While running several websites, it can be more useful to go with a WordPress multisite network than managing several standalone WordPress sites:
- You can easily manage multiple sites from a single dashboard.
- Other users can be added as admins with limited access only to a specific site.
- New plugins and themes can be installed and activated for multiple sites at once.
- Updates should be performed only on master installation and will be automatically applied to all websites in the network.
- Each website or blog can be customized separately, so they are not limited by unified management.
This implementation can be of great use for various industries and types of organizations with their own sites: media resources with a number of sections managed by different teams; government and non-profit sites for different departments or locations; educational organizations with sub-sites created by students; business website with sub-categories for different branches; private blogs on multiple subdomains, and others.
A multisite network is a built-in feature in WordPress that can be easily activated, but at the same time, it requires a set of configurations for proper work. In this article, we will describe how to create multiple websites, bind custom domains, and issue SSL certificates in a few minutes using a single WordPress installation.
Install WordPress and Enable Multisite Mode
1. First of all, initiate WordPress installation from the Virtuozzo Application Management marketplace. This can be a cluster or standalone package.
2. Enable the required Advanced Features, including the “Install WordPress Multisite Network” option. Then, proceed with environment installation.
For example, we’ll create WordPress based on LiteSpeed servers (with WAF and brute force protection), MariaDB Galera, and GlusterFS storage. Additionally, the Let’s Encrypt SSL and Multisite Network options will be enabled.
Configure Multisite Network and Create Website
A multisite mode is automatically enabled after the installation, and the websites can be created in one of the following ways within a single network:
- sub-domains — a domain-based network in which on-demand sites use subdomains
|
|
- sub-folders — a path-based network in which on-demand sites use paths
|
|
In this article, we will go with a sub-folders model for our WordPress multisite network sub-sites.
1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Panel using the credentials from the success notification in the dashboard or post-installation email.
2. Open My Sites > Network Admin > Sites page.
3. This is the page with all sites in your WordPress multisite network. Initially, only the main site is created. To add a new site, click the Add Site button in the top left corner of the page.
4. Fill out the form, specifying the Site Address (URL), Title, Language, and Admin Email. The fields are self-explanatory, so you can choose any values you like and click the Add Site button at the bottom to proceed.
Congratulations! You have created and configured the first website within your WordPress multisite network. Repeat the same steps to create additional sites if required.
Bind Custom Domains to Websites in Network
To add a custom domain to the main site of your WordPress multisite network, you can follow the linked guide. However, if you want to bind a custom domain to a sub-site, the process is slightly different.
1. Create an A record for your custom domain that will map it to the public IP address of the load balancer or standalone container.
2. Find the Let’s Encrypt Free SSL Add-On for your WordPress environment and click the Configure button. Add your custom domain to the list of registered domains for your websites (use comma to separate multiple domains) and click Apply.
Note: Let’s Encrypt has a set of limitations while issuing certificates. If they don’t meet the requirements of your project, please consider using alternative SSL certificate authority.
3. Return to the Network Admin > Sites page in your WordPress admin panel and click the Edit link under the site you want to bind a custom domain to. Change the Site Address (URL) field with your custom domain.
4. Save Changes and, if needed, repeat the same steps to bind domains for each required sub-site.
Once finished, you’ll be able to access your websites from the multisite network using custom domains.
