Beginners: Set up, Manage Your Own VPS Server With Multiple WordPress Sites

Intro

In this multi-page tutorial, beginners will learn how to setup and manage their own VPS or Cloud server and host multiple WordPress sites on one server.

This shows you how to set up an “unmanaged VPS”, that is, without a cPanel or any other hosting panel. This will save you money on server costs, and you can still host many WordPress sites on the same server, for a fraction of what it would cost you on a managed VPS like Bluehost or Dreamhost.

Here’s a secret: setting up and managing your own VPS or cloud server is so much easier than you think. The initial setup can seem complicated if you’ve never dealt with a command line terminal before. But after you set up your first server, you’ll see that it’s actually pretty manageable and basically runs itself.

This takes you from the very beginning, setting up your own VPS server with Ubuntu 24.04, through setting up Apache, MariaDB, PHP, and WordPress, securing everything on the server along the way.

Why Apache instead of Nginx? Apache is a great choice for client sites, that is if you make WordPress websites for clients, friends, or family, and you want them to be able to update WordPress core, plugins and themes right in the WordPress dashboard.

If anything is unclear, please ask for clarification in the comments section on any page of this tutorial. I’ll be happy to clarify what I can.

Tutorial – Follow in order

1. Deploy Your First Server on Vultr

2. First Things To Do On Your Server (initial login on server)

3. Install Apache, MariaDB, PHP on Ubuntu 24.04

4. Securing Apache, MariaDB, and PHP8.1-FPM

5. Optimize Your Server for WordPress

6. COMING SOON: Setup First WordPress Site on Server

7. COMING SOON: Hardening and Securing WordPress on Server

8. COMING SOON: Final Things

9. COMING SOON: Add Additional Sites To Server