wordpress
47 articles in this category.
Astro for WordPress Developers: When Static Sites Make More Sense
A practical Astro guide for WordPress developers who want to understand static site frameworks — what changes, what you gain, what you give up, and when the trade is worth making.
Read →Best WordPress Tools for Affiliate Sites: Themes, SEO, Speed, and Content
A practical WordPress stack for affiliate, coupon, comparison, and content sites — based on tools I have actually used or seriously considered. Not a top-20 plugin list.
Read →Best WordPress Themes for Affiliate Sites: ReHub, GeneratePress, Blocksy, and More
Choosing a WordPress theme for an affiliate site is really choosing a content model. A practical breakdown of which theme fits which type of affiliate site — and why the wrong choice costs more than the license fee.
Read →WordPress Performance Stack: Hosting, Cache, Theme, Database, and Real Bottlenecks
WordPress speed is not one plugin. It is hosting, theme, server cache, object cache, database tuning, and image discipline — in that order. A practical layer-by-layer breakdown.
Read →WordPress VPS Hosting: When to Move From Shared Hosting (And When Not To)
A practical guide to WordPress VPS hosting: when shared hosting is enough, when to move to managed cloud or self-managed VPS, and which path makes sense for your situation.
Read →WordPress vs Modern Stack: When to Use WordPress, Astro, Webflow, or Next.js
A practical guide to choosing between WordPress, Astro, Webflow, and Next.js — from a developer who has built with WordPress and Astro, and studied the others as practical alternatives.
Read →Rank Math Review: A Good SEO Plugin That Will Not Replace Good Content
Honest Rank Math review from a developer who uses it on affiliate and content sites. What it does well, where it gets bloated, and whether you actually need Pro.
Read →ReHub Review: The Affiliate WordPress Theme I Used for Years (Honest Take)
ReHub review from someone who ran it in production for affiliate, coupon, and price comparison sites. What it does well, where it becomes heavy, and when to move on.
Read →Cloudways Review: Managed Cloud Hosting Without the Server Headache
An honest Cloudways review for developers and WordPress site owners who want cloud performance without managing a Linux server themselves. What it is, who it fits, and where it falls short.
Read →WP Rocket Review: The Caching Plugin That Actually Works Out of the Box
Honest WP Rocket review for WordPress site owners. What it does well, what it cannot fix, and when a premium caching plugin is worth paying for.
Read →Adding a Second WordPress Site to the Same VPS
How to host multiple WordPress sites on one Vultr VPS — a second Nginx server block, database, and WordPress installation without touching the first site.
Read →Automating Database Backups with mysqldump and Cron
Set up automated daily WordPress database backups using mysqldump and cron. Compress, timestamp, rotate old backups, and upload offsite with rclone.
Read →Backing Up WordPress Files with rclone to Cloud Storage
Configure rclone to sync WordPress files and database backups to Cloudflare R2 or Google Drive. Automate with cron so offsite backups happen without thinking about them.
Read →What to Back Up and How Often — WordPress VPS Backup Strategy
A practical backup strategy for a self-managed WordPress VPS. What actually needs backing up, how often, where to store it, and why the rm -rf / story from Part 1 is the best argument for having this figured out before you need it.
Read →Completing the WordPress Installation — From Browser Setup to First Secure Configuration
The browser installation wizard, first wp-admin steps, securing wp-admin access by IP in Nginx, and the setup sequence that gets a WordPress site production-ready quickly.
Read →Configuring wp-config.php — Connecting WordPress to the Database
Every important setting in wp-config.php explained — database credentials, authentication salts, WP_DEBUG, and the Redis connection that prepares WordPress for object caching.
Read →Installing Nginx on Rocky Linux 9
How to install Nginx on Rocky Linux 9, understand its directory structure, and test the config correctly — including why nginx -t is the most important habit you'll build.
Read →Downloading and Extracting WordPress via Command Line
Three commands to get WordPress onto your VPS — download, extract, and move into place. No FTP, no control panel, just wget and tar.
Read →Database Backup & Restore — Copy-Paste Command Reference
Every mysqldump and restore command you'll actually need. Copy, change the database name and filename, run. No explanation you don't need — just commands that work.
Read →Installing MariaDB and Creating the WordPress Database
Install MariaDB on Rocky Linux 9, run the security setup, create a database and dedicated user for WordPress. Plus an honest note on why using root for everything is convenient but not ideal.
Read →Installing and Configuring Redis Object Cache for WordPress
Install Redis on Rocky Linux 9, connect it to WordPress with the Redis Object Cache plugin, and understand what it actually caches and why it makes a real difference.
Read →Installing SSL with Let's Encrypt and Certbot
Free SSL certificates on Rocky Linux 9 with Certbot — installation, Nginx config update, auto-renewal setup, and what to do when you run certbot and nothing seems to change.
Read →LAMP vs LEMP — Why This Series Uses Nginx
The difference between LAMP and LEMP stacks for WordPress, why Nginx is the better choice for a VPS, and an honest admission: most people pick Nginx because tutorials recommend it, and that's a fine reason.
Read →Installing PHP-FPM and Choosing the Right Version
How to install PHP-FPM on Rocky Linux 9 using the Remi repository, choose between Unix socket and TCP port, and configure the extensions WordPress needs.
Read →MariaDB Configuration and Slow Query Logging
Basic MariaDB tuning for a WordPress VPS — InnoDB buffer pool sizing, query cache, and enabling slow query logging to find what's actually making your database slow.
Read →PHP-FPM Pool Tuning — Match Workers to Your Server's RAM
How to tune PHP-FPM worker processes for your VPS RAM, calculate the right pm.max_children value, and prevent the out-of-memory crashes that happen when WordPress gets unexpected traffic.
Read →Configuring the Nginx Server Block with FastCGI Cache
The complete Nginx server block for WordPress with FastCGI page caching — every directive explained. Plus the difference between server-level cache and plugin cache, and a WP Rocket storage warning worth knowing.
Read →Pointing Your Domain to the VPS and Handling DNS Propagation
How to set DNS A records to point your domain to a Vultr VPS, why propagation time varies, how to check it's working, and why Cloudflare DNS makes this significantly faster.
Read →How to Restore WordPress from Backup
The exact steps to restore a WordPress site from a mysqldump backup and rclone file backup — whether recovering from accidental deletion, server failure, or migration to a new VPS.
Read →Monitoring Your VPS — What to Watch and What to Ignore
A practical monitoring routine for a self-managed WordPress VPS. The five metrics that actually matter, how to check them in under five minutes, and what numbers should make you act.
Read →Where to Go From Here — What This Series Covered and What's Next
A recap of everything built in From Zero to VPS, honest reflection on what was hard, what surprised you, and where to go next depending on what you want to build.
Read →Setting WordPress File Permissions Correctly
The correct file and directory permissions for WordPress on Rocky Linux with Nginx — and the quick fix for the three most common permission errors you'll hit.
Read →Why WordPress Runs Slower Than Your VPS Is Capable Of
What actually limits WordPress performance on a VPS, why cache helps but has a ceiling, and the honest architecture decision you face when WordPress stops being enough.
Read →My WordPress VPS Stack: Rocky Linux, Nginx, PHP-FPM, Redis
The exact server stack I run for WordPress on a Vultr VPS. What each piece does, why I chose it, and what I would not recommend beginners copy blindly.
Read →When WordPress Outgrows Shared Hosting
How to know when shared hosting is the bottleneck and not just the config. The signs I looked for before moving to VPS, and what to do about it.
Read →Vultr Review: Why I Use It for My WordPress and Static Sites
An honest review of Vultr VPS from someone who runs their main projects on it. What works, what does not, and who should actually use it.
Read →File Permissions — Why 755 and 644 Appear Everywhere
Linux file permissions explained without the math. What rwx means, why 755 and 644 are the WordPress standard, and how to fix the four most common permission errors without reaching for chmod 777.
Read →Vultr vs DigitalOcean vs Hetzner — Which VPS Should You Buy?
An honest comparison of three popular VPS providers for WordPress hosting. Based on real use — not benchmarks from a spreadsheet. With a clear recommendation and the reasoning behind it.
Read →Divi vs Elementor: Which Page Builder Should You Use in 2026?
A practical comparison of Divi and Elementor for WordPress developers and agencies. One side is hands-on. The other is research-based. Both are labeled clearly.
Read →How to Speed Up WordPress: A Developer's Complete Guide
Practical steps to make WordPress faster — from hosting and caching to image optimization and Core Web Vitals. What actually works and what's just noise.
Read →Best WordPress Hosting for Developers in 2026
Honest breakdown of WordPress hosting options for developers. From budget shared hosting to managed cloud and self-managed VPS. With real trade-offs, not just promotional copy.
Read →When Should You NOT Use WordPress? A Developer's Honest Take
WordPress powers 43% of the web, but it is the wrong tool for plenty of projects. Here's when to skip it and what to use instead.
Read →WordPress vs Webflow: Which Is Better for Your Project?
A practical comparison between WordPress and Webflow for developers, designers, and agencies deciding on a platform.
Read →GeneratePress Review for Developers: The Lightweight WordPress Theme Worth Knowing
A research-based look at GeneratePress for WordPress developers. What makes it stand out from heavier themes, who it suits, and what to verify before buying.
Read →Should You Migrate from WordPress to Astro?
A practical guide to deciding whether migrating your WordPress site to Astro makes sense — and what the process actually involves.
Read →Hostinger Review: Is It Good for WordPress and Static Sites?
An honest look at Hostinger's shared hosting for small WordPress sites and static deployments. What works, what does not, and who it actually suits.
Read →WordPress vs Astro: Full Platform Comparison
A detailed head-to-head comparison of WordPress and Astro covering performance, CMS features, developer experience, and which to choose.
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