Deploy WordPress from Git with Managed MySQL (Step-by-Step)

Classic WordPress hosting means FTP, a cPanel, and hoping nobody changed a plugin on the live site. You can run WordPress like a modern app instead: code in Git, a managed database, HTTPS by default and repeatable deploys.

How WordPress runs on DockHosting#

• Detection: a wp-config.php (or composer.json) marks the project as PHP.
• Runtime: production PHP-FPM with opcache and tuned FPM workers. Common extensions (gd, curl, mbstring, pdo, redis) are preinstalled.
• Database: managed MySQL or MariaDB on a private network.
• HTTPS: automatic on your .dockhosting.cloud subdomain and on custom domains.
• Pricing: flat, with no visitor or bandwidth metering.

1. Put the site in Git#

Commit WordPress core (or install it with Composer), your theme and your plugins. Don't commit wp-content/uploads or secrets:

# .gitignore
wp-content/uploads/
.env

2. Read credentials from the environment#

Attach a managed MySQL database to the project. Its connection details are injected into the environment, so wp-config.php reads them instead of hard-coding them:

// wp-config.php
$db = parse_url(getenv('DATABASE_URL'));
 
define('DB_NAME', ltrim($db['path'], '/'));
define('DB_USER', $db['user']);
define('DB_PASSWORD', $db['pass']);
define('DB_HOST', $db['host'] . (isset($db['port']) ? ':' . $db['port'] : ''));
 
// Generate these once at https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/ and store them as variables.
define('AUTH_KEY', getenv('AUTH_KEY'));
// … SECURE_AUTH_KEY, LOGGED_IN_KEY, NONCE_KEY and the four salts the same way
 
// Behind the platform's HTTPS proxy:
if (($_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO'] ?? '') === 'https') {
    $_SERVER['HTTPS'] = 'on';
}

3. Deploy#

curl -fsSL https://cli.dockhosting.dev/install.sh | sh   # Windows: irm https://cli.dockhosting.dev/install.ps1 | iex
dock login
dock deploy

Open https://<project>.dockhosting.cloud and run the WordPress installer, or import your existing database first (step 5).

4. Uploads need persistent storage#

Each deploy starts a fresh container, so files written to its disk don't survive a redeploy. Media uploads need somewhere permanent:

• Persistent storage on paid plans (1 GB on Hobby, 5 GB on Pro, 20 GB on Team) for wp-content/uploads, or
• Object storage through an offload plugin, for large media libraries.

The Free plan is great for trying things out, but use Hobby or above for a site where people upload images.

5. Migrate an existing site#

1. Export the database: mysqldump -u USER -p DBNAME > site.sql (or use a backup plugin).
2. Import it into the managed database. Public database access for desktop tools is available on Hobby and up.
3. Copy uploads into persistent storage.
4. Deploy the Git repository.
5. Fix URLs if the domain changed: wp search-replace 'https://old.com' 'https://new.com' with WP-CLI.
6. Add your custom domain and switch DNS when everything checks out. The certificate is issued automatically.

Performance basics#

• opcache is already on, so PHP code is compiled once.
• Add Redis as an object cache (the redis extension is preinstalled). Attach managed Redis and point your cache plugin at REDIS_URL.
• Keep plugins lean. Each one runs on every request.

Daily database backups are included on paid plans (kept 3, 7 or 30 days). Running Laravel next to WordPress? See Laravel with queues and Redis.