WordPress

WordPress is the world’s most popular open-source content management system, powering over 40% of all websites. This image ships a complete LAMP stack (Apache, MariaDB, and PHP) with WordPress pre-installed and ready to configure.

Software included

Component	Version
WordPress	6.x (latest)
Apache	2.4.x
MariaDB	10.x
PHP	8.3
Ubuntu	24.04 LTS

Getting started

1. Connect to your VM

ssh ubuntu@<your-vm-ip>

2. Wait for first-boot configuration

On the first boot, a setup script runs automatically. It:

Creates the WordPress database and a dedicated database user with a randomly generated password
Writes wp-config.php with the database credentials and unique secret keys

This takes under 30 seconds. Track progress:

journalctl -u wordpress-first-boot.service -f

3. Complete the WordPress setup wizard

Open a browser and navigate to:

http://<your-vm-ip>

The WordPress setup wizard will guide you through:

Selecting your language
Setting your site title
Creating your WordPress admin username and password
Entering your admin email address

4. Log in to the WordPress dashboard

After completing the wizard, log in at:

http://<your-vm-ip>/wp-admin

Managing WordPress

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Restart MariaDB:

sudo systemctl restart mariadb

WordPress files are located in /var/www/wordpress/.

PHP configuration: /etc/php/8.3/apache2/php.ini

Apache virtual host: /etc/apache2/sites-available/wordpress.conf

Setting up HTTPS

WordPress is served on port 80 (HTTP) by default. To enable HTTPS:

Point a domain name at your VM’s IP address
Install Certbot: sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache
Run: sudo certbot --apache -d yourdomain.com

Certbot will automatically configure Apache for HTTPS and set up certificate renewal.

Security

Port 80 is open by default. UFW is enabled.

After setting up HTTPS, restrict HTTP traffic:

sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw delete allow 80/tcp