How to Use Ansible to Automate WordPress Server Setup on Ubuntu
Setting up a WordPress server manually takes time:
- Install Nginx
- Install MySQL
- Install PHP
- Configure everything
Now imagine doing this repeatedly.
This is where Ansible shines.
Using Ansible, you can automate the entire WordPress setup in minutes.
What You’ll Automate
- Nginx installation
- MySQL setup
- PHP configuration
- WordPress deployment
Prerequisites
- Ubuntu server
- SSH access
- Ansible installed
Step 1: Create Inventory
[wordpress]
192.168.1.50
Step 2: Create Playbook
- hosts: wordpress
become: yes
tasks:
- name: Install packages
apt:
name:
- nginx
- mysql-server
- php-fpm
state: present
Step 3: Configure MySQL
- name: Create database
mysql_db:
name: wordpress
state: present
Step 4: Download WordPress
- name: Download WordPress
get_url:
url: https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
dest: /tmp/wordpress.tar.gz
Step 5: Extract Files
- name: Extract WordPress
unarchive:
src: /tmp/wordpress.tar.gz
dest: /var/www/html
Step 6: Set Permissions
- name: Set permissions
file:
path: /var/www/html
owner: www-data
group: www-data
recurse: yes
Step 7: Configure Nginx
Create server block automatically.
Step 8: Restart Services
- name: Restart Nginx
service:
name: nginx
state: restarted
Step 9: Run Playbook
ansible-playbook -i hosts wordpress.yml
Benefits
- Fully automated setup
- Repeatable deployments
- Saves time
Best Practices
- Use variables for DB credentials
- Secure MySQL
- Use HTTPS
Common Mistakes
- Hardcoding passwords
- Wrong permissions
- Skipping security
Real-World Insight
Automation reduces setup time from hours to minutes.
FAQs
Can I reuse playbook?
Yes.
Is this production-ready?
Yes, with improvements.
Final Thoughts
Automating WordPress setup using Ansible is one of the smartest moves for anyone managing multiple sites or servers.