How to Manually Install WordPress on zPanel VPS

So you knew how to and installed zPanel already on your VPS, but then how to get WordPress blogging CMS up and running on your VPS? In this part of my zPanel tutorial series I will tell you how to install WordPress manually on VPS with zPanel control panel, a free lightweight alternative to cPanel.

Basic installation of zPanel is just like WHM/cPanel, it does not come with preinstalled auto-installer script like Softaculous or Fantastico which are not free any way. Many WordPress users who use Shared Hosting may be already familiar with both installer script and using it frequently to install WordPress. As a result, when they come to VPS, they forget how to install it manually.

Index of zPanel Tutorials

1. How to install zPanel CP on CentOS VPS
2. How to install Ajaxplorer File Manager on zPanel
3. Basic Essential zPanel Configurations

How to Install WordPress

Step 1 – Login to your zPanel control panel, either via your VPS IP address or custom subdomain you specified to access it. In this example I use zadmin but however you can login with any username you created as User.

Step 2 – If you have not added the domain yet, so go ahead add it via Domain Management > Domains > the Create New Domain. You can refer to my previous tutorial here.

Step 3 – Now lets create the database where we host all WordPress data there. Click Database Management > MySQL Database. Give your database a name. If you named it as “wordpress“, then the real usable name of that database is “zadmin_wordpress”.

Step 4 – Now you can create new MYSQL user and assign that to the newly created database. Go to Database Management >> MYSQL Users. Do not forget to Map that MYSQL database to correct MYSQL database.

Step 5 – It’s time to download main WordPress installer package. First, we have to launch Ajaxplorer up. Go to File Management > Ajaxplorer > then click the Launch button.

Do not have Ajaxplorer yet? Follow these steps to install.

Step 6 – In Ajaxplorer window, go to the folder / directory of your domain. In my case it is /public_html/servermom_org/

Step 7 – You may firstly delete index.html file as it is not necessary (the one created by zPanel by default).

Step 8 – Next, in Ajaxplorer click Upload > From Remote Server menu.

Step 9 – Then enter WordPress download url which is:

http://wordpress.org/latest.zip

Once done, you’ll see that the file latest.zip is listed there.

Step 10 – Next, right-click on that file and choose Explore from the displayed context menu.

Step 11 – You’ll then see a folder called WordPress there. Now right-click on that folder and choose Extract.

Do not forget to choose the destination to your domain’s root directory

Step 12 – Now go to the extracted folder which in my case is:

/public_html/servermom_org/wordpress

then select all files and folders inside extracted wordpress folder (hold Shift key down on your keyboard while selecting) and move all of it to upper directory (right-click then Move).

Choose destination:

Step 13 –  Then rename wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php.

Step 14 – Edit wp-config.php and enter all the details needed. Right-click that file and choose Open in > Source Editor.

Step 15 – Edit all necessary details including DB_NAME, DB_USER, and DB_PASSWORD.

You can see generated MYSQL Password in zPanel via Database Management > MYSQL Users. Do not forget to save it once you’ve made changes.

Step 16 – Assuming you’ve created DNS Records and pointed your domain to your VPS, so you can now proceed to WordPress installation wizard in your browser. Just type your domain name then hit Enter and you’l be automatically directed to installation wizard. Just proceed as usual.

That’s it and enjoy..