Note: If you are a first time LICENSED user of WPCloudDeploy, one of the services we offer is a FREE 1-on-1 walk-through so that you can get up and running fast! We’ll help you install the plugin, configure your SSH keys and get your first server deployed. Just open a support ticket to request this service!
WPCloudDeploy is a WordPress plugin that allows you to create WordPress servers at cloud server providers such as DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS and others.
But it does so much more than just create servers. Once a server is created you can:
It is extensible with hooks and filters that allow developers to add their own cloud server providers.
Additionally, products such Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) and Admin Columns Pro can be used to customize the data that appear for each server and site.
And, because it’s a WordPress plugin developers can integrate data from other popular WordPress plugins or send data from it to those other plugins. This allows developers and admins to create a centralized dashboard that pulls together data from other plugins and combine it with their server and site data – something that isn’t possible or would be quite difficult with SAAS products.
One of the funky things with a plugin such as this one though is that you need an existing WordPress site in order to use it. Which makes it a little bit meta! You can learn more about this on the Requirements Page. But, if you are using our pre-built DigitalOcean or AWS EC2 image you do not need to worry about these.
We have a number of Quick Start guides that require various levels of work depending on your skills and how flexible you can be in the type of installation you need:
You will need to be comfortable logging into a server using SSH if you choose this option.
This is one of the fastest ways to get up and running when performing the installation yourself.
You will need to be comfortable logging into a server using SSH if you choose this option.
This is also one of the fastest ways to get up and running when performing the installation yourself.
Use this option if your cloud server provider is DigitalOcean and you want to install WPCD on your own server/site.
Your web server will need to meet certain conditions so please make sure that you have the server access required to perform adjustments to the NGINX/APACHE configuration
The following Premium Cloud Providers are supported by our Onboarding Wizard. You need a license purchased from our store to be able to use one of these.
Your web server will need to meet certain conditions so please make sure that you have the server access required to perform adjustments to the NGINX/APACHE configuration
The following Premium Cloud Providers are NOT supported by our Onboarding Wizard:
Use Your Own Site With A Premium Provider
Your web server will need to meet certain conditions so please make sure that you have the server access required to perform adjustments to the NGINX/APACHE configuration
If you’re even slightly comfortable with using SSH to login to servers and you don’t mind using DigitalOcean or AWS to run your core WPCD instance, then the first two options are, by far, the easiest and fastest way to perform the installation yourself.
Otherwise, if you’re installing on your own server/site, you’ll have to use one of the other two options.
You can also bootstrap a server with our scripts using just the command line – but this is an advanced process and definitely not a ‘quick-start’.
Reminder: If you are a first time LICENSED user of WPCloudDeploy, one of the services we offer is a FREE 1-on-1 walk-through so that you can get up and running fast! We’ll help you install the plugin, configure your SSH keys and get your first server deployed. Just open a support ticket to request this service!
WPCloudDeploy is a plugin that runs on a regular WP site. So, to preserve your data you should backup and manage the WPCD site just like you would any other WordPress site.
It’s a good time to install a backup plugin and configure it to backup at least once per day and send the backup to a SECURE off-site location.
You need to install the plugin in an existing WordPress site. However, we recommend that you do NOT install it on sites hosted at places like WPEngine since these services block access to the standard ssh ports. Need a new site to install this on? This document outlines some options.
The WPCloudDeploy plugin is in a “loosely coupled” connection to your cloud server. This means that you or your cloud provider can make changes to the server without the WPCloudDeploy plugin knowing about it. It is important that you do not do this unless instructed by one of our support staff.
Still, stuff happens and the plugin can sometimes recover. Some examples where recovery is possible are:
As we communicate with the server to deploy new sites and perform other tasks, we sometimes need to connect back into the plugin’s site to update status and error data. This means that you cannot install it on a local server. The server must be accessible via the internet and the REST API must not be blocked by your firewalls – learn more at the bottom of our requirements page.
We have a couple of articles that help you set up your new server and site after they have been deployed: