What is WordPress?

WordPress is the world’s most widely used content management system (CMS). It allows users to easily create, manage, and publish websites without needing advanced coding skills. Its popularity is driven by:

  • Thousands of themes and plugins
  • A user-friendly dashboard
  • SEO-optimized structure
  • An active developer and user community

Why Use Rocky Linux 9 for WordPress?

Rocky Linux 9 is a community-driven, enterprise-grade replacement for CentOS. Maintained by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation, it is designed for long-term stability and is binary-compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).

Advantages of using Rocky Linux 9 for WordPress:

  • 10 years of support with security updates
  • Compatible with modern enterprise hosting environments
  • Trusted for production-grade workloads
  • Compatible with dnf, SELinux, and systemd services

LAMP Stack Overview on Rocky Linux 9

The LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MariaDB, PHP) provides the base infrastructure for hosting dynamic web applications like WordPress.

Linux:

Rocky Linux 9 as the host operating system — secure and stable.

Apache HTTP Server:

Handles web traffic and serves WordPress content via HTTP/HTTPS.

MariaDB:

An open-source fork of MySQL, stores all WordPress content (posts, users, settings).

PHP 8.3:

Runs server-side WordPress code, including themes, plugins, and the core CMS logic.

PHP 8.3 is not included by default in Rocky Linux 9 repositories, but can be installed from the Remi repository, which is well-maintained and compatible.

Common Use Cases

  • Business websites with high uptime requirements
  • E-commerce stores (using WooCommerce)
  • University and government portals
  • SEO-focused blogs and media platforms
  • Enterprise internal portals or intranets

Benefits of WordPress on Rocky Linux 9

FeatureBenefit
StabilityBuilt on RHEL standards, ideal for critical infrastructure
SecuritySELinux enabled by default, supports strong system isolation
PerformanceOptimized for enterprise workloads with PHP 8.3 and MariaDB 10.x
CompatibilityIntegrates easily with cPanel, WHM, and enterprise hosting tools
Long-Term SupportGuaranteed updates through 2032

Best Practices for Deployment

  • Enable SELinux and configure proper contexts for /var/www/html
  • Use dnf module reset to manage PHP streams cleanly
  • Secure MariaDB with mysql_secure_installation
  • Use Let’s Encrypt with Certbot for HTTPS
  • Harden Apache: disable directory listing, limit methods, hide version info
  • Use firewalld to allow only required ports (80, 443)

Performance Enhancements

  • Enable OPcache with PHP 8.3
  • Use caching plugins like WP Super Cache or LiteSpeed Cache
  • Use mod_http2 and mod_deflate in Apache for faster page delivery
  • Optimize MariaDB with proper indexing and InnoDB configurations
  • Set up content delivery networks (CDN) for static files

Security Recommendations

  • Set correct permissions: 755 for directories, 644 for files
  • Protect wp-config.php with Apache directives
  • Disable XML-RPC if not needed
  • Limit login attempts or use 2FA
  • Set up automatic backups via cron or plugins
  • Restrict /wp-admin by IP or additional HTTP authentication

PHP 8.3 Notes for Rocky Linux

PHP 8.3 must be installed via Remi’s repository:

  • Enable EPEL and Remi repos
  • Reset default PHP stream
  • Install php, php-mysqlnd, php-fpm, php-opcache, and other modules

PHP 8.3 improves:

  • Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation
  • Better memory usage
  • Stronger typing and error handling
  • Performance for WordPress core and plugins

Deploying WordPress on Rocky Linux 9 with Apache, MariaDB, and PHP 8.3 gives you a secure, stable, and high-performance hosting environment. It’s suitable for developers, businesses, and institutions that require long-term support, enterprise compliance, and powerful PHP performance.

Whether you’re launching a blog or building a scalable e-commerce platform, this LAMP stack provides everything needed for a modern and professional WordPress deployment.

Step 1: Set Up a Server Instance on Shape.Host

To begin, provision a VPS running Rocky Linux 9 on Shape.Host:

Log in to your Shape.Host account.

Click “Create” then select “Instance”.

Shape.host Resources dashboard with Create > Instance highlighted.

Choose your preferred data center location.

Shape.host instance form with the data center location selector highlighted.

Select Rocky Linux 9 (64-bit) as the operating system.

Choose a plan with at least 2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD.

Shape.host instance form with the operating system image selector highlighted.

Click Create Instance.

Shape.host instance form with the Create Instance button highlighted.

Once it’s active, copy the IP address for SSH access.

Shape.host Resources dashboard with the server IP address highlighted.

Step 2: Connect to Your Server

On Linux/macOS:

ssh root@your_server_ip

On Windows:

Use PuTTY to connect:

  • Host Name: your_server_ip
  • Click Open, then log in as root.

Step 3: Install WordPress with LAMP Stack on Rocky Linux 9

1. Update the System

dnf update -y

🔹 Updates all packages to the latest available versions.

2. Install Apache Web Server

dnf install httpd

🔹 Installs Apache.

Terminal showing DNF/YUM package management commands and output.
systemctl enable httpd

🔹 Configures Apache to start on boot.

systemctl start httpd

🔹 Starts the Apache service.

Terminal showing systemd service management commands or output.

3. Install MariaDB Server

dnf install mariadb-server mariadb

🔹 Installs MariaDB server and client.

Terminal showing DNF/YUM package management commands and output.
systemctl enable mariadb

🔹 Enables MariaDB at boot.

systemctl start mariadb

🔹 Starts MariaDB now.

Terminal showing systemd service management commands or output.

4. Secure MariaDB

mysql_secure_installation

🔹 A guided script to:

  • Set the root password
  • Remove anonymous users
  • Disallow root remote login
  • Remove test database
Terminal showing mysql commands or output during Secure MariaDB.

5. Create WordPress Database and User

mysql -u root -p

🔹 Logs into MariaDB with password.

In the MariaDB shell, run:

CREATE DATABASE wordpress DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'wpuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strongpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpress.* TO 'wpuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
Terminal showing SQL database and user configuration commands.

6. Enable PHP 8.3 Support via Remi Repository

dnf install epel-release

🔹 Installs the EPEL repo, required for Remi.

Terminal showing DNF/YUM package management commands and output.
dnf install https://rpms.remirepo.net/enterprise/remi-release-9.rpm

🔹 Adds the Remi repo for PHP 8.3.

Terminal showing DNF/YUM package management commands and output.
dnf module enable php:remi-8.3

🔹 Enables PHP 8.3 module from Remi.

Terminal showing DNF/YUM package management commands and output.

7. Install PHP 8.3 and Extensions

dnf install php php-cli php-common php-mysqlnd php-curl php-xml php-mbstring php-zip php-gd php-soap php-intl php-opcache

🔹 Installs PHP 8.3 and all required extensions for WordPress.

Terminal showing DNF/YUM package management commands and output.
systemctl restart httpd

🔹 Restarts Apache to load PHP.

8. Download and Set Up WordPress

cd /var/www/html

🔹 Navigates to Apache’s web root.

rm -f index.html

🔹 Removes default Apache index page.

wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz

🔹 Downloads the latest WordPress archive.

Terminal showing systemd service management commands or output.
tar -xvzf latest.tar.gz

🔹 Extracts it.

mv wordpress/* .

🔹 Moves all WordPress files to the web root.

rm -rf wordpress latest.tar.gz

🔹 Cleans up unnecessary files.

9. Set File Permissions

chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html

🔹 Ensures Apache owns all files.

find /var/www/html -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;

🔹 Correct directory permissions.

find /var/www/html -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

🔹 Correct file permissions.

Terminal showing file ownership or permission commands.

10. Configure WordPress

cp wp-config-sample.php wp-config.php

🔹 Copies sample config file.

nano wp-config.php

🔹 Edit the following lines with your DB settings:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'wordpress' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'wpuser' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'strongpassword' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );
Terminal showing application configuration settings.

11. Create a Virtual Host

nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/wordpress.conf

🔹 Paste the following:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName your-domain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html
    <Directory /var/www/html>
        AllowOverride All
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>
Terminal showing web server configuration text.

12. Enable .htaccess Support

nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

🔹 Ensure this block is present:

<Directory "/var/www/html">
    AllowOverride All
</Directory>
Apache directory configuration excerpt with AllowOverride settings.
systemctl restart httpd

🔹 Restart Apache to apply changes.

Terminal showing systemd service management commands or output.

13. Configure the Firewall

dnf install certbot python3-certbot-apache

🔹 Installs Certbot for HTTPS.

Terminal showing DNF/YUM package management commands and output.
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http

🔹 Allows HTTP through the firewall.

systemctl unmask firewalld
systemctl enable firewalld
systemctl start firewalld

🔹 Enables and starts the firewall.

firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
firewall-cmd --reload

🔹 Allows HTTPS and reloads rules.

Terminal showing systemd service management commands or output.

14. Install SSL with Let’s Encrypt

certbot --apache -d your-domain.com

🔹 Installs a free SSL certificate for your domain.

Terminal showing an Apache configuration test.
certbot renew --dry-run

🔹 Tests auto-renewal of SSL certificate.

Terminal displaying Certbot renewal test output.

Step 4: Verify Installation

Visit your site in the browser:

https://your-domain.com

You should see the WordPress setup page. Choose language, create admin user, and configure the site.

WordPress installer language selection screen.

Create an admin account and click the Install WordPress button.

WordPress installer form for site title and administrator account details.
WordPress setup interface.
WordPress sign-in form.
WordPress administration dashboard.

You have installed WordPress on Rocky Linux 9 with Apache, MariaDB, and PHP 8.3. Your site is live, secure with SSL, and production-ready.

For blazing-fast and scalable hosting, deploy your projects on Shape.Host Cloud VPS — ideal for WordPress, eCommerce, and business apps.