In recent years, Docker has become a popular tool for developers and system administrators due to its ability to create, deploy, and manage applications in containers. Containers allow packaging an application and its dependencies into a standalone package that can run on any system supporting Docker, ensuring consistency from development to production environments. Wordpress, the most popular Content Management System (CMS), can easily be run on Docker, allowing you to quickly set up and test WordPress sites without the need for complex server configuration. In this article, we'll show you how to install WordPress on Docker step by step.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have Docker installed on your system. If you don't have Docker yet, visit the official Docker website and follow the instructions for your platform (Linux, macOS, Windows).
Step 1: Download and Run MySQL Container
The first step is to launch a MySQL database on which WordPress will run. We'll use the official MySQL image from Docker Hub. Open your terminal or command prompt and enter the following command:
docker run --name wordpressdb -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=yourPassword -e MYSQL_DATABASE=wordpress -d mysql:5.7
This command will start a new container named wordpressdb, set the root user password to yourPassword, and create a database named wordpress. The command also uses the mysql:5.7 image.
Step 2: Launch WordPress Container
After successfully launching the database, run the WordPress container. WordPress also offers an official image on Docker Hub that we can use. Enter the following command into your terminal:
docker run --name wordpress -p 8080:80 -e WORDPRESS_DB_HOST=wordpressdb:3306 -e WORDPRESS_DB_USER=root -e WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD=yourPassword -e WORDPRESS_DB_NAME=wordpress --link wordpressdb:mysql -d wordpress
This command will start the WordPress container named wordpress, which will be accessible on port 8080 of your host computer. The command also sets the necessary environment variables for connecting to the MySQL database and links this container to the wordpressdb container.
Step 3: Access WordPress Installation Wizard
After launching both containers, open a web browser and go to http://localhost:8080. The WordPress installation wizard will appear, where you can complete the setup of your new WordPress site by entering the site name, creating a username, password, and providing an email address.
Installing WordPress on Docker is easy and fast. By using Docker, you can create an isolated environment for your WordPress projects, making testing and deployment easier without impacting other applications. With Docker, you can also easily run multiple instances of WordPress on a single server, which is ideal for development and testing various plugins and themes.
