Run WordPress In Docker

Running WordPress in Docker offers a stable and repeatable local development setup. It eliminates environment-specific issues and simplifies service management. Using Docker alongside Visual Studio Code improves usability, especially for local development and customization.

Requirements

Ensure the following components are installed:

Docker Desktop (Windows/macOS) or Docker Engine (Linux)
Visual Studio Code with the Docker extension

Setup

Begin by creating a dedicated project folder.

Open Visual Studio Code.
Open a terminal in VS Code.
Create a new directory for your project and navigate into it:

shell
1mkdir wordpress
2cd wordpress

Docker

Inside the project directory, create a docker-compose.yml file to define the services for WordPress and its dependencies.

In Visual Studio Code, create a new file named docker-compose.yml.
Add the following content to the file:

yaml
1services:
2  db:
3    image: mysql:9.3
4    volumes:
5      - ./data/mysql:/var/lib/mysql
6    restart: always
7    environment:
8      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
9      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
10      MYSQL_USER: wordpress
11      MYSQL_PASSWORD: wordpress
12    networks:
13      - wpsite
14
15  phpmyadmin:
16    depends_on:
17      - db
18    image: phpmyadmin:latest
19    restart: always
20    ports:
21      - '8080:80'
22    environment:
23      PMA_HOST: db
24      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
25    networks:
26      - wpsite
27
28  wordpress:
29    depends_on:
30      - db
31    image: wordpress:latest
32    ports:
33      - '8000:80'
34    restart: always
35    volumes:
36      - wordpress_data:/var/www/html
37      - ./wp-content:/var/www/html/wp-content:cached
38    environment:
39      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db:3306
40      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
41      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: wordpress
42    networks:
43      - wpsite
44
45volumes:
46  wordpress_data:
47
48networks:
49  wpsite:

Services

db: MySQL 9.3 container with persistent storage
phpmyadmin: Web interface for database management at http://localhost:8080
wordpress: WordPress container accessible at http://localhost:8000, with local wp-content mapping

Startup

To launch your WordPress environment:

shell
1docker-compose up -d

This starts the containers in detached mode. The initial setup can take a few minutes as Docker downloads the necessary images.

Visit http://localhost:8000 in your browser to complete the WordPress installation (language, site name, user credentials).

Container

On the first run, complete the WordPress installation in your browser by choosing a language and entering site credentials.

Management

Use the following commands for container control:

Stop

shell
1docker-compose down

This stops and removes containers but retains volume data.

Restart

shell
1docker-compose up -d

Customisation

To develop or install custom themes and plugins:

Navigate to the wp-content/themes or wp-content/plugins directory in your project folder.
Add or modify files directly.
Changes reflect immediately in your running site.

Editing

Use Visual Studio Code to modify your WordPress setup:

Open the project directory in VS Code.
Edit themes, plugins, or core files.
Save changes to see them reflected in the browser.

Docker simplifies local WordPress development by providing a containerized, consistent environment. When paired with Visual Studio Code, it allows efficient file management, rapid customization, and reliable performance across different systems.

Author

Vincent Vu

Vincent is the founder and director of Rubix Studios, based in Melbourne, with over 20 years of experience in branding, advertising, photography, videography, and web design and development. Vincent holds certifications and partnerships with Google, Microsoft, AWS, and HubSpot, and is currently undertaking an Executive Master of Business at RMIT University.

Requirements

Ensure the following components are installed:

Docker Desktop (Windows/macOS) or Docker Engine (Linux)
Visual Studio Code with the Docker extension

Setup

Begin by creating a dedicated project folder.

Open Visual Studio Code.
Open a terminal in VS Code.
Create a new directory for your project and navigate into it:

shell
1mkdir wordpress
2cd wordpress

Docker

Inside the project directory, create a docker-compose.yml file to define the services for WordPress and its dependencies.

In Visual Studio Code, create a new file named docker-compose.yml.
Add the following content to the file:

yaml
1services:
2  db:
3    image: mysql:9.3
4    volumes:
5      - ./data/mysql:/var/lib/mysql
6    restart: always
7    environment:
8      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
9      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
10      MYSQL_USER: wordpress
11      MYSQL_PASSWORD: wordpress
12    networks:
13      - wpsite
14
15  phpmyadmin:
16    depends_on:
17      - db
18    image: phpmyadmin:latest
19    restart: always
20    ports:
21      - '8080:80'
22    environment:
23      PMA_HOST: db
24      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
25    networks:
26      - wpsite
27
28  wordpress:
29    depends_on:
30      - db
31    image: wordpress:latest
32    ports:
33      - '8000:80'
34    restart: always
35    volumes:
36      - wordpress_data:/var/www/html
37      - ./wp-content:/var/www/html/wp-content:cached
38    environment:
39      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db:3306
40      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
41      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: wordpress
42    networks:
43      - wpsite
44
45volumes:
46  wordpress_data:
47
48networks:
49  wpsite:

Services

db: MySQL 9.3 container with persistent storage
phpmyadmin: Web interface for database management at http://localhost:8080
wordpress: WordPress container accessible at http://localhost:8000, with local wp-content mapping

Startup

To launch your WordPress environment:

shell
1docker-compose up -d

This starts the containers in detached mode. The initial setup can take a few minutes as Docker downloads the necessary images.

Visit http://localhost:8000 in your browser to complete the WordPress installation (language, site name, user credentials).

Container

On the first run, complete the WordPress installation in your browser by choosing a language and entering site credentials.

Management

Use the following commands for container control:

Stop

shell
1docker-compose down

This stops and removes containers but retains volume data.

Restart

shell
1docker-compose up -d

Customisation

To develop or install custom themes and plugins:

Navigate to the wp-content/themes or wp-content/plugins directory in your project folder.
Add or modify files directly.
Changes reflect immediately in your running site.

Editing

Use Visual Studio Code to modify your WordPress setup:

Open the project directory in VS Code.
Edit themes, plugins, or core files.
Save changes to see them reflected in the browser.

Requirements

Setup

Docker

Services

Startup

Container

Management

Customisation

Editing

Tags

Author

Requirements

Setup

Docker

Services

Startup

Container

Management

Customisation

Editing