Cloudways is a cloud-based managed WordPress hosting provider that offers fast and reliable hosting services. In this article, we will guide you through the process of setting up Cloudways WordPress hosting step by step. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced user, this guide will help you to set up your WordPress website on Cloudways easily.
Understanding Cloudways Hosting
Cloudways is a cloud-based managed WordPress hosting provider that offers reliable and high-performance hosting services. It allows users to launch and manage WordPress websites on popular cloud hosting providers such as DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, and Google Cloud.
How to Sign Up for Cloudways Account
we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to sign up for a Cloudways account.
- Go to the Cloudways website To sign up for a Cloudways account, you’ll first need to visit the Cloudways website at www.cloudways.com.
- Click on the “Get Started for Free” button On the Cloudways homepage, you’ll see a “Get Started for Free” button. Click on it to start the sign-up process.
- Enter your email and password On the next screen, you’ll need to enter your email address and create a password for your account.
- Choose your cloud hosting provider and server size After you’ve created your account, you’ll be prompted to choose your cloud hosting provider and server size. Cloudways allows you to choose from popular providers such as DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, and Google Cloud.
- Enter your server and application details Once you’ve chosen your provider and server size, you’ll need to enter your server and application details. This includes selecting your server location, server name, application name, and administrator login credentials.
- Confirm your server settings and launch After you’ve entered all your server and application details, you’ll be prompted to confirm your server settings. Once you’ve reviewed and confirmed your settings, you can launch your server and start using Cloudways to host your WordPress website.
How to Launch a New Server on Cloudways & Configuring the Server
Once you have signed up for a Cloudways account, the next step is to launch a new server. In this section, we will guide you through the process of configuring the server settings.
Step 1: Selecting the Application and Server
The first step in launching a new server is selecting the application and server. You can choose from a variety of popular applications, including WordPress, Magento, Drupal, and Joomla. Once you have selected your desired application, you can choose the server size and location based on your needs.
Step 2: Configuring Server Settings
After selecting the server, you will be directed to the server configuration page. This is where you can customize the server settings based on your requirements. Here are the key settings that you can configure:
- Server Size: You can choose from a range of server sizes based on your website traffic and resource requirements.
- Server Location: You can choose the server location based on the geographic location of your target audience.
- Server Provider: You can choose from a variety of server providers, including DigitalOcean, Vultr, AWS, and Google Cloud Platform.
- Server Settings: You can customize the server settings based on your needs, including the number of processors, memory, and storage.
- Advanced Settings: You can also configure advanced settings, such as PHP version, MySQL version, and Apache version.
Step 3: Launching the Server
Once you have configured the server settings, you can click on the “Launch Now” button to launch the server. The server deployment process may take a few minutes, depending on the server size and location.
Step 4: Accessing the Server
After the server is launched, you can access it from the Cloudways dashboard. You can also access the server using SSH or SFTP.
How To Install WordPress on Cloudways
Once you have launched a server on Cloudways, the next step is to install WordPress. In this section, we will guide you through the process of installing and configuring WordPress on Cloudways.
Step 1: Selecting the Application and Server
The first step in installing WordPress is selecting the application and server. You can choose WordPress from the list of popular applications, and select the server based on your requirements.
Step 2: Configuring WordPress Settings
After selecting the server, you will be directed to the WordPress installation page. Here are the key settings that you can configure:
- Application Name: You can give a name to your WordPress installation.
- Admin Credentials: You can set the admin username, email address, and password.
- WordPress Version: You can select the latest WordPress version for your installation.
- Advanced Options: You can also configure advanced options, such as database name and prefix, and the default WordPress language.
Step 3: Installing WordPress
Once you have configured the WordPress settings, you can click on the “Install Now” button to install WordPress. The installation process may take a few minutes, depending on the server speed and resource availability.
Step 4: Accessing WordPress Dashboard
After the installation is complete, you can access the WordPress dashboard from the Cloudways dashboard. You can also access the dashboard using the WordPress admin URL and the admin credentials that you set during the installation.
Step 5: Configuring WordPress Plugins and Themes
Once you have accessed the WordPress dashboard, you can configure the plugins and themes based on your website requirements. You can install and activate the necessary plugins and themes from the WordPress repository or upload them manually.
How To Set up the Domain on Cloudways
Once you have installed WordPress on Cloudways, the next step is to set up your domain. In this section, we will guide you through the process of setting up a domain on Cloudways.
Step 1: Adding Domain
To add a domain, go to the “Applications” tab on the Cloudways dashboard and select the WordPress installation. Then, click on the “Domain Management” tab and add your domain name in the “Add Domain” field.
Step 2: Configuring DNS
After adding the domain, you need to configure the DNS settings for the domain. You can do this by adding the Cloudways DNS records to your domain registrar’s DNS settings. The Cloudways DNS records include an A record and a CNAME record.
Step 3: SSL Certificate
To ensure secure communication between your website and the users, you should install an SSL certificate. Cloudways provides a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate that you can install with just a few clicks.
Step 4: Testing Domain
After configuring the DNS and installing the SSL certificate, you can test the domain by accessing it in a web browser. If everything is configured correctly, you should be able to see your website on the domain.
How To Managing Your Website on Cloudways
After setting up your website on Cloudways, it is important to know how to manage it effectively. In this section, we will guide you through some of the key features and tools that Cloudways offers for website management.
- Server Management
Cloudways offers a powerful server management dashboard that allows you to manage your server and applications from a single location. You can monitor server resources, view logs, configure backups, and perform server-level tasks such as restarting the server or changing PHP versions.
- Application Management
You can manage your WordPress application from the Cloudways dashboard. You can update WordPress core and plugins, install new plugins and themes, and manage your website’s database.
- Backups
Cloudways offers automated backups for your website that you can configure from the dashboard. You can choose the backup frequency, retention period, and backup destination.
- Security
Cloudways offers various security features to ensure that your website is secure. You can enable two-factor authentication, configure firewall rules, and install SSL certificates.
- Scalability
Cloudways offers easy scalability options that allow you to increase server resources as your website grows. You can scale up or down server resources such as CPU, RAM, and storage without any downtime.
- Support
Cloudways offers 24/7 support to its customers through live chat, email, and ticket system. You can also access their extensive knowledge base that includes tutorials, guides, and FAQs.
Scaling Your Website on Cloudways
Cloudways offers the flexibility to scale your website as your business grows. You can scale your website vertically by upgrading your server resources or horizontally by adding more servers to your cluster.
To vertically scale your server, you can upgrade your server resources such as RAM, CPU, and storage through the Cloudways console. Cloudways provides a user-friendly interface to upgrade your server resources with just a few clicks.
To horizontally scale your website, you can add more servers to your cluster. Cloudways makes it easy to add new servers to your cluster through the console. You can choose from a range of server configurations and locations to add to your cluster. Once you add a new server to your cluster, you can distribute the load across all servers using a load balancer.
Migrating to Cloudways from Another Host
If you want to migrate your website to Cloudways from another host, you can do it easily using the Cloudways console. Cloudways provides a simple and user-friendly migration tool that allows you to migrate your website with just a few clicks.
To migrate your website, you need to follow these simple steps:
- Sign up for a Cloudways account and launch a new server.
- Install the application (such as WordPress) that you want to migrate.
- Use the Cloudways migration tool to migrate your website. You will need to provide your current website credentials and select the destination server where you want to migrate your website.
- Once the migration is complete, you can test your website to make sure it is working properly.
- Once you have confirmed that your website is working properly, you can update your domain DNS to point to the new Cloudways server.
Migrating to Cloudways is easy and hassle-free. Cloudways provides a comprehensive migration guide and 24/7 support to help you with the migration process.
In conclusion, Cloudways is a cloud hosting provider that offers customizable and scalable hosting solutions at affordable prices. Their platform allows for easy server management, website deployment, and scaling. With their 24/7 support, free trial period, and hourly billing options, Cloudways is a great choice for businesses and individuals looking for reliable and flexible hosting services. Whether you are looking to host a simple blog or a complex e-commerce website, Cloudways provides the resources and tools necessary to meet your hosting needs.
