How to Install WordPress with aaPanel: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
aaPanel is the international edition of the BT Panel (Baota). It has a clean interface and doesn't require a phone number to sign up, which makes it a great fit for building websites on overseas VPS servers. This guide walks you through every step on a freshly installed Linux cloud server, from installing the panel to launching a WordPress site over HTTPS. Even beginners can finish in about 30 minutes.
Key Takeaways
- aaPanel is the international edition of the BT Panel (Baota), requires no phone number to sign up, and is well suited to building WordPress sites on overseas VPS servers.
- Setting up WordPress with aaPanel comes down to four stages: installing the panel, deploying the LNMP stack, creating the site and getting an SSL certificate.
- PHP 8.3 (or 8.2) is the recommended PHP version for WordPress in aaPanel, since both are supported by the latest WordPress release.
- aaPanel can issue free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates, which are valid for 90 days and renewed automatically by the panel.
- IMIDC cloud servers in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and other locations can host websites with no ICP filing required, with CN2-optimized routes available for visitors from mainland China.
Requirements / Before You Start
- A freshly installed Linux server. Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 or Debian 12 is recommended, with at least 1 CPU core and 1GB RAM (2GB or more is safer)
- SSH access to the server as root
- A registered domain name and access to your DNS provider to add records
- No pre-installed Nginx, Apache, MySQL or similar stacks on the server, to avoid conflicts with the panel
Servers in Hong Kong, Japan and similar locations don't require ICP filing, so you can point your domain at them right away. If your site serves visitors in mainland China, consider a data center with CN2 routes.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Update the System and Install aaPanel
First, update the system packages:
apt update && apt upgrade -y
Then run the official aaPanel install script (the command below works for version 7.x; check aapanel.com for the latest script before installing):
URL=https://www.aapanel.com/script/install_7.0_en.sh && if [ -f /usr/bin/curl ];then curl -ksSO "$URL" ;else wget --no-check-certificate -O install_7.0_en.sh "$URL";fi;bash install_7.0_en.sh aapanel
Type y to confirm when prompted and wait a few minutes. When it finishes, the terminal prints the panel URL, username and password. Copy and save them immediately. You can view the panel info or open the management menu at any time with:
bt default
bt
2. Open the Panel Port and Log In
If the ufw firewall is enabled on your server, allow the panel port (use the actual port shown in the terminal output) and the web ports:
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp
ufw allow <panel-port>/tcp
Open https://server-IP:panel-port/security-entrance in your browser. The panel uses a self-signed certificate by default, so your browser will show a security warning. Just choose to proceed.
3. Install the LNMP Stack
After your first login, the panel pops up a window with recommended software packages:
- Choose LNMP (Nginx + MySQL + PHP).
- Recommended versions: the stable release of Nginx; MySQL 8.0 (with less than 2GB RAM, choose MariaDB 10.11 to save resources); PHP 8.3 (or 8.2). Both PHP versions are supported by the latest WordPress.
- Choose "Fast" as the install method and wait for the tasks to finish.
Once installation is complete, go to the PHP 8.3 settings in the "App Store" and install extensions such as fileinfo, imagemagick and opcache to improve WordPress compatibility and performance.
4. Create a Site and Bind Your Domain
- In your domain's DNS management, add two A records: point both
@andwwwto your server IP. - Back in the panel, go to Website → Add site and enter in the domain field:
example.com www.example.com - Choose MySQL as the database. The panel will automatically generate the database name, user and password. Select PHP 8.3 as the PHP version.
- After you submit, the site's root directory defaults to
/www/wwwroot/example.com.
You can check from your local machine whether DNS has propagated with:
dig +short example.com
5. Install WordPress
Option A: One-click deployment. On the panel's Website page, use the One-click deployment feature, select WordPress and follow the prompts.
Option B: Manual installation (for users who want the very latest version):
cd /www/wwwroot/example.com
rm -f index.html
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
tar -xzf latest.tar.gz --strip-components=1
rm -f latest.tar.gz
chown -R www:www /www/wwwroot/example.com
Next, in the site settings under "URL rewrite", select the wordpress rewrite rules and save. Visit your domain in a browser and follow the setup wizard, entering the database details generated in Step 4, your site title and an admin account to complete the installation.
6. Get a Free Let's Encrypt SSL Certificate
- Go to site settings → SSL → Let's Encrypt.
- Choose file verification, select both the root domain and the www domain, then click Apply.
- Once issued, enable Force HTTPS. Certificates are valid for 90 days, and the panel renews them automatically.
- Log in to the WordPress dashboard and confirm under "Settings → General" that both site addresses start with
https://.
Security Recommendations
- In the panel settings, change the default panel port, security entrance and username, and enable two-factor authentication
- Open only the ports you need, and switch SSH to key-based login
- Don't use
adminas your WordPress admin username, and keep the core, themes and plugins updated - Schedule regular website and database backups with the panel's Cron feature, and sync them to off-site storage
- If your site is hit by CC or volumetric attacks, pair it with a CDN or a DDoS-protected IP
FAQ
What if I can't open the panel URL?
First run bt default to confirm the port and security entrance, then check that the system firewall allows that port. If your cloud server has additional security group rules, open the port there as well.
SSL certificate request fails with a verification error?
Usually the DNS record hasn't propagated yet, or the domain is proxied through a CDN so the verification file can't be reached. Wait for DNS to propagate, temporarily disable the CDN proxy, and then try again.
Is 1GB of RAM enough?
It's generally enough for a small blog, but add 1–2GB of swap in the panel and choose MariaDB instead of MySQL 8.0 to keep the database from crashing due to low memory.
File uploads fail with a size limit error?
In the PHP 8.3 settings, edit the configuration to increase upload_max_filesize and post_max_size, and make sure client_max_body_size in the site's Nginx config is large enough.
Summary
With aaPanel, setting up WordPress comes down to four main stages: installing the panel, deploying LNMP, creating the site and getting a certificate. It saves you from compiling the stack by hand and makes ongoing maintenance easier. IMIDC cloud servers in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and other locations can be used for websites right away with no ICP filing required, and you can choose CN2-optimized routes for visitors from mainland China. If you already have a website, you can also request free migration assistance. If you run into any issues during deployment, submit a ticket in the client area. Our technical support is available 24/7.