Migrating WordPress from Apache to Nginx

Migrating WordPress from Apache to Nginx

Transitioning your WordPress site from Apache to Nginx can yield significant performance, resource-efficiency and security benefits. This comprehensive guide walks you through planning, configuration, testing and optimization steps to ensure a smooth migration.

Table of Contents

• Why Choose Nginx over Apache
• Prerequisites
• Migration Planning
• Installing and Configuring Nginx
• Setting Up PHP-FPM
• Converting .htaccess Rewrite Rules
• Creating Nginx Server Blocks
• SSL/TLS Configuration
• Testing and Troubleshooting
• Performance Optimizations
• Security Enhancements
• Additional Resources

1. Why Choose Nginx over Apache

While Apache remains popular, Nginx shines in high-concurrency environments:

Feature	Apache	Nginx
Architecture	Process-based	Event-driven
Memory Footprint	Higher under load	Low, predictable
Static Content	Decent	Excellent
Dynamic Content	Handled via mod_php	Handled via PHP-FPM

2. Prerequisites

• Root or sudo access on the target Linux server (Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS).
• Existing WordPress installation on Apache (files database).
• Backup of files and database (mysqldump or phpMyAdmin).
• DNS management to point to the new server or IP.
• Basic familiarity with Linux shell, nginx, php-fpm.

3. Migration Planning

1. Audit existing Apache configuration, .htaccess rules, SSL setup.
2. Note PHP version and modules (GD, mbstring, etc.).
3. Plan directory structure and user permissions.
4. Prepare a staging environment or deploy during low-traffic periods.
5. Document everything: virtual hosts, database credentials, SSL certs.

4. Installing and Configuring Nginx

On Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx
  

Verify installation:

systemctl status nginx
  

By default, Nginx serves /var/www/html. You’ll create server blocks later for your WordPress site.

5. Setting Up PHP-FPM

Install PHP and FPM module:

sudo apt install php-fpm php-mysql php-gd php-xml php-mbstring
  

Check the pool configuration /etc/php/7.4/fpm/pool.d/www.conf (version may vary). Ensure:

• listen = /run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock or TCP socket.
• User/group matches Nginx worker user (www-data on Debian/Ubuntu).
• Adjust pm.max_children, pm.start_servers based on RAM.

Restart PHP-FPM:

sudo systemctl restart php7.4-fpm
  

6. Converting .htaccess Rewrite Rules

Apache’s .htaccess contains WordPress permalinks:

# BEGIN WordPress
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index.php – [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
# END WordPress
  

Equivalent in Nginx:

location / {
    try_files uri uri/ /index.phpargs
}
  

7. Creating Nginx Server Blocks

Example file /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com:

server {
    listen 80
    server_name example.com www.example.com
    root /var/www/example.com
    index index.php index.html index.htm

    # Permalinks  PHP handling
    location / {
        try_files uri uri/ /index.phpargs
    }

    location ~ .php {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock
    }

    location ~ .(jpgjpegpnggifcssjssvg) {
        expires max
        log_not_found off
    }
}
  

Enable and test:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx
  

8. SSL/TLS Configuration

Use Lets Encrypt with certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com -d www.example.com
  

Certbot will auto-configure your server block for SSL.

9. Testing and Troubleshooting

• Check Nginx error logs: /var/log/nginx/error.log.
• Verify PHP-FPM status: systemctl status php7.4-fpm.
• Use curl -I https://example.com and browser DevTools.
• Confirm file permissions: Nginx user (www-data) must own /var/www/example.com.

10. Performance Optimizations

• Gzip compression:

  gzip on
  gzip_types text/plain text/css application/json application/javascript text/xml application/xml application/xml rss text/javascript
        

• Browser caching: Already implemented via expires in server block.
• FastCGI cache: Very effective for anonymous visitors.

  fastcgi_cache_path /var/cache/nginx levels=1:2 keys_zone=WORDPRESS:100m inactive=60m
  fastcgi_cache_key schemerequest_methodhostrequest_uri
  
  server {
      ...
      location ~ .php {
          fastcgi_cache WORDPRESS
          fastcgi_cache_valid 200 60m
          fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock
          ...
      }
  }
        

11. Security Enhancements

• Limit PHP execution:

  location ~ /(:uploadsfiles)/..php {
      deny all
  }
        

• Hide Nginx version: server_tokens off in nginx.conf.
• HTTP security headers:

  add_header X-Content-Type-Options nosniff
  add_header X-Frame-Options SAMEORIGIN
  add_header X-XSS-Protection 1 mode=block
        

12. Additional Resources

• Official Nginx Documentation
• WordPress on Nginx (WordPress.org)
• PHP-FPM Installation Guide
• Certbot – Automated Let’s Encrypt

By following these steps, you’ll harness Nginx’s efficiency, scale your WordPress site under high traffic and maintain a secure environment. Always test configurations in a staging area before production deployment.