Innovative Software Technology

Streamlining WordPress Development and Deployment with Docker

Docker has revolutionized the way developers build, ship, and run applications. By containerizing applications, Docker provides a consistent and portable environment, making it ideal for WordPress development and deployment. This guide walks through the advantages of Dockerizing WordPress, explains the necessary configurations, and shows how to use WP-CLI within a Docker environment.

The Power of Docker for WordPress

Using Docker for WordPress offers several key benefits:

  • Enhanced Portability: Docker containers encapsulate your entire WordPress environment, making it simple to move your project between different servers and computers.
  • Guaranteed Consistency: Eliminate the common “it works on my machine” problem. Docker ensures that your WordPress environment is identical, regardless of the underlying operating system.
  • Simplified Deployment: Quickly launch and shut down WordPress instances without the hassle of manual server configuration.
  • Improved Scalability: Easily scale your WordPress setup by adding or removing services as needed, perfect for handling fluctuating traffic.

Managing WordPress with WP-CLI

WP-CLI (WordPress Command-Line Interface) is a powerful tool for managing WordPress installations. It allows you to install, update, configure, and manage various aspects of your WordPress site directly from the command line. Integration with Docker allows you to automate tasks and streamline site maintenance within your containerized environment.

Setting Up Your Dockerized WordPress Project

Here’s a recommended folder structure for your project:

project/
├── config/
├── db/
├── html/
├── .gitignore
├── docker-compose.yml
└── Dockerfile

Explanation of Folders:

  • config/: Stores configuration files, such as custom PHP settings (e.g., php.ini).
  • db/: This directory will hold the MySQL database files. Initially, it will be empty, and Docker will populate it.
  • html/: This is where your WordPress files will reside. Download the latest version of WordPress and place its contents into this folder, renaming the WordPress folder to “html”.
  • .gitignore: A crucial file that tells Git which files and folders to ignore (e.g., the db/ folder to avoid committing the database).
  • docker-compose.yml: Defines the services (containers) that make up your WordPress environment (web server, database) and how they interact.
  • Dockerfile: Contains instructions for building the web server container image, including installing necessary software and configuring the environment.

Configuration Files: A Closer Look

Example config/php.ini:

You can customize PHP settings by creating a php.ini file within the config/ directory. Common settings include:

post_max_size = 128M
upload_max_filesize = 128M
serialize_precision = 6
memory_limit = 128M
max_execution_time = 300

Example .gitignore:

Protect your database by adding the db/ folder to your .gitignore file:

db/

Defining Services with docker-compose.yml

The docker-compose.yml file is the heart of your Docker setup. It defines the services required for your WordPress installation. Here’s a sample configuration:

services:
  webapp:
    build:
      context: .
      dockerfile: Dockerfile
    container_name: your-project-name # Replace with a descriptive name
    expose:
      - 80
    ports:
      - 1000:80  # Maps port 1000 on your host to port 80 in the container
    depends_on:
      - database
    working_dir: /var/www/html
    volumes:
      - ./html:/var/www/html  # Mounts your WordPress files into the container
      - ./config/php.ini:/etc/php/8.2/apache2/conf.d/99-local.ini #Mounts your custom PHP configuration
    environment:
      MYSQL_HOST: database
      MYSQL_USER: admin
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: admin

  database:
    container_name: MySQL-8
    restart: always
    image: mysql:8
    volumes:
      - ./db:/var/lib/mysql  # Persists the database data
    expose:
      - 3306
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: admin
      MYSQL_USER: admin
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: admin
      MYSQL_DATABASE: your-project-name # Replace with your desired database name

Key Points:

  • webapp: This service defines your web server (Apache with PHP).
  • build: Specifies that the image should be built using the Dockerfile in the current directory (.).
  • ports: Exposes port 1000 on your host machine, allowing you to access WordPress at `http://localhost:1000`.
  • depends_on: Ensures that the database service starts before the webapp service.
  • volumes: Creates persistent storage for your WordPress files and database.
  • environment: Sets environment variables, including database credentials.
  • database: This service defines your MySQL database.
  • image: use mysql with version 8.

Building the Web Server Image with Dockerfile

The Dockerfile provides instructions for building your web server image. Here’s a comprehensive example:

FROM ubuntu:20.04
LABEL name="Your Name" # Optional: Add a label
ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive

RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends apt-utils && \
    apt-get -y install wget zip unzip curl gnupg nano cron && \
    apt-get install lsb-release ca-certificates apt-transport-https software-properties-common -y

# Install Node.js, PM2, and Apache with PHP 8
RUN curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | bash - && \
    apt-get install -y nodejs && \
    npm install -g npm@latest pm2 sass

RUN add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php -y && \
    apt-get -y install php8.2 apache2 libapache2-mod-php8.2 php8.2-cli php8.2-mysql php8.2-zip php8.2-gd \
      php8.2-mbstring php8.2-curl php8.2-xml php8.2-bcmath php8.2-imagick php8.2-intl mysql-client && \
    a2enmod rewrite headers expires

# Install phpMyAdmin (Optional)
RUN wget -q https://files.phpmyadmin.net/phpMyAdmin/5.2.1/phpMyAdmin-5.2.1-english.zip && \
    unzip -q phpMyAdmin-5.2.1-english.zip && \
    mv phpMyAdmin-5.2.1-english /opt/phpMyAdmin && \
    rm phpMyAdmin-5.2.1-english.zip

# Install Composer
RUN wget -q https://getcomposer.org/download/latest-stable/composer.phar && \
    chmod +x composer.phar && \
    mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

# Install WP-CLI
RUN curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar && \
    chmod +x wp-cli.phar && \
    mv wp-cli.phar /usr/local/bin/wp

# Set up Apache (Optional - if you have custom Apache configs)
# COPY config/000-default.conf /etc/apache2/sites-available/
# COPY config/phpmyadmin.conf /etc/apache2/conf-enabled/
# COPY config/99-local.ini /etc/php/8.2/apache2/conf.d/

EXPOSE 80
CMD apachectl -D FOREGROUND

Explanation:

  • FROM: Specifies the base image (Ubuntu 20.04 in this case).
  • RUN: Executes commands within the container during the build process. This example installs necessary packages (Apache, PHP, MySQL client, Node.js, Composer, WP-CLI, and phpMyAdmin).
  • COPY: (Optional) Copies configuration files from your host machine to the container.
  • EXPOSE: Indicates that the container listens on port 80.
  • CMD: Specifies the command to run when the container starts (starts Apache).

Configuring WordPress (html/wp-config.php)

After downloading WordPress and placing it in the html/ folder, you need to modify the wp-config.php file to connect it to your Dockerized MySQL database. Update the following database settings:

/** The name of the database for WordPress */
define('DB_NAME', 'your-project-name'); // Use the database name from docker-compose.yml

/** Database username */
define('DB_USER', 'admin'); // Use the username from docker-compose.yml

/** Database password */
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'admin'); // Use the password from docker-compose.yml

/** Database hostname */
define('DB_HOST', 'database'); // Use the service name from docker-compose.yml

Important: The DB_HOST should be set to the name of your database service defined in docker-compose.yml (in this case, database). Docker’s internal networking will handle the connection.

Installing Docker

Before you can run your Dockerized WordPress, you need to install Docker on your system.

Windows & macOS:

  1. Download and install Docker Desktop from the official Docker website.
  2. Make sure Docker Desktop is running.

Linux:

  1. Install Docker and Docker Compose using your distribution’s package manager. For example, on Ubuntu: 
    sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker.io docker-compose
  2. Start and enable the Docker service: 
    sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Running Your WordPress Containers

Once Docker is installed and you’ve created the configuration files, you can launch your WordPress environment:

  1. Open a terminal or command prompt.
  2. Navigate to your project’s root directory (where docker-compose.yml is located).
  3. Run the following command: 
    docker-compose up -d

The -d flag runs the containers in detached mode (in the background). This command will build the images (if necessary) and start the containers.

Verifying Container Status

To check if your containers are running correctly, use:

docker ps

This will list all running containers. You should see your web server container (your-project-name) and your database container (MySQL-8).

Accessing WP-CLI

To use WP-CLI within your running container, execute:

docker exec -it your-project-name bash

This command opens a bash shell inside your web server container. From there, you can run WP-CLI commands. For example, to check the installed WordPress version:

wp core version

Accessing Your WordPress Site

Open your web browser and go to http://localhost:1000` (or the port you configured indocker-compose.yml`). You should see the WordPress installation wizard. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Conclusion

You’ve now successfully set up a fully containerized WordPress environment using Docker and WP-CLI! This setup offers consistency, portability, and ease of management, greatly simplifying your WordPress development workflow. You can now easily develop, test, and deploy your WordPress projects with confidence.

Innovative Software Technology: Optimizing WordPress Development with Docker

At Innovative Software Technology, we leverage the power of Docker to provide cutting-edge WordPress development and deployment solutions. Our expertise in containerization allows us to create highly scalable, portable, and consistent WordPress websites. We offer SEO-optimized Docker configurations for WordPress, ensuring your site is both fast and search-engine friendly. Our services include custom Dockerfile creation, docker-compose.yml optimization for WordPress, and seamless integration with WP-CLI for efficient site management. We specialize in Docker-based WordPress hosting, providing reliable and scalable hosting solutions that can handle any traffic load. Choose Innovative Software Technology for expert WordPress Docker services and experience the benefits of a modern, containerized development workflow. We also offer consulting services for migrating existing WordPress sites to Docker, ensuring a smooth transition to a more efficient and robust infrastructure.

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