Composer managed WordPress

You may learn how I install WordPress. Almost everything will come from Composer packages, the rest is under version control (git).

Thus the repository of a WordPress installation should barely contain files.

Support my work

Please consider sponsoring me monthly if you use my packages in an agency.

Directory structure

Most of these files are excluded from this repository as they are installed by Composer!

• /: root directory with configuration files and documents
• vendor/: dependencies (packages)
• public/: webserver's document root with index.php, wp-config.php, favicon.ico
• public/$PROJECT_NAME/: WordPress core
• public/wp-content/: wp-content directory

vendor/
UPGRADE.md
composer.json
composer.lock
wp-cli.yml
public/─┬─index.php (modified)
        ├─wp-config.php
        ├─PROJECT_NAME/─┬─index.php
        │               ├─wp-load.php
        │               ├─wp-login.php
        │               ├─wp-admin/
        │               └─wp-includes/
        └─wp-content/

Package types

• Themes from WordPress.org's theme directory through wpackagist
• Your custom theme should be developed as a separate package in a repository of its own
• Plugins from WordPress.org's plugin directory through wpackagist
• Your custom plugins should be developed as separate packages
• Purchased plugins can be installed by ffraenz/private-composer-installer
• Must-use plugins and dropins can be installed by koodimonni/composer-dropin-installer

All other files - except public/wp-config.php - should be kept under version control.

Usage

1. Run WordPress core, plugins and theme on PHP 7.4 (as of 2023)
2. Change the directory name "project" in .gitignore, composer.json, public/index.php, wp-cli.yml
3. Customize composer.json and create documents
4. Create .env if you have purchased plugins
5. Add MU plugins
6. Set GitHub OAuth token if you develop a private theme or plugins composer config github-oauth.github.com "$YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN"
7. Create public/wp-config.php including WP_CONTENT_DIR and WP_CONTENT_URL pointing to public/wp-content, and loading vendor/autoload.php
8. Set WP_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE environment variable (in PHP-FPM configuration or in public/wp-config.php)
9. Issue composer update --no-dev
10. Administer your WordPress installation with WP-CLI

    wp core install --title="WP" --admin_user="myname" --admin_email="user@example.com" --admin_password="12345"
    wp option update home "https://example.com"
    wp option update siteurl "https://example.com/project"

WordPress core installation

These are possible variations.

• roots/wordpress-no-content + johnpbloch/wordpress-core-installer
• johnpbloch/wordpress
• repositories.package with current ZIP file from wordpress.org
• roots/wordpress

Packages provided by Roots point to wordpress.org ZIP files and git repositories.