PloyWP
Docker WordPress Hosting

Modern WordPress Hosting with Docker Containers

Professional Docker WordPress hosting with containerized architecture. Deploy WordPress in isolated containers with auto-scaling, enhanced security, and cloud-native performance.

Deploy with PloyWP

Why Use Docker for WordPress?

Docker containers provide superior WordPress hosting compared to traditional methods

🔄

Consistent Environments

Identical development, staging, and production environments

  • • No "works on my machine" issues
  • • Predictable deployments
  • • Easy environment replication
🛡️

Isolation & Security

Complete isolation between applications and system

  • • Process isolation
  • • Resource limits
  • • Improved security boundaries
📈

Scalability

Horizontal scaling and load distribution

  • • Easy scaling up/down
  • • Load balancing
  • • Resource optimization
🌐

Portability

Deploy anywhere Docker runs

  • • Cloud provider agnostic
  • • Local development
  • • Easy migrations

Docker WordPress Deployment Methods

Compare different approaches to deploying WordPress with Docker

Manual Docker Setup

Complexity
High
Setup Time
2-4 hours
Maintenance
High
Skills Required
Advanced Docker knowledge

Pros:

  • • Full control
  • • Custom configuration

Cons:

  • • Time consuming
  • • Error prone
  • • Maintenance heavy

Docker Compose

Complexity
Medium
Setup Time
30-60 minutes
Maintenance
Medium
Skills Required
Basic Docker knowledge

Pros:

  • • Declarative setup
  • • Multi-container management

Cons:

  • • Still requires manual setup
  • • Configuration complexity

Kubernetes

Complexity
Very High
Setup Time
4-8 hours
Maintenance
Very High
Skills Required
Expert knowledge

Pros:

  • • Enterprise scale
  • • Advanced orchestration

Cons:

  • • Extremely complex
  • • Overkill for most use cases
Recommended

PloyWP Automation

Complexity
None
Setup Time
3 simple steps
Maintenance
None
Skills Required
No technical skills needed

Pros:

  • • Instant deployment
  • • Zero maintenance
  • • Production ready

Cons:

  • • Less customization than manual setup

Manual Docker WordPress Setup

Complete step-by-step guide for manual Docker deployment

1

Environment Preparation

Set up Docker environment and prerequisites

Key Tasks:

  • Install Docker and Docker Compose
  • Configure system requirements
  • Set up networking and storage
  • Prepare SSL certificates

Code Example:

											# Install Docker on Ubuntu
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Install Docker Compose
sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.24.0/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
2

Container Configuration

Create Docker Compose configuration for WordPress

Key Tasks:

  • WordPress container setup
  • MySQL database container
  • Nginx reverse proxy
  • Volume and network configuration

Code Example:

											version: '3.8'

services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:6.4-php8.3-fpm
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: ${MYSQL_PASSWORD}
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
    volumes:
      - wordpress_data:/var/www/html
    depends_on:
      - db
    networks:
      - wordpress_network

  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
      MYSQL_USER: wordpress
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: ${MYSQL_PASSWORD}
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
    networks:
      - wordpress_network

  nginx:
    image: nginx:alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf
      - wordpress_data:/var/www/html
      - ./ssl:/etc/ssl/certs
    depends_on:
      - wordpress
    networks:
      - wordpress_network

volumes:
  wordpress_data:
  db_data:

networks:
  wordpress_network:
    driver: bridge
3

Security & Optimization

Implement security hardening and performance optimization

Key Tasks:

  • Container security configuration
  • Resource limits and constraints
  • SSL/TLS setup
  • Performance tuning

Code Example:

											# Security hardening in docker-compose.yml
wordpress:
  security_opt:
    - no-new-privileges:true
    - apparmor:docker-default
  cap_drop:
    - ALL
  cap_add:
    - NET_BIND_SERVICE
  read_only: true
  tmpfs:
    - /tmp:rw,noexec,nosuid,size=100m
  deploy:
    resources:
      limits:
        cpus: '1.0'
        memory: 512M
      reservations:
        cpus: '0.5'
        memory: 256M
4

Deployment & Monitoring

Deploy containers and set up monitoring

Key Tasks:

  • Launch container stack
  • Verify deployment
  • Configure monitoring
  • Set up automated backups

Code Example:

											# Deploy the stack
docker-compose up -d

# Verify containers are running
docker-compose ps

# Check logs
docker-compose logs -f wordpress

# Backup database
docker-compose exec db mysqldump -u wordpress -p wordpress > backup.sql

# Monitor container resources
docker stats wordpress_wordpress_1

🤔 Too Complex?

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Docker WordPress Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions for Docker WordPress deployments

Container Won't Start

Common Causes:

  • • Port conflicts
  • • Missing environment variables
  • • Volume permission issues

Solutions:

  • • Check port availability with netstat -tlnp
  • • Verify all required environment variables are set
  • • Fix volume permissions with chown commands
  • • Check Docker logs for specific error messages

Database Connection Errors

Common Causes:

  • • Network issues
  • • Wrong credentials
  • • MySQL not ready

Solutions:

  • • Verify network connectivity between containers
  • • Check database credentials in environment variables
  • • Add healthchecks and depends_on conditions
  • • Increase MySQL startup time or add wait scripts

Performance Issues

Common Causes:

  • • Resource limits
  • • No caching
  • • Unoptimized configuration

Solutions:

  • • Increase memory and CPU limits
  • • Add Redis container for object caching
  • • Optimize MySQL configuration
  • • Enable OPcache and adjust PHP settings

SSL Certificate Problems

Common Causes:

  • • Invalid certificates
  • • Wrong configuration
  • • Port access

Solutions:

  • • Use Let's Encrypt with automated renewal
  • • Verify certificate paths in Nginx config
  • • Ensure ports 80 and 443 are accessible
  • • Check certificate validity and expiration

Docker WordPress Best Practices

Production-ready tips for optimal Docker WordPress deployments

Security Best Practices

  • Use non-root users: Run containers with non-privileged users
  • Implement resource limits: Prevent container resource exhaustion
  • Regular updates: Keep base images and packages updated
  • Secret management: Use Docker secrets or external secret managers
  • Network isolation: Use custom networks for container communication

Performance Optimization

  • Multi-stage builds: Reduce final image size with build optimization
  • Layer caching: Optimize Dockerfile for better layer caching
  • Volume optimization: Use appropriate volume types for performance
  • Resource allocation: Configure CPU and memory limits appropriately
  • Monitoring: Implement comprehensive container monitoring

Backup and Recovery

  • Automated backups: Schedule regular database and file backups
  • Volume snapshots: Use storage provider snapshot features
  • Disaster recovery: Test recovery procedures regularly
  • Data persistence: Ensure critical data survives container restarts

⚠️ Production Considerations

Manual Docker WordPress deployments require significant DevOps expertise and ongoing maintenance. Consider automated solutions like PloyWP for production environments.

Skip the Complexity with PloyWP

Get all the benefits of Docker WordPress without the manual setup

3-Step Deployment

Automated Docker WordPress deployment in 3 simple steps vs hours of manual setup

Production-Ready Security

Automated security hardening and compliance built into every deployment

Zero Maintenance

Automated updates, monitoring, and maintenance - no DevOps expertise required

Try Automated Docker WordPress