How to Install WordPress on a Raspberry Pi

Ben
Ben
@benjislab

Installing WordPress on a Raspberry Pi is a fantastic project for anyone interested in web development, content management, and utilizing the capabilities of single-board computers. This guide will walk you through the steps to get WordPress, a popular content management system, up and running on your Raspberry Pi, turning it into a personal web server.

Introduction

WordPress powers a significant portion of the internet, thanks to its flexibility and ease of use. Running it on a Raspberry Pi allows you to learn about web hosting, WordPress management, and system administration. Whether you're looking to host a personal blog, portfolio, or a small web project, this setup can be both educational and practical.

What You'll Need

  • Raspberry Pi 3 or newer (Pi 4 recommended for better performance).
  • MicroSD Card: 16GB or larger, class 10.
  • Power Supply: Suitable for your Raspberry Pi model.
  • Internet Connection: Via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
  • A Domain Name (optional): For accessing your WordPress site from the internet.

Step 1: Prepare Your Raspberry Pi

Ensure your Raspberry Pi is set up with Raspberry Pi OS (formerly Raspbian) and connected to the internet. You can download the Raspberry Pi Imager from the Raspberry Pi website to easily install the OS on your microSD card.

  1. Flash Raspberry Pi OS onto your microSD card using the Raspberry Pi Imager.
  2. Insert the microSD card into your Raspberry Pi, connect it to your network and power it up.
  3. Access your Raspberry Pi via SSH or directly using a monitor and keyboard.

Step 2: Install Apache, PHP, and MySQL

WordPress requires a web server, PHP, and MySQL to function. You can install these components using the terminal.

  1. Update your Raspberry Pi:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
  1. Install Apache2:
sudo apt install apache2 -y
  1. Install PHP along with necessary modules:
sudo apt install php php-mysql libapache2-mod-php -y
  1. Install MySQL Server:
sudo apt install mariadb-server -y
  1. Secure your MySQL installation and set up a new database and user for WordPress:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
sudo mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE wordpress;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpress.* TO 'wordpressuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 3: Install WordPress

With the server stack ready, you can now install WordPress.

  1. Download WordPress:
cd /tmp
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
  1. Extract WordPress and move it to the Apache directory:
tar -xzf latest.tar.gz
sudo mv wordpress /var/www/html/wordpress
  1. Set permissions for the WordPress directory:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/wordpress
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/wordpress

Step 4: Configure Apache for WordPress

Create an Apache site configuration file for WordPress.

  1. Create a new configuration file for your WordPress site:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/wordpress.conf
  1. Add the following configuration, adjusting ServerAdmin and ServerName as necessary:
<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/wordpress
    ServerName your_domain_or_IP
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
  1. Enable the site and rewrite module, then restart Apache:
sudo a2ensite wordpress
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 5: Finalizing WordPress Installation

Navigate to your Raspberry Pi's IP address or domain name in a web browser and complete the WordPress installation through the web interface. You'll need to input the database details you created earlier.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've successfully set up WordPress on your Raspberry Pi. This setup allows you to experiment with WordPress development, host your content, or even run a small personal site from your home. Remember, running a website accessible from the internet requires attention to security. Regularly update your Raspberry Pi, WordPress, and any plugins or themes you use.

This project demonstrates the versatility of the Raspberry Pi and provides a solid foundation for future web development and content management projects. Enjoy building and managing your WordPress site on this compact yet powerful computer.