WordPress Multisite is an impressive feature of WordPress that allows users to run multiple websites from a single WordPress installation. It’s a powerful tool for businesses, educational institutions, and individuals who manage a collection of sites. However, to ensure that a WordPress Multisite performs effectively, especially as it scales, a robust web server setup is essential. Nginx, known for its high performance and low resource consumption, is an excellent choice for such an environment. Here’s how to configure Nginx for a scalable WordPress Multisite network.

Benefits of Using Nginx with WordPress Multisite

• Performance: Nginx handles concurrent connections efficiently, making it ideal for high-traffic sites.
• Resources: It uses less memory than Apache, allowing more resources for WordPress to run smoothly.
• Caching: Nginx’s fastcgi_cache can be configured for WordPress, reducing the load on the server and speeding up page load times.
• Flexibility: It can easily handle the rewrite rules required by WordPress Multisite.

Setting Up Nginx for WordPress Multisite

Below are the steps and command lines to set up Nginx for WordPress Multisite, crafted to be beginner-friendly.

Step 1: Install Nginx

Before configuring Nginx, ensure it is installed on your server. If not, you can install it using the following command:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Step 2: Configure Nginx for WordPress Multisite

After installing Nginx, you’ll need to configure it to handle WordPress Multisite’s network domain structure, whether it’s subdomain or subdirectory based.

Here’s a basic example of an Nginx server block configuration for a WordPress Multisite network using subdomains:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com *.example.com;

    root /var/www/html;
    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }

    location ~ /sites/ {
        internal;
        alias /var/www/html/wp-content/uploads/sites/;
    }

    location ~* \.(js|css|png|jpg|jpeg|gif|ico|svg)$ {
        expires 30d;
        add_header Pragma public;
        add_header Cache-Control "public";
    }
}

This configuration must be adjusted according to your specific domain and file paths.

Step 3: Enable Pretty Permalinks

WordPress Multisite requires pretty permalinks, which you can set up in the network’s settings. Nginx needs to be configured to handle these permalinks properly.

location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}

Step 4: Configure PHP Processing

Ensure Nginx can process PHP files by setting up the location block for PHP:

location ~ \.php$ {
    include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
    fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
    fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
    include fastcgi_params;
}

Replace the fastcgi_pass directive with the appropriate version of PHP-FPM that you’re using.

Step 5: Set Up Caching

For enhanced performance, implement caching with Nginx’s fastcgi_cache.

fastcgi_cache_path /etc/nginx/cache levels=1:2 keys_zone=WORDPRESS:100m inactive=60m;
fastcgi_cache_key "$scheme$request_method$host$request_uri";

Add this to your fastcgi block:

fastcgi_cache WORDPRESS;
fastcgi_cache_valid 200 60m;

Step 6: Secure Your WordPress Multisite

Always ensure to secure your server block with SSL. Let’s Encrypt can provide a free SSL certificate:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com

Best Practices for Nginx WordPress Multisite Configuration

• Regularly update Nginx and PHP: Keep your server software up to date for security and performance improvements.
• Optimize fastcgi_cache: Tweak caching settings based on your site’s specific needs.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): Offload static assets to reduce the load on your server.
• Monitor your server’s performance: Keeping an eye on resource usage can help you scale effectively.

Shape.host Services, Linux SSD VPS

After setting up your WordPress Multisite on Nginx, choosing the right hosting platform is crucial for performance and scalability. Shape.host offers Linux SSD VPS services, providing a high-speed, reliable hosting environment for your WordPress Multisite network. With Shape.host, you can enjoy the benefits of dedicated resources, superior speed with SSD drives, and the flexibility to scale your server as your network grows.

In conclusion, configuring Nginx for a WordPress Multisite network can significantly enhance your website’s performance and scalability. By following these steps and utilizing best practices, even newcomers can set up a powerful and efficient network. And with Shape.host’s Linux SSD VPS services, you can ensure that your network is hosted on a platform that is as robust and reliable as your configuration.