Introduction

In today's digital landscape, having a powerful and reliable hosting solution for your WordPress website is crucial. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a robust and scalable infrastructure for hosting WordPress, providing exceptional performance and reliability. In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the process of how to host WordPress on Google Cloud Platform? , ensuring that your website runs smoothly and securely.

Prerequisites:

1. A Google Cloud Platform account.
2. Basic knowledge of WordPress and server administration.
3. Google Cloud SDK installed on your local machine (optional).

Step 1: Create a Google Cloud Project

1. Log in to your Google Cloud Console.
2. Click on the project drop-down and select "New Project."
3. Name your project and choose a billing account.
4. Click "Create" to create your new project.

Step 2: Set Up a Virtual Machine (VM)

1. In the Cloud Console, navigate to Compute Engine > VM instances.
2. Click the "Create" button to create a new VM.
3. Choose a region and zone for your VM.
4. Configure the machine type and boot disk. Select "Ubuntu" as the operating system.
5. Under the "Firewall" section, check the "Allow HTTP traffic" and "Allow HTTPS traffic" options.
6. Click "Create" to create the VM.

Step 3: Connect to Your VM

You can connect to your VM using SSH directly from the Google Cloud Console or via an SSH client like PuTTY.

Step 4: Install LAMP Stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP)

1. Update the package list: sudo apt update
2. Install Apache web server: sudo apt install apache2
3. Install MySQL: sudo apt install mysql-server
4. Secure MySQL installation: sudo mysql_secure_installation
5. Install PHP and required modules: sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql

Step 5: Install and Configure WordPress

1. Download WordPress: cd /var/www/html && sudo wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
2. Extract the files: sudo tar -xzvf latest.tar.gz
3. Rename the WordPress directory: sudo mv wordpress your-site-name
4. Create a MySQL database for WordPress: sudo mysql -u root -p and then follow the prompts.
5. Configure WordPress by editing the wp-config.php file: sudo nano /var/www/html/your-site-name/wp-config.php
   • Update database settings with the MySQL credentials you created.
6. Set permissions for WordPress: sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/your-site-name
7. Restart Apache: sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 6: Configure Domain and DNS Settings

1. Obtain a domain name from a domain registrar if you don't already have one.
2. Update your domain's DNS records to point to your VM's external IP address.

Step 7: Install SSL Certificate (Optional but Recommended)

You can use Let's Encrypt to secure your website with an SSL certificate. Follow the official Let's Encrypt documentation for instructions.

Step 8: Test Your Website

Open a web browser and enter your domain name. You should see the WordPress installation page. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the WordPress setup.

Step 9: Regular Maintenance

• Keep your WordPress installation, themes, and plugins updated.
• Set up regular backups using GCP's backup solutions or WordPress backup plugins.
• Monitor your website's performance and security regularly.

Conclusion

Hosting WordPress on Google Cloud Platform provides you with a robust, scalable, and secure environment for your website. By following this step-by-step guide, you can ensure that your WordPress site is up and running smoothly on GCP. Remember to keep your system and WordPress installation up to date and implement security best practices to maintain a safe and reliable website.