Installing and Securing WordPress on Your VPS

WordPress powers over 40% of the web, and installing it on your VPS gives you more control, speed, and flexibility. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to install WordPress securely on a Linux VPS using a LAMP or LEMP stack.

“A VPS gives you the performance of a dedicated server without the high price tag—perfect for a secure WordPress site.”

Step 1: Prepare Your VPS

Start with an Ubuntu 22.04 VPS. Connect via SSH:

ssh root@your-server-ip

Update your packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install the LAMP or LEMP Stack

For Apache (LAMP):

sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php php-mysql libapache2-mod-php -y

For NGINX (LEMP):

sudo apt install nginx mysql-server php-fpm php-mysql -y

Step 3: Download & Configure WordPress

Download WordPress and move it to your web root:

wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
tar -xvzf latest.tar.gz
sudo mv wordpress /var/www/html/

Set proper permissions:

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

Step 4: Secure Your WordPress Site

• Configure UFW firewall (sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full')
• Install fail2ban to protect against brute force attacks
• Disable root login and password authentication in SSH
• Use HTTPS with a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate
• ️ Install WordPress security plugins like Wordfence or iThemes Security

Step 5: Complete Installation via Browser

Visit http://your-server-ip/wordpress or your domain and follow the WordPress setup wizard. Input your database details and create an admin account.

“Securing your WordPress install is just as important as launching it. A secure site builds trust and keeps your data safe.”

Final Thoughts

With your VPS-optimized WordPress site up and running, you now enjoy better speed, control, and scalability. Keep your server updated and follow WordPress hardening best practices to maintain a secure environment.