How to Install WordPress on Contabo VPS in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide

Installing WordPress on a Contabo VPS gives you significantly more control over your website than traditional shared hosting. You can choose your web server, configure PHP limits, manage databases, install caching systems, host multiple websites and optimize the server according to your requirements.

However, a fresh Contabo VPS is different from shared hosting. You normally won't have cPanel, a one-click WordPress installer or a preconfigured hosting environment. If you start with a fresh Ubuntu server, you need to install and configure the web server, PHP, database, WordPress and SSL certificate yourself.

In this complete guide, you'll learn how to install WordPress on Contabo VPS step by step using Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Nginx, MySQL, PHP-FPM and Let's Encrypt SSL.

I've included all the commands required throughout the process, so you can follow the tutorial even if this is your first time configuring WordPress manually on a VPS.

By the end of this guide, your WordPress website should be available securely at:

https://yourdomain.com

If you haven't selected your hosting provider yet, you can first check our Top 10 Best Web Hosting Service Providers in 2026 comparison to understand how Contabo compares with other hosting options.

Quick Answer: How to Install WordPress on Contabo VPS

To install WordPress on Contabo, first deploy an Ubuntu VPS and connect to your server through SSH. Install Nginx, MySQL and PHP-FPM, create a database for WordPress, download the latest WordPress files and configure wp-config.php.

Next, create an Nginx server block for your domain, point the domain's DNS records to your Contabo VPS IP address and install a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate using Certbot.

The complete setup will look like this:

Domain
   ↓
Contabo VPS
   ↓
Ubuntu 24.04
   ↓
Nginx
   ↓
PHP-FPM
   ↓
WordPress
   ↓
MySQL

You can optionally place Cloudflare in front of the server later for DNS, CDN and additional security.

What You Need Before Installing WordPress on Contabo

Before starting, make sure you have the following:

Throughout this tutorial, we'll use:

imoodsy.com

as the example domain.

Whenever you see imoodsy.com, replace it with your actual domain name.

We'll also use:

123.123.123.123

as the example Contabo server IP.

Replace it with your actual VPS IP address.

Step 1: Create Your Contabo VPS

The first step is to have an active VPS.

When configuring a new Contabo server, choose:

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Ubuntu LTS releases are generally a good choice for production web servers because they receive long-term security maintenance.

Once your VPS has been provisioned, you'll receive or be able to access server information such as:

IP Address: 123.123.123.123
Username: root
Password: YourServerPassword

Keep this information secure because you'll need it to connect through SSH.

If you're planning to purchase a new Contabo server, you may also want to check our Contabo Promo Codes & Coupons 2026 guide before ordering.

Step 2: Connect to Your Contabo VPS Using SSH

SSH allows you to remotely manage your Linux VPS using the command line.

Windows 10 and Windows 11 users can use Windows Terminal or PowerShell without installing additional software.

Open PowerShell and enter:

ssh [email protected]

Replace the IP with your Contabo VPS IP.

The first time you connect, you may see:

The authenticity of host can't be established.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting?

Enter:

yes

Then enter your root password.

After successful authentication, your terminal should look similar to:

root@contabo:~#

You're now connected to the Contabo server.

Step 3: Update Your Ubuntu Server

Before installing WordPress, update your server's package information.

Run:

apt update

Then upgrade existing packages:

apt upgrade -y

You can also run both together:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Keeping Ubuntu updated is important because updates can contain security patches, bug fixes and newer stable package versions.

If Ubuntu informs you that a reboot is required, run:

reboot

Wait around 30–60 seconds and reconnect:

ssh [email protected]

Step 4: Configure the Ubuntu Firewall

Before installing additional services, configure the Ubuntu UFW firewall.

First, allow SSH connections:

ufw allow OpenSSH

This is important because enabling the firewall without allowing SSH could lock you out of the server.

Next, we'll eventually need HTTP and HTTPS traffic. You can enable them using:

ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp

Now enable UFW:

ufw enable

Confirm when prompted.

Check its status:

ufw status

You should see rules allowing SSH, port 80 and port 443.

Step 5: Install Nginx on Contabo VPS

WordPress requires a web server to process browser requests.

In this tutorial, we'll use Nginx.

Install Nginx:

apt install nginx -y

Start Nginx:

systemctl start nginx

Enable it automatically after server reboot:

systemctl enable nginx

Check the status:

systemctl status nginx

You should see:

active (running)

Press:

q

to exit the status screen.

Now open your server IP in a browser:

http://123.123.123.123

You should see the default:

Welcome to nginx!

page.

That confirms Nginx is running properly.

Step 6: Install MySQL for WordPress

WordPress requires a database to store information such as posts, pages, users, settings, comments and plugin data.

We'll use MySQL.

Install it:

apt install mysql-server -y

Start MySQL:

systemctl start mysql

Enable it at startup:

systemctl enable mysql

Verify that it is running:

systemctl status mysql

You should see:

active (running)

Step 7: Secure MySQL

Run the MySQL security configuration:

mysql_secure_installation

The questions shown can vary slightly depending on your MySQL version.

For a normal WordPress server, you generally want to remove anonymous users, disable unnecessary remote root database access, remove the test database and reload the privilege tables.

Ubuntu uses socket authentication for the local MySQL root account by default. This tutorial runs commands as the Linux root user, so mysql opens the database shell without a database password. If you use a separate sudo user, run sudo mysql and sudo mysql_secure_installation. Keep socket authentication for local root access and use the separate password-protected wpuser account for WordPress. See the Ubuntu MySQL installation guide for details.

Step 8: Create a WordPress Database on Contabo

Now we need a dedicated database and database user for WordPress.

Open MySQL:

mysql

You should see:

mysql>

Create the WordPress database:

CREATE DATABASE wordpress DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

Create a WordPress database user:

CREATE USER 'wpuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourVeryStrongPasswordHere!';

Replace the example password with a strong password.

Now give the user access to the WordPress database:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wordpress.* TO 'wpuser'@'localhost';

Reload the permissions:

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Exit MySQL:

EXIT;

Your database details are now:

Database Name: wordpress
Database User: wpuser
Database Password: YourVeryStrongPasswordHere!
Database Host: localhost

Save these details temporarily because we'll need them while configuring WordPress.

Step 9: Install PHP for WordPress

Nginx handles web requests, MySQL stores data, and PHP processes WordPress.

Install PHP-FPM and the commonly used WordPress extensions:

apt install php-fpm php-mysql php-cli php-curl php-gd php-mbstring php-xml php-zip php-intl php-soap php-imagick curl unzip -y

Check your PHP version:

php -v

On a normal Ubuntu 24.04 installation, you'll typically be using PHP 8.3.

Check PHP-FPM:

systemctl status php8.3-fpm

You can also verify the available PHP socket:

ls /run/php/

You may see:

php8.3-fpm.pid
php8.3-fpm.sock

Remember the socket path:

/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock

We will use it in our Nginx configuration.

If your server uses another PHP version, replace 8.3 in the commands throughout this tutorial.

Step 10: Download WordPress on Contabo VPS

Now we're ready to install WordPress itself.

Move to the temporary directory:

cd /tmp

Download the latest WordPress package:

curl -O https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz

Extract it:

tar -xzf latest.tar.gz

Create your website directory:

mkdir -p /var/www/imoodsy.com

Copy WordPress files into it:

cp -a /tmp/wordpress/. /var/www/imoodsy.com/

Check that WordPress was copied successfully:

ls /var/www/imoodsy.com

You should see files such as:

index.php
wp-admin
wp-content
wp-includes
wp-config-sample.php
wp-login.php

WordPress is now physically installed on the server, but we still need to configure it.

Step 11: Configure WordPress File Permissions

Nginx and PHP typically operate using the www-data user on Ubuntu.

Set WordPress ownership:

chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/imoodsy.com

Set directory permissions:

find /var/www/imoodsy.com -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;

Set file permissions:

find /var/www/imoodsy.com -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

These settings provide a practical starting point for a standard WordPress installation.

Avoid using permissions such as:

777

on WordPress files or directories unless you fully understand why they are needed.

Step 12: Configure wp-config.php

Move into the WordPress directory:

cd /var/www/imoodsy.com

Create the main WordPress configuration file:

cp wp-config-sample.php wp-config.php

Open it:

nano wp-config.php

Find:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'database_name_here' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'username_here' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'password_here' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

Replace those values with your database information:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'wordpress' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'wpuser' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'YourVeryStrongPasswordHere!' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

Make sure this remains:

define( 'DB_CHARSET', 'utf8mb4' );

Normally, you can leave:

define( 'DB_COLLATE', '' );

unchanged.

Add WordPress Security Keys

WordPress uses authentication keys and salts to strengthen login security.

Generate new ones with:

curl -s https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/

You will receive output similar to:

define('AUTH_KEY',         'random-value');
define('SECURE_AUTH_KEY',  'random-value');
define('LOGGED_IN_KEY',    'random-value');
define('NONCE_KEY',        'random-value');
define('AUTH_SALT',        'random-value');
define('SECURE_AUTH_SALT', 'random-value');
define('LOGGED_IN_SALT',   'random-value');
define('NONCE_SALT',       'random-value');

Copy the generated values and replace the default key section inside wp-config.php.

You can also add:

define( 'DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true );

This prevents administrators from editing PHP files directly through the WordPress dashboard.

Save Nano using:

CTRL + O

Press Enter.

Then exit:

CTRL + X

Step 13: Configure Nginx for WordPress on Contabo

Now we need to tell Nginx how to serve your WordPress website.

Create a new server block:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/imoodsy.com

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;

    server_name imoodsy.com www.imoodsy.com;

    root /var/www/imoodsy.com;
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    client_max_body_size 64M;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;
    }

    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
}

Replace:

imoodsy.com

with your actual domain.

If your PHP socket is different, change:

fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;

accordingly.

Save the file.

Step 14: Enable the WordPress Website in Nginx

Create a symbolic link:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/imoodsy.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/imoodsy.com

If the default Nginx website is still enabled, you can remove its symbolic link:

rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

Test your Nginx configuration:

nginx -t

You should see something similar to:

nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok
nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful

Reload Nginx:

systemctl reload nginx

Your server is now ready to serve WordPress.

Step 15: Point Your Domain to Contabo VPS

Your domain needs to point to your Contabo server before visitors can access WordPress.

Open the DNS management panel where your domain is registered.

Create an A record:

Type: A
Name: @
Value: 123.123.123.123

Then create another one for www:

Type: A
Name: www
Value: 123.123.123.123

Your DNS records will look approximately like:

@       A       123.123.123.123
www     A       123.123.123.123

DNS changes can begin working within minutes, although full propagation can sometimes take longer.

Check your domain using:

nslookup imoodsy.com

It should return your Contabo VPS IP address.

Step 16: Install Free SSL on Contabo WordPress

Your website should use HTTPS before going live.

We can install a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate using Certbot.

Install Certbot:

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Request a certificate:

certbot --nginx -d imoodsy.com -d www.imoodsy.com

Certbot will ask you for an email address and agreement to its terms.

If DNS is configured correctly, Certbot should obtain the certificate and automatically modify your Nginx configuration.

Now visit:

https://imoodsy.com

Your browser should display the secure HTTPS connection.

Test automatic SSL renewal:

certbot renew --dry-run

You can also check Certbot's timer:

systemctl status certbot.timer

Step 17: Complete the WordPress Installation

Open:

https://imoodsy.com

You should now see the WordPress installation screen.

Choose your preferred language and continue.

WordPress will ask you to enter your site title, administrator username, password and email address.

Avoid using:

admin

as your administrator username.

Choose something less predictable and use a strong password.

Click:

Install WordPress

After installation, your dashboard will be available at:

https://imoodsy.com/wp-admin/

You have now successfully installed WordPress on your Contabo VPS.

Step 18: Increase WordPress PHP Limits

The default PHP limits may be too restrictive if you plan to upload large plugins, themes or backup files.

Open:

nano /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini

Find and adjust:

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300

For WooCommerce or more resource-intensive WordPress installations, you may consider:

memory_limit = 512M

Save the file.

Restart PHP-FPM:

systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

Reload Nginx:

systemctl reload nginx

Your new PHP limits should now be active.

Step 19: Configure WordPress Permalinks

Log in to WordPress and navigate to:

Settings → Permalinks

For most blogs and business websites, Post name provides a clean URL structure.

Instead of:

imoodsy.com/?p=123

you'll get:

imoodsy.com/how-to-install-wordpress/

The Nginx configuration we created earlier already contains:

try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;

which allows WordPress pretty permalinks to work correctly.

Step 20: Secure Your Contabo WordPress Server

When you use a self-managed VPS, server security becomes your responsibility.

At a minimum, regularly install Ubuntu security updates:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

You should also keep WordPress core, themes and plugins updated.

Installing Fail2ban can help reduce repeated SSH login attempts:

apt install fail2ban -y

Enable it:

systemctl enable fail2ban

Start it:

systemctl start fail2ban

Verify:

systemctl status fail2ban

You can also enable automatic Ubuntu security updates:

apt install unattended-upgrades -y

Then:

dpkg-reconfigure --priority=low unattended-upgrades

For stronger SSH security, consider creating a separate sudo user and configuring SSH key authentication rather than relying permanently on root password login.

For example:

adduser serveradmin

Then:

usermod -aG sudo serveradmin

Do not disable root or password-based login until you have tested your new user and SSH key configuration successfully.

Step 21: Configure WordPress Backups

Running WordPress on your own VPS also means you're responsible for backups.

A complete WordPress backup needs both the database and website files.

To back up your WordPress database manually:

mysqldump wordpress > /root/wordpress-database-backup.sql

To back up your WordPress files:

tar -czf /root/wordpress-files-backup.tar.gz /var/www/imoodsy.com

However, you shouldn't keep your only backup on the same VPS.

If the entire VPS fails or becomes compromised, both the live website and local backups could be lost.

Use remote storage, another server, cloud object storage or a reputable WordPress backup service for important production websites.

Step 22: Use Cloudflare with Contabo WordPress

Cloudflare is optional, but it can be useful for WordPress websites hosted on a VPS.

It can provide DNS management, CDN caching, DDoS protection and additional security features.

A common architecture is:

Visitor
   ↓
Cloudflare
   ↓
Contabo VPS
   ↓
Nginx
   ↓
WordPress

Since we've already installed a valid Let's Encrypt certificate on the Contabo server, use:

Cloudflare SSL/TLS → Full (Strict)

where appropriate.

Avoid using Flexible SSL when your origin server already supports HTTPS because it does not provide encrypted HTTPS between Cloudflare and the origin and can create redirect problems.

How to Check Whether Your Contabo WordPress Server Is Working Properly

Several Linux commands are useful when managing your WordPress server.

Check Nginx:

systemctl status nginx

Check PHP:

systemctl status php8.3-fpm

Check MySQL:

systemctl status mysql

Check RAM usage:

free -h

Check disk space:

df -h

Check running processes:

top

Check open ports:

ss -tulpn

Check firewall:

ufw status

Test your Nginx configuration:

nginx -t

View Nginx errors:

tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

These commands can help you quickly identify common server problems.

Common WordPress Problems on Contabo VPS

502 Bad Gateway

One of the most common errors with Nginx and PHP-FPM is:

502 Bad Gateway

First, check PHP-FPM:

systemctl status php8.3-fpm

Then check the available PHP socket:

ls /run/php/

Make sure your Nginx configuration uses the correct path:

fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;

Test Nginx:

nginx -t

Restart PHP:

systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

Reload Nginx:

systemctl reload nginx

Error Establishing a Database Connection

If WordPress displays:

Error establishing a database connection

check your wp-config.php values.

They should match the database details you created earlier:

define( 'DB_NAME', 'wordpress' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'wpuser' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'YourVeryStrongPasswordHere!' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );

You can manually test the database user:

mysql -u wpuser -p

Enter the database password.

Then:

USE wordpress;

If the database opens successfully, your user credentials are working.

Domain Shows Welcome to Nginx

If your domain displays:

Welcome to nginx!

instead of WordPress, the default Nginx server may still be active.

Remove it:

rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

Confirm your website configuration is enabled:

ls -l /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Then:

nginx -t
systemctl reload nginx

Refresh the domain.

WordPress Posts Return 404 Errors

If the homepage works but individual posts return 404 errors, check that your Nginx server block contains:

location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}

Then log in to WordPress and go to:

Settings → Permalinks

Click Save Changes again.

SSL Certificate Installation Fails

If Certbot cannot create your SSL certificate, first confirm that the domain points to your Contabo IP:

nslookup imoodsy.com

Check your firewall:

ufw status

Ports 80 and 443 should be accessible.

If you're already using Cloudflare and validation continues to fail, you can temporarily disable Cloudflare proxying for the affected DNS records, obtain the certificate and enable proxying again afterward.

WordPress Cannot Upload Images or Plugins

First, confirm your WordPress ownership:

chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/imoodsy.com

Reset directory permissions:

find /var/www/imoodsy.com -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;

Reset file permissions:

find /var/www/imoodsy.com -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

Also check:

upload_max_filesize
post_max_size

inside your PHP configuration.

Nginx vs Apache for Contabo WordPress

Both Nginx and Apache can run WordPress successfully.

Apache is popular because WordPress has historically been associated with Apache and .htaccess files. Many beginners may also find Apache tutorials easier to follow.

Nginx, however, is an excellent choice for VPS hosting. It is lightweight, handles concurrent connections efficiently and gives you direct control over server-level routing and caching.

Our Contabo WordPress setup uses:

Nginx
+
PHP-FPM
+
MySQL

which is a popular stack for self-managed WordPress servers.

Do You Need cPanel to Install WordPress on Contabo?

No.

You can install and run WordPress on Contabo without cPanel.

Everything in this guide is configured directly through Ubuntu.

Running WordPress without a paid control panel can reduce licensing costs and unnecessary software overhead.

However, it also means you are responsible for managing Nginx, databases, PHP, SSL certificates, security updates, backups and server troubleshooting yourself.

If you prefer a fully managed hosting experience, compare the alternatives in our Best Web Hosting Services for 2026 guide before deciding whether a self-managed VPS is right for you.

Can You Host Multiple WordPress Websites on One Contabo VPS?

Yes.

A single Contabo VPS can host multiple WordPress websites if it has sufficient CPU, RAM and storage resources.

For example:

/var/www/site1.com
/var/www/site2.com
/var/www/site3.com

Each domain should have its own Nginx server block.

Ideally, each WordPress installation should also have its own database and database user.

For example:

site1_db
site2_db
site3_db

This makes the server easier to manage and helps keep WordPress installations separated.

Is Contabo Good for WordPress Hosting?

Contabo can be attractive for users who want a large amount of VPS resources at competitive pricing.

A self-managed Contabo server also gives you control over PHP, Nginx, databases, caching, storage and server-level optimization.

This makes it possible to host blogs, company websites, WooCommerce stores and multiple WordPress installations.

The main disadvantage is that a VPS requires more technical knowledge than traditional shared hosting.

You are responsible for configuring and maintaining the server.

If you're comparing Contabo with another cloud provider, our DigitalOcean Promo Codes & Credits 2026 article also explains the current DigitalOcean signup offers and can help you evaluate another popular cloud hosting option.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I install WordPress on Contabo?

To install WordPress on Contabo, create an Ubuntu VPS, connect through SSH, install Nginx, MySQL and PHP-FPM, create a WordPress database, download WordPress, configure wp-config.php, create an Nginx server block, point your domain to the VPS and install an SSL certificate.

Can I install WordPress on Contabo VPS without cPanel?

Yes. You don't need cPanel to install WordPress on Contabo. WordPress can run directly on Ubuntu using Nginx or Apache, PHP and MySQL.

Which Ubuntu version should I use for Contabo WordPress?

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is a good choice for a new WordPress server. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS can also be used, although PHP package versions and configuration paths may differ.

Which PHP version does Ubuntu 24.04 use?

Ubuntu 24.04 commonly provides PHP 8.3 through its standard repositories. You can check your installed PHP version with:

php -v

Can I use Cloudflare with Contabo?

Yes. Cloudflare can be used in front of a Contabo VPS for DNS, CDN and security features. When your Contabo origin has a valid SSL certificate, Full (Strict) is generally the appropriate Cloudflare SSL mode.

Is SSL free for Contabo WordPress?

You can install a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate using Certbot. The certificate can then be automatically renewed on your VPS.

Can I host WooCommerce on Contabo VPS?

Yes. WooCommerce can run on a Contabo VPS provided the server has sufficient CPU, RAM, disk performance and properly configured PHP and database resources.

Can I host more than one WordPress website?

Yes. Multiple WordPress installations can be hosted on the same VPS using separate directories, databases and Nginx server blocks.

How do I restart WordPress on Contabo?

WordPress itself isn't a system service. If your WordPress site has a server-side issue, you may need to restart PHP-FPM, Nginx or MySQL:

systemctl restart php8.3-fpm
systemctl restart nginx
systemctl restart mysql

How do I update my Contabo VPS?

Run:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

You should regularly install server security updates when managing your own VPS.

Final Thoughts

Installing WordPress on a Contabo VPS requires more configuration than using traditional shared hosting, but it also gives you much greater control over the server.

In this tutorial, we built the complete WordPress hosting environment using:

Contabo VPS
↓
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
↓
Nginx
↓
PHP-FPM
↓
MySQL
↓
WordPress
↓
Let's Encrypt SSL

The full installation process can be summarized as:

Create Contabo VPS
↓
Connect Through SSH
↓
Update Ubuntu
↓
Configure Firewall
↓
Install Nginx
↓
Install MySQL
↓
Create WordPress Database
↓
Install PHP
↓
Download WordPress
↓
Configure wp-config.php
↓
Configure Nginx
↓
Point Your Domain
↓
Install SSL
↓
Complete WordPress Setup
↓
Secure and Back Up the Server

Once the initial configuration is complete, you have a flexible WordPress environment where you can control server resources, PHP settings, caching, security and performance yourself.

If you're considering purchasing a new Contabo VPS, check our latest Contabo promo codes and coupons before placing your order.

And if you're still deciding which hosting company to use, see our Top 10 Best Web Hosting Service Providers in 2026 for a broader comparison.