Deploy multiple WordPress instances using a single Apache virtual host while serving them under different subdirectories (e.g., site.com/site1 and site.com/site2), this approach will show you how to achieve that. Each WordPress instance will have its own database, but share the same web root and server settings.

How to Deploy Multiple WordPress Instances on the Same Apache Virtual Host

This guide explains how to deploy multiple WordPress instances under a single domain using subdirectories. Each WordPress instance will have its own MySQL database and run under a single Apache virtual host, simplifying the setup while keeping the sites separate.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu server with sudo access.
• A domain (e.g., site.com) and desired subdirectory structure (e.g., site.com/site1, site.com/site2).
• Familiarity with Linux commands.

Step 1: Update Your System

First, ensure your system is up-to-date:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install Apache2

If Apache2 is not installed, install it with:

sudo apt install apache2

Start and enable Apache2:

sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

Step 3: Install MySQL

Install MySQL to handle the databases for each WordPress instance:

sudo apt install mysql-server

Secure the MySQL installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Then, log in to MySQL:

sudo mysql

Create separate databases and users for each WordPress instance:

CREATE DATABASE wp_site1;
CREATE USER 'wp_user1'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password1';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wp_site1.* TO 'wp_user1'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

CREATE DATABASE wp_site2;
CREATE USER 'wp_user2'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password2';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wp_site2.* TO 'wp_user2'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

EXIT;

This creates two separate databases (wp_site1 and wp_site2) and users for each WordPress instance.

Step 4: Install PHP 8.3

Next, install PHP 8.3 and the necessary extensions for WordPress:

sudo apt install php8.3 libapache2-mod-php8.3 php8.3-mysql php8.3-xml php8.3-gd php8.3-curl php8.3-mbstring php8.3-zip php8.3-intl

Confirm the PHP installation:

php -v

Step 5: Configure Apache for a Single Virtual Host

Create a Single Virtual Host for Your Domain

Edit or create an Apache virtual host file for the main domain (e.g., site.com):

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/site.com.conf

Add the following configuration (replace site.com with your actual domain):

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin admin@site.com
    ServerName site.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/site.com

    <Directory /var/www/site.com>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/site.com_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/site.com_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable the Virtual Host

Enable the new site configuration and disable the default site:

sudo a2ensite site.com.conf
sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf

Reload Apache to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl reload apache2

Step 6: Set Up Directory Structure for Multiple WordPress Sites

Now, create subdirectories for each WordPress instance under /var/www/site.com:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/site.com/site1
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/site.com/site2

Step 7: Download and Install WordPress

Download WordPress

Download and extract WordPress in /tmp:

cd /tmp
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
tar -xvzf latest.tar.gz

Copy WordPress to Each Subdirectory

For site1:

sudo cp -r wordpress/* /var/www/site.com/site1/

For site2:

sudo cp -r wordpress/* /var/www/site.com/site2/

Assign the correct permissions:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/site.com/site1
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/site.com/site2
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/site.com/site1
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/site.com/site2

Step 8: Configure WordPress Instances

Each WordPress instance needs to be linked to its respective database.

Configure wp-config.php for Site 1

Navigate to the site1 directory:

cd /var/www/site.com/site1
sudo cp wp-config-sample.php wp-config.php

Edit the wp-config.php file to match the wp_site1 database settings:

sudo nano wp-config.php

Modify these lines:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'wp_site1' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'wp_user1' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'password1' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

Configure wp-config.php for Site 2

Now, configure site2 in the same way:

cd /var/www/site.com/site2
sudo cp wp-config-sample.php wp-config.php
sudo nano wp-config.php

Modify the database settings:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'wp_site2' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'wp_user2' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'password2' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

Step 9: Enable Apache Rewrite Module

Enable the rewrite module to allow WordPress permalinks to function correctly:

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Ensure that AllowOverride All is included in the virtual host configuration (already done in Step 5).

Step 10: Complete WordPress Setup in the Browser

Open your web browser and go to each of the WordPress setup pages:

• Site 1: http://site.com/site1
• Site 2: http://site.com/site2

Follow the WordPress setup wizard to complete the installation for each site by providing the appropriate database credentials and site information.

Step 11: Optional – Use HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt

It’s a good idea to secure your site with HTTPS. You can use Let’s Encrypt to generate SSL certificates.

First, install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache

Run Certbot for your domain:

sudo certbot --apache -d site.com

Certbot will automatically configure SSL for the domain. After running the commands, reload Apache:

sudo systemctl reload apache2

Conclusion

You’ve successfully deployed multiple WordPress sites on a single domain using subdirectories. Each site is fully isolated with its own database, but shares the same Apache virtual host. This setup is ideal when you want to manage multiple sites under the same domain without the complexity of multiple virtual hosts.

Commands

Here’s a summary of all the command-line steps to deploy multiple WordPress sites under a single Apache virtual host:

1. Update System

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

2. Install Apache2

sudo apt install apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

3. Install MySQL

sudo apt install mysql-server
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Create Databases and Users for WordPress Sites

sudo mysql

CREATE DATABASE wp_site1;
CREATE USER 'wp_user1'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password1';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wp_site1.* TO 'wp_user1'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

CREATE DATABASE wp_site2;
CREATE USER 'wp_user2'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password2';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wp_site2.* TO 'wp_user2'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

EXIT;

4. Install PHP 8.3 and Required Extensions

sudo apt install php8.3 libapache2-mod-php8.3 php8.3-mysql php8.3-xml php8.3-gd php8.3-curl php8.3-mbstring php8.3-zip php8.3-intl
php -v

5. Configure Apache Virtual Host

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/site.com.conf

Add the following content:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin admin@site.com
    ServerName site.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/site.com

    <Directory /var/www/site.com>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/site.com_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/site.com_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable the Virtual Host

sudo a2ensite site.com.conf
sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2

6. Create Directory Structure for WordPress Sites

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/site.com/site1
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/site.com/site2

7. Download and Install WordPress

cd /tmp
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
tar -xvzf latest.tar.gz

Copy WordPress Files to Each Subdirectory

sudo cp -r wordpress/* /var/www/site.com/site1/
sudo cp -r wordpress/* /var/www/site.com/site2/

Set Correct Permissions

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/site.com/site1
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/site.com/site2
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/site.com/site1
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/site.com/site2

8. Configure WordPress Instances

Configure wp-config.php for Site 1

cd /var/www/site.com/site1
sudo cp wp-config-sample.php wp-config.php
sudo nano wp-config.php

Change database settings:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'wp_site1' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'wp_user1' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'password1' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

Configure wp-config.php for Site 2

cd /var/www/site.com/site2
sudo cp wp-config-sample.php wp-config.php
sudo nano wp-config.php

Change database settings:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'wp_site2' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'wp_user2' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'password2' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

9. Enable Apache Rewrite Module

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

10. Install Let’s Encrypt SSL (Optional)

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache
sudo certbot --apache -d site.com
sudo systemctl reload apache2

You can now open your browser and complete the WordPress installation for both sites:

• http://site.com/site1
• http://site.com/site2