Install WordPress from cPanel

Option 1: Install with Softaculous (recommended)

Softaculous is a one-click installer available in cPanel that handles everything automatically.

Steps

1. Log in to cPanel
2. Go to Software → Softaculous Apps Installer
3. Find WordPress and click Install
4. Configure the installation:

1. Under Advanced Options, check:

• Auto Upgrade
• Auto Upgrade Plugins
• Backup Location: Default

1. Click Install

Softaculous will create the database, configure wp-config.php, and install WordPress automatically.

Option 2: Manual installation

If you prefer manual control:

Create a database

1. In cPanel, go to Databases → MySQL Databases
2. Create a new database (e.g., user_wordpress)
3. Create a new user with a strong password
4. Add the user to the database with All Privileges

Download and upload WordPress

# Via SSH (if available)
cd ~/public_html
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
tar -xzf latest.tar.gz
mv wordpress/* .
rm -rf wordpress latest.tar.gz

Or upload via cPanel File Manager.

Run the installer

1. Navigate to https://yourdomain.com
2. Select your language
3. Enter database details:

• Database Name: user_wordpress
• Username: your database user
• Password: your database password
• Host: localhost
• Table Prefix: wp_ (change for security)

1. Complete the site information form
2. Click Install WordPress

Post-installation configuration

Essential settings

1. Go to Settings → Permalinks → select Post name
2. Go to Settings → General → verify site URL uses HTTPS
3. Delete the default "Hello World" post and sample page
4. Remove unused themes and plugins

Recommended plugins

• Wordfence or Sucuri - Security
• WP Super Cache or LiteSpeed Cache - Performance
• UpdraftPlus - Backups
• Yoast SEO - Search engine optimization
• WPForms Lite - Contact forms

Security hardening

Add to wp-config.php:

// Disable file editing from admin
define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);

// Limit post revisions
define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5);

// Auto-save interval (seconds)
define('AUTOSAVE_INTERVAL', 120);

Add to .htaccess to protect wp-config:

<Files wp-config.php>
  Order Allow,Deny
  Deny from all
</Files>

Performance basics

1. Enable caching plugin
2. Use a CDN for static assets
3. Optimize images before uploading
4. Keep plugins to a minimum (each adds overhead)
5. Choose a lightweight theme

Automatic backups

Softaculous can create automatic backups:

1. Go to Softaculous → Installations
2. Click the edit icon next to WordPress
3. Enable Backup and set frequency
4. Set retention (keep last 3-5 backups)