> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://bunny.net/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # WordPress > Deploy WordPress to Magic Containers This guide walks you through deploying WordPress with MariaDB to Magic Containers. You can deploy using a one-click template or configure the containers manually. > [!NOTE] > > This is a starter guide intended to show how quickly a real workload can run > on Magic Containers. It's aimed at developers comfortable customising Docker > images, working with environment variables and volumes, and making changes to > a WordPress install at the file level. A production-grade WordPress deployment > will need additional hardening, image tuning, backup, and caching decisions > beyond what's covered here. > [!TIP] > > Don't have a bunny.net account yet? [Sign up](https://dash.bunny.net/auth/register) and enable Magic Containers to get started. ## Deploy with a template The fastest way to get WordPress running is to use the built-in template, which pre-configures WordPress and MariaDB with persistent volumes. **1. Open the WordPress template** In the bunny.net dashboard, go to **Magic Containers** and open the [**WordPress template**](https://dash.bunny.net/magic-containers/templates/wordpress-0). **2. Name your app** Give your application a name. **3. Configure environment variables** The template includes pre-configured environment variables for WordPress and MariaDB. Review and update passwords as needed before deploying. **4. Choose a region** Select the region where you want to deploy your application. > [!WARNING] > > WordPress with MariaDB should use single region deployment with a single instance. Each pod gets its own dedicated volume with no data replication — this applies both across regions and within the same region. **5. Deploy** Click **Deploy** to launch your WordPress site. Once deployed, open the endpoint URL to complete the WordPress installation wizard. ## Deploy manually If you prefer to configure everything yourself, follow these steps. **1. Create a new app** Go to the [bunny.net dashboard](https://dash.bunny.net), select **Magic Containers**, and click **Add App**. Select **Single region deployment**. > [!WARNING] > > WordPress with a database should use single region deployment with a single instance. Each pod gets its own dedicated volume with no data replication — scaling to multiple pods or regions would result in separate, isolated databases each with their own data. **2. Add the WordPress container** Click **Add Container** and configure the image: * **Registry**: Docker Hub * **Image**: `library/wordpress` * **Tag**: `apache` Configure the following environment variables: | Variable | Value | | - | - | | `WORDPRESS_DB_HOST` | `127.0.0.1` | | `WORDPRESS_DB_USER` | `wordpress` | | `WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD` | a strong password | | `WORDPRESS_DB_NAME` | `wordpress` | **3. Add a volume for WordPress content** In the **Volumes** section of the WordPress container, add a volume: * **Name**: `wp-content` * **Mount path**: `/var/www/html/wp-content` This persists your themes, plugins, and uploads across restarts. **4. Add the MariaDB container** Click **Add Container** and configure a second container: * **Registry**: Docker Hub * **Image**: `library/mariadb` * **Tag**: `latest` Configure the following environment variables: | Variable | Value | | - | - | | `MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD` | a strong root password | | `MARIADB_USER` | `wordpress` | | `MARIADB_PASSWORD` | same password as `WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD` | | `MARIADB_DATABASE` | `wordpress` | **5. Add a volume for MariaDB** In the **Volumes** section of the MariaDB container, add a volume: * **Name**: `mariadb-data` * **Mount path**: `/var/lib/mysql` This ensures your database files persist across restarts and redeployments. **6. Add an endpoint** Go to the **Endpoints** tab, click **Add New Endpoint**, and set the container port to `80`. Select the **WordPress** container. **7. Deploy** Review your settings and click **Confirm and Create**. **8. Set the site URL** After deploying, copy the WordPress endpoint URL from the **Endpoints** tab (e.g. `https://mc-xxx.bunny.run`). Go to the WordPress container's **Environment Variables** and add: | Variable | Value | | - | - | | `WP_HOME` | your WordPress endpoint URL | | `WP_SITEURL` | same as `WP_HOME` | This prevents WordPress from auto-detecting the wrong URL, which can happen in multi-container setups where multiple endpoints exist. Redeploy after adding these variables. ## Complete the installation > [!NOTE] > > If you plan to use a custom domain, add it to your WordPress endpoint and > update `WP_HOME` and `WP_SITEURL` **before** running the installation wizard. > WordPress stores the site URL during installation, and completing setup on the > default `mc-xxx.bunny.run` URL means you'll need to update it later. See [Add > a custom hostname](#add-a-custom-hostname) for details. Once your app is running, open the WordPress endpoint URL in your browser. WordPress will display the installation wizard where you can: 1. Select your language 2. Set the site title 3. Create an admin account 4. Complete the installation After setup, your WordPress site is live and accessible at the endpoint URL. ## Environment variables The WordPress container supports these key environment variables: | Variable | Description | | - | - | | `WORDPRESS_DB_HOST` | Database host (use `127.0.0.1` for multi-container) | | `WORDPRESS_DB_USER` | Database username | | `WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD` | Database password | | `WORDPRESS_DB_NAME` | Database name | | `WORDPRESS_TABLE_PREFIX` | Table prefix (default: `wp_`) | | `WORDPRESS_DEBUG` | Enable debug mode (`1` or `0`) | | `WP_HOME` | Full URL of the site (e.g. `https://mc-xxx.bunny.run`) | | `WP_SITEURL` | Full URL where WordPress is installed (usually same as `WP_HOME`) | > [!WARNING] > > Use `127.0.0.1` instead of `localhost` for the database host. Some clients > interpret `localhost` as a Unix socket connection, which will fail in a > container environment. Using `127.0.0.1` forces a TCP connection. ## Persistent volumes The WordPress template uses two persistent volumes: | Volume | Mount path | Purpose | | - | - | - | | `wp-content` | `/var/www/html/wp-content` | Themes, plugins, and uploads | | `mariadb-data` | `/var/lib/mysql` | Database files | Without these volumes, all data is lost when containers restart. See [persistent volumes](/docs/magic-containers/persistent-volumes.md) for more details. > [!NOTE] > > Always set strong passwords for database credentials, even if the database is > not exposed externally. Other containers in the same pod can access the > network, and a password protects against accidental or unauthorized access. ## Manage files with File Browser Since Magic Containers don't yet provide SSH access, you can temporarily add [File Browser](https://filebrowser.org) as a sidecar container when you need to inspect files, copy something out, or run a manual procedure that can't be done from WordPress admin (for example, editing `wp-config.php`, removing a broken plugin directory, or uploading a file that exceeds the WordPress upload limit). > [!WARNING] > > Treat File Browser as a short-lived tool. The `filebrowser/filebrowser` image > doesn't accept credentials through environment variables, and on first boot it > generates a random password that is printed **once** to the container logs and > not stored anywhere you can retrieve later. Use it for the task at hand, then > remove the endpoint and container. For anything you do regularly, do it > through WordPress admin instead. **1. Add the File Browser container** In your app settings, click **Add Container** and configure: * **Registry**: Docker Hub * **Image**: `filebrowser/filebrowser` * **Tag**: `latest` Since WordPress already uses port `80`, configure File Browser to listen on a different port by setting the following environment variable: | Variable | Value | | - | - | | `FB_PORT` | `8085` | **2. Mount the wp-content volume** In the **Volumes** section, mount the same `wp-content` volume used by the WordPress container: * **Name**: `wp-content` * **Mount path**: `/srv` File Browser serves files from `/srv` by default, so this gives it access to your WordPress themes, plugins, and uploads. **3. Add an endpoint** Go to the **Endpoints** tab and add a new endpoint for the File Browser container on port `8085`. **4. Capture the generated password from the logs** Open your app and go to the **Logs** tab as it deploys. On first boot, File Browser prints a line similar to: ``` User 'admin' initialized with randomly generated password: ``` The password is shown once. If you miss it, redeploy the container to generate a new one. **5. Log in** Open the File Browser endpoint URL in your browser and sign in: * **Username**: `admin` * **Password**: the value you copied from the logs Do your file work, then move on to the cleanup step below. **6. Remove File Browser when you're done** Once you've finished, remove the File Browser endpoint and container from your app and redeploy. This closes off the publicly reachable login page and avoids leaving a long-lived tool exposed alongside your site. > [!WARNING] > > Anyone with the endpoint URL can reach the File Browser login page. ## Add a custom hostname To use your own domain with WordPress: 1. Go to your app's **Endpoints** tab 2. Add a custom hostname to your CDN endpoint 3. Update the `WP_HOME` and `WP_SITEURL` environment variables to your custom domain (e.g. `https://example.com`) > [!WARNING] > > If you installed WordPress using the default `mc-xxx.bunny.run` URL, you must > update `WP_HOME` and `WP_SITEURL` to match your custom domain. Without this, > WordPress will continue redirecting to the old URL for login, admin pages, and > internal links. See [endpoints](/docs/magic-containers/endpoints.md) for more details on configuring custom hostnames. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.