If you are planning to set up a new Ubuntu server for hosting your WordPress website, it is essential to understand the challenges that come with it. Although Ubuntu is an excellent choice of operating system for web servers, there are still some common issues that you might face during the setup process.
In this blog post, we will discuss the top five issues while setting up an Ubuntu server for WordPress and how to solve them.
Installation and Configuration
Issue: Unable to install packages
The first step in setting up an Ubuntu server is installing the necessary packages. However, sometimes you may experience difficulty in installing these packages on your system.
Solution:
This issue can be resolved by updating the package list before installing any package. You can do this by running the following command:
sudo apt update
After updating the package list, you can install any package using the following command:
sudo apt install <package-name>
Issue: Configuring firewall settings
Firewall configuration is crucial for securing your server against unauthorized access or attacks. But configuring firewall settings can be complicated sometimes.
Solution:
You can use ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall) as a firewall solution for your server. It comes pre-installed with Ubuntu. To enable ufw, run:
sudo ufw enable
To allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic, run:
sudo ufw allow http
sudo ufw allow https
Security
Issue: Invalid permissions on directories and files
Incorrect permissions on directories and files can lead to security vulnerabilities on your server, which could compromise your website’s data.
Solution:
You should ensure that all directories have 755 permissions, and all files have 644 permissions. To set directory and file permissions, use the following commands:
sudo find /path/to/your/wordpress/installation -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
sudo find /path/to/your/wordpress/installation -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
Issue: Login attempts from unknown IP addresses
Your server may experience brute force attacks, where hackers attempt to log in to your website using various password combinations.
Solution:
To prevent such attacks, you can install the fail2ban package on your server. This package monitors login attempts and blocks any IP address that attempts to log in multiple times with incorrect credentials. To install fail2ban, run:
sudo apt install fail2ban
Performance
Issue: Slow page load times
Slow page load times can harm the user experience for your website visitors.
Solution:
You can improve your server’s performance by installing a caching plugin for WordPress. One popular caching plugin is WP Super Cache. It generates static HTML files of your dynamic WordPress content, which reduces the number of requests sent to your server and improves page load times.
Maintenance
Issue: Backups
Regular backups are essential for any website. However, creating backups manually can be time-consuming and prone to errors.
Solution:
You can automate backups using a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus. This plugin allows you to schedule regular backups of your website data and store it on remote storage locations like Dropbox or Google Drive.
Miscellaneous
Issue: Domain name not resolving
After setting up your Ubuntu server, you might face issues where your domain name does not resolve correctly.
Solution:
You should ensure that the DNS settings for your domain name are correct. If you have recently added or modified DNS records, wait for some time for these changes to propagate globally.
Conclusion
Setting up an Ubuntu server for WordPress can be challenging, but by understanding these top five issues and implementing the solutions provided, you can ensure that your server is secure, performant, and easy to maintain.