How to Self-Host WordPress with Docker Compose

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system, powering over 40% of all websites. The self-hosted version (WordPress.org) gives you complete control over your site — no hosting fees to WordPress.com, no plugin restrictions, no arbitrary limits. You own everything: the code, the database, the content. Self-hosting WordPress replaces managed platforms like Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress.com.

Prerequisites

A Linux server (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
Docker and Docker Compose installed (guide)
1 GB of RAM minimum (2 GB+ recommended)
A domain name pointed at your server
Ports 80/443 available (or a reverse proxy)

Docker Compose Configuration

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:6.9.1-php8.4-apache
    container_name: wordpress
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: "wordpress-db"
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: "wordpress"
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: "change-me-strong-password"  # CHANGE THIS
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: "wordpress"
      WORDPRESS_TABLE_PREFIX: "wp_"
    volumes:
      - wordpress-data:/var/www/html
    depends_on:
      wordpress-db:
        condition: service_healthy
    networks:
      - wordpress-net

  wordpress-db:
    image: mariadb:11.7
    container_name: wordpress-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: "change-me-root-password"  # CHANGE THIS
      MARIADB_DATABASE: "wordpress"
      MARIADB_USER: "wordpress"
      MARIADB_PASSWORD: "change-me-strong-password"     # Must match WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD
    volumes:
      - wordpress-db-data:/var/lib/mysql
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    networks:
      - wordpress-net

volumes:
  wordpress-data:
  wordpress-db-data:

networks:
  wordpress-net:
    driver: bridge

Important: Change both WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD and MARIADB_PASSWORD to matching strong passwords. Change MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD to a separate strong password.

Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

Initial Setup

Open WordPress at http://your-server-ip:8080
Select your language
Set up the admin account:
- Site Title: Your site name
- Username: Choose something other than “admin” (security)
- Password: Use the generated strong password
- Email: Your admin email
Click Install WordPress
Log in at http://your-server-ip:8080/wp-admin

Configuration

Performance: Add Redis Object Cache

WordPress makes many database queries per page load. Redis caches these queries in memory:

  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    container_name: wordpress-redis
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - redis-data:/data
    networks:
      - wordpress-net

Add the Redis volume:

volumes:
  redis-data:

Then in WordPress:

Install the Redis Object Cache plugin
Add to wp-config.php (or use the WORDPRESS_CONFIG_EXTRA environment variable):

  wordpress:
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_CONFIG_EXTRA: |
        define('WP_REDIS_HOST', 'wordpress-redis');
        define('WP_REDIS_PORT', 6379);

Activate the plugin and enable Redis in Settings > Redis

Upload Limits

The default PHP upload limit is 2 MB. Increase it:

  wordpress:
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_CONFIG_EXTRA: |
        define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
    volumes:
      - wordpress-data:/var/www/html
      - ./uploads.ini:/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/uploads.ini:ro

Create uploads.ini:

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300

Multisite

Enable WordPress Multisite to run multiple sites from one installation. Add before first setup:

environment:
  WORDPRESS_CONFIG_EXTRA: |
    define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);

Then follow the Network Setup wizard in Tools > Network Setup after installation.

Security Hardening

Add security-related constants:

environment:
  WORDPRESS_CONFIG_EXTRA: |
    define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);    # Disable plugin/theme editor
    define('WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', true);   # Auto-update core
    define('FORCE_SSL_ADMIN', true);       # Force HTTPS for admin

WP-CLI

The WordPress Docker image includes WP-CLI. Run commands with:

docker exec wordpress wp --allow-root plugin list
docker exec wordpress wp --allow-root core update
docker exec wordpress wp --allow-root cache flush

Reverse Proxy

Behind Nginx Proxy Manager or Traefik:

Forward your domain to http://wordpress:80 (or http://your-server:8080)
Add these environment variables for proper URL handling:

environment:
  WORDPRESS_CONFIG_EXTRA: |
    define('FORCE_SSL_ADMIN', true);
    if (isset($$_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO']) && strpos($$_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO'], 'https') !== false) {
      $$_SERVER['HTTPS'] = 'on';
    }

Note: $$ is required in Docker Compose YAML to escape the dollar sign.

Set your site URL in WordPress: Settings > General > WordPress Address and Site Address to https://yourdomain.com

See Reverse Proxy Setup.

Backup

Two things to back up: the database and the WordPress files (themes, plugins, uploads).

Database Backup

docker exec wordpress-db mariadb-dump -u wordpress -p"your-password" wordpress > wordpress-backup.sql

Files Backup

docker run --rm \
  -v wordpress-data:/data \
  -v $(pwd):/backup \
  alpine tar czf /backup/wordpress-files-backup.tar.gz /data

Automated Daily Backup Script

#!/bin/bash
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
BACKUP_DIR="/opt/backups/wordpress"
mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"

# Database
docker exec wordpress-db mariadb-dump -u wordpress -pchangeme wordpress > "$BACKUP_DIR/db-$DATE.sql"

# Files (uploads, plugins, themes)
docker run --rm \
  -v wordpress-data:/data \
  -v "$BACKUP_DIR":/backup \
  alpine tar czf "/backup/files-$DATE.tar.gz" /data/wp-content

# Keep only 7 days of backups
find "$BACKUP_DIR" -type f -mtime +7 -delete

See Backup Strategy.

Troubleshooting

”Error establishing a database connection”

Symptom: WordPress shows a database connection error.

Fix:

Verify MariaDB is running: docker ps | grep wordpress-db
Check that WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD matches MARIADB_PASSWORD
Verify the database host is wordpress-db (Docker service name)
Check MariaDB logs: docker logs wordpress-db

White screen of death

Symptom: WordPress shows a blank white page.

Fix: Enable debug mode temporarily:

environment:
  WORDPRESS_DEBUG: "1"
  WORDPRESS_CONFIG_EXTRA: |
    define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
    define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Check logs at: docker exec wordpress cat /var/www/html/wp-content/debug.log

Redirect loop after enabling SSL

Symptom: Browser shows “too many redirects.”

Fix: Ensure the FORCE_SSL_ADMIN and HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO configuration is set correctly (see Reverse Proxy section). Also verify Site URL and WordPress URL in the database:

docker exec wordpress wp --allow-root option update siteurl "https://yourdomain.com"
docker exec wordpress wp --allow-root option update home "https://yourdomain.com"

File upload fails

Symptom: Media uploads fail or timeout.

Fix: Increase PHP limits with uploads.ini (see Configuration section). Also check that the uploads directory is writable:

docker exec wordpress ls -la /var/www/html/wp-content/uploads

Plugin/theme installation fails

Symptom: “Could not create directory” errors when installing plugins.

Fix: Check file ownership inside the container:

docker exec wordpress chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/wp-content

Resource Requirements

RAM: 256 MB idle, 512 MB - 1 GB under traffic (depends on plugins and caching)
CPU: Low for static pages, moderate with dynamic content and many plugins
Disk: 100 MB for WordPress core. Grows with media uploads, plugins, and themes.

Frequently Asked Questions

WordPress.org vs WordPress.com — what’s the difference?

WordPress.org is the free, open-source software you self-host (this guide). WordPress.com is a hosted service by Automattic — you pay them to run it. Self-hosting gives you full control, no restrictions on plugins/themes, and no monthly fees beyond your server cost.

Is WordPress secure?

WordPress core is well-maintained. Most security issues come from outdated plugins, weak passwords, and misconfigured servers. Keep everything updated, use strong passwords, disable the file editor (DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT), and limit login attempts.

Should I use WordPress or a static site generator?

For blogs and content sites that need frequent updates, WordPress is easier to manage. For developer portfolios, documentation, or sites where maximum speed matters, a static site generator (Hugo, Astro) is better. WordPress has a larger ecosystem of themes and plugins.

Verdict

WordPress is still the most practical choice for most websites. The plugin ecosystem is unmatched — SEO, e-commerce, membership sites, forums — there’s a plugin for everything. Self-hosting with Docker makes deployment and backups straightforward. The downsides: PHP-based sites are slower than static sites, and WordPress is a frequent target for automated attacks (keep it updated). For simple blogs, consider Ghost which is faster and cleaner. For everything else, WordPress’s flexibility is hard to beat.