How to run a Local Wordpress + Nginx Instance using Docker

February 12, 2023

When we want to develop locally it’s generally handy to have a local version of Wordpress running. This can be done using a Docker container with Nginx and Wordpress out of the box, so you’re good to go in 5 minutes.

1. Install Docker for Desktop

Go to https://www.docker.com/get-started/ And install Docker desktop.

2. Pull Bitnami’s Wordpress & Nginx container

Open up a terminal. Make a project folder somewhere in the terminal.

mkdir mywordpress
cd mywordpress

Pull in Bitnami’s Wordpress & Nginx container.

docker pull bitnami/wordpress-nginx:latest

3. Create the Docker compose file.

After that’s done, make a new file called docker-compose.yml using vim or node.

vim docker-compose.yml

Paste this configuration in the freshly created docker-compose.yml

version: '2'
services:
  mariadb:
    image: docker.io/bitnami/mariadb:10.6
    volumes:
      - './mariadb_data:/bitnami/mariadb'
    environment:
      # ALLOW_EMPTY_PASSWORD is recommended only for development.
      - ALLOW_EMPTY_PASSWORD=yes
      - MARIADB_USER=bn_wordpress
      - MARIADB_DATABASE=bitnami_wordpress
  wordpress:
    image: docker.io/bitnami/wordpress-nginx:5
    ports:
      - '80:8080'
      - '443:8443'
    volumes:
      - './wordpress_data:/bitnami/wordpress'
    depends_on:
      - mariadb
    environment:
      # ALLOW_EMPTY_PASSWORD is recommended only for development.
      - ALLOW_EMPTY_PASSWORD=yes
      - WORDPRESS_DATABASE_HOST=mariadb
      - WORDPRESS_DATABASE_PORT_NUMBER=3306
      - WORDPRESS_DATABASE_USER=bn_wordpress
      - WORDPRESS_DATABASE_NAME=bitnami_wordpress
volumes:
  mariadb_data:
    driver: local
  wordpress_data:
    driver: local

And save it!

4. Run the application using Docker Compose

In the same folder where your docker-compose.yml is located, run:

docker-compose up

5. Finished!

You successfully set up a Nginx stack with Wordpress installed.

You’re now able to visit your local Wordpress through:

• http://localhost:80
• https://localhost:443

How do I log in the WP-admin?

Go to https://localhost:443/wp-admin and log in with the following credentials:

• Username: user
• Password: bitnami

Where can I find the Wordpress files on my local drive?

As you can see in the docker-compose.yaml file, there’s a folder being made called wordpress_data You can open this folder with your favorite IDE or Text editor and edit files directly.

How do I further configure my Local Nginx + Wordpress Stack?

Have a look at the Bitnami’s docker-wordpress-nginx repo.

Source: https://hub.docker.com/r/bitnami/wordpress-nginx/