free space on your hard drive (at least 20 GB of free space).
- a name for your site (this will be your Nginx server’s domain name)
- curl installed on your computer.
- sudo apt-key adv –keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com:80 –recv-keys 3FA7E0328081BFF5A245C23A1A24CFBAA2DC4EA
- sudo apt-get install nginx -y
Once you have installed Nginx, you can use the nginx site management tool to configure your server. The best way to learn how to use this tool is by watching a training video by ULearn, a company that specializes in online learning for web designers and developers.
Step 3: Install WordPress
After you have installed Nginx, you can proceed to install WordPress. To do this, you will need:
- an Ubuntu Linux compatible computer.
- an Internet connection.
- a free space on your hard drive (at least 20 GB of free space).
- secure and preferably a private internet connection.
- a name for your site (this will be your WordPress login name)
- curl installed on your computer.
- sudo apt-get install wordpress -y
Installing WordPress on Ubuntu is very straightforward. After you have installed WordPress, you can use the WordPress dashboard to add more content to your blog. The best way to learn how to use the WordPress dashboard is by using a tool such as Instaparse to generate sample content.
Step 4: Login To Your New WordPress Account
Once you have installed WordPress, you can proceed to log in to your new WordPress account. To do this, you will need:
- a secure and preferably a private internet connection.
- the name of your site (this will be your WordPress login name)
- a database with a login (this will be your WordPress database’s login)
- a database with a password (this will be your WordPress database’s password)
- curl installed on your computer.
- sudo -H www.wordpress.com -d ‘loggen=1‘ < /dev/null
You can now log in to your WordPress dashboard and add content to your site. For the time being, you can use the WordPress dashboard to add links to your site and upload images. To learn more, you can read the Installing WordPress guide or watch the video tutorials at WordPress.com/tv.
Bonus Step: Configure Automatic Backups
If you want to take the extra step of backing up your site regularly, you can use tools such as Arq to create automatic backups of your WordPress site. You can also use the free Google Chrome browser to automatically back up your site whenever you make a change.
Once you have configured automatic backups using Arq or Chrome, you can go back to your WordPress dashboard and click on the “Backup” tab. You will see options to restore from a previous backup or create a new one.
To learn more, you can read the Installing WordPress guide or watch the video tutorials at WordPress.com/tv.