WordPress DevOps

WordPress Development with Docker and WP-CLI: Complete Setup Guide

by Krasen 8 mins read

Setting up local WordPress environments manually wastes hours—installing PHP, MySQL, configuring virtual hosts, managing multiple versions. Every project needs different configurations, and your local machine becomes cluttered with conflicting dependencies.

Docker + WP-CLI creates isolated, reproducible WordPress environments in minutes. Spin up fresh WordPress installs with one command, test on multiple PHP versions simultaneously, and share identical environments with your entire team.

In this guide, you’ll learn to build production-ready WordPress development environments using Docker and WP-CLI, with automated setup scripts and best practices used by modern WordPress development teams.

Why Docker for WordPress Development?

Docker containers provide isolated, consistent environments for WordPress development without polluting your local system.

Problems with Traditional Local WordPress

Version conflicts: Multiple PHP versions cause headaches and break projects.

Configuration drift: Development doesn’t match staging or production environments.

Slow setup: Installing WordPress manually on each project wastes 30-60 minutes.

Team inconsistency: Developers have different local setups causing “works on my machine” bugs.

Resource waste: Running multiple databases and servers consumes system resources.

Docker + WP-CLI Advantages

Isolated environments: Each project runs independently without conflicts.

Instant setup: Launch complete WordPress stack in under 2 minutes.

Version flexibility: Test on PHP 7.4, 8.0, 8.1 simultaneously.

Team consistency: Everyone runs identical environments via docker-compose.yml.

Easy cleanup: Delete containers without leaving system residue.

According to Docker adoption surveys, 65% of professional WordPress developers use Docker for local development.

Docker WordPress Setup

Create a complete WordPress development environment with Docker Compose.

Basic docker-compose.yml

version: "3.8"

services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
    volumes:
      - ./wordpress:/var/www/html
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
      MYSQL_USER: wordpress
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: wordpress
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: rootpassword
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql

  wpcli:
    image: wordpress:cli
    user: "33:33"
    volumes:
      - ./wordpress:/var/www/html
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
    depends_on:
      - db
      - wordpress

volumes:
  db_data:

Launch Environment

# Start all services
docker-compose up -d

# Check status
docker-compose ps

# Access WordPress
open http://localhost:8080

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f wordpress

Run WP-CLI in Container

# Execute WP-CLI commands
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp --info

# Install WordPress core
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp core install \
    --url=localhost:8080 \
    --title="Docker WordPress" \
    --admin_user=admin \
    --admin_password=admin \
    --admin_email=admin@example.com

# Install plugins
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp plugin install contact-form-7 --activate

Learn more about Docker Compose configuration.

Advanced Docker Configuration

Enhance your Docker WordPress environment with professional features.

Multiple PHP Versions

# docker-compose.yml with PHP version control
version: "3.8"

services:
  wordpress-php74:
    image: wordpress:php7.4-apache
    ports:
      - "8074:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wp_php74
    volumes:
      - ./wp-php74:/var/www/html

  wordpress-php80:
    image: wordpress:php8.0-apache
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wp_php80
    volumes:
      - ./wp-php80:/var/www/html

  wordpress-php81:
    image: wordpress:php8.1-apache
    ports:
      - "8081:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wp_php81
    volumes:
      - ./wp-php81:/var/www/html

Use Case: Test plugin compatibility across PHP versions simultaneously.

Custom PHP Configuration

# docker-compose.yml with custom PHP settings
services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:latest
    volumes:
      - ./wordpress:/var/www/html
      - ./php.ini:/usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/custom.ini

php.ini:

upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
display_errors = On
error_reporting = E_ALL

Add PHPMyAdmin

services:
  phpmyadmin:
    image: phpmyadmin:latest
    ports:
      - "8081:80"
    environment:
      PMA_HOST: db
      PMA_USER: wordpress
      PMA_PASSWORD: wordpress
    depends_on:
      - db

Access PHPMyAdmin at http://localhost:8081.

Automated WordPress Setup

Create scripts for one-command WordPress environment initialization.

Complete Setup Script

#!/bin/bash
# wp-docker-init.sh - Initialize WordPress Docker environment

set -e

PROJECT_NAME="${1:-wordpress-project}"
ADMIN_USER="admin"
ADMIN_PASS="admin"
ADMIN_EMAIL="admin@example.com"

echo "Initializing WordPress Docker environment: $PROJECT_NAME"

# Create project directory
mkdir -p "$PROJECT_NAME"
cd "$PROJECT_NAME"

# Create docker-compose.yml
cat > docker-compose.yml <<'EOF'
version: '3.8'
services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
    volumes:
      - ./wordpress:/var/www/html
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
      MYSQL_USER: wordpress
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: wordpress
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: rootpassword
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql

  wpcli:
    image: wordpress:cli
    user: "33:33"
    volumes:
      - ./wordpress:/var/www/html
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: wordpress
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
    depends_on:
      - db
      - wordpress

volumes:
  db_data:
EOF

# Start containers
echo "Starting Docker containers..."
docker-compose up -d

# Wait for WordPress to be ready
echo "Waiting for WordPress..."
sleep 10

# Install WordPress
echo "Installing WordPress..."
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp core install \
    --url=localhost:8080 \
    --title="$PROJECT_NAME" \
    --admin_user="$ADMIN_USER" \
    --admin_password="$ADMIN_PASS" \
    --admin_email="$ADMIN_EMAIL"

# Install essential plugins
echo "Installing plugins..."
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp plugin install \
    contact-form-7 \
    yoast-seo \
    wordfence \
    --activate

# Install theme
echo "Installing theme..."
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp theme install astra --activate

# Set permalinks
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp rewrite structure '/%postname%/'

echo "✓ WordPress environment ready!"
echo "URL: http://localhost:8080"
echo "Admin: $ADMIN_USER / $ADMIN_PASS"

Run it:

chmod +x wp-docker-init.sh
./wp-docker-init.sh my-project

Development Helper Scripts

# wp.sh - WP-CLI wrapper for Docker
#!/bin/bash
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp "$@"

# Usage:
chmod +x wp.sh
./wp.sh plugin list
./wp.sh post create --post_title="Test" --post_status=publish

Docker WordPress Workflows

Professional development patterns with Docker and WP-CLI.

Import Existing Site

#!/bin/bash
# import-to-docker.sh - Import existing WordPress site

BACKUP_SQL="$1"
BACKUP_FILES="$2"

if [ -z "$BACKUP_SQL" ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <backup.sql> <files.tar.gz>"
    exit 1
fi

# Start containers
docker-compose up -d
sleep 10

# Import database
echo "Importing database..."
docker-compose exec -T db mysql -uwordpress -pwordpress wordpress < "$BACKUP_SQL"

# Extract files
echo "Extracting files..."
tar -xzf "$BACKUP_FILES" -C ./wordpress/

# Update URLs
echo "Updating URLs..."
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp search-replace \
    'https://oldsite.com' 'http://localhost:8080' \
    --skip-columns=guid

# Flush cache
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp cache flush

echo "✓ Site imported successfully"

Export for Production

#!/bin/bash
# export-from-docker.sh

DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)

echo "Exporting WordPress from Docker..."

# Export database
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp db export - > "backup-$DATE.sql"

# Compress database
gzip "backup-$DATE.sql"

# Archive files
tar -czf "files-$DATE.tar.gz" -C ./wordpress .

echo "✓ Export complete:"
echo "  Database: backup-$DATE.sql.gz"
echo "  Files: files-$DATE.tar.gz"

Reset Development Environment

#!/bin/bash
# reset-docker-wordpress.sh

read -p "This will destroy all data. Continue? (y/n) " -n 1 -r
echo
if [[ ! $REPLY =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
    exit 0
fi

# Stop and remove containers
docker-compose down -v

# Remove WordPress files
rm -rf ./wordpress/*

# Start fresh
docker-compose up -d
sleep 10

# Reinstall
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp core install \
    --url=localhost:8080 \
    --title="Fresh WordPress" \
    --admin_user=admin \
    --admin_password=admin \
    --admin_email=admin@example.com

echo "✓ Environment reset complete"

Testing and Debugging

Debug WordPress issues in Docker containers.

View Container Logs

# WordPress logs
docker-compose logs -f wordpress

# Database logs
docker-compose logs -f db

# All logs
docker-compose logs -f

# Last 50 lines
docker-compose logs --tail=50 wordpress

Access Container Shell

# WordPress container bash
docker-compose exec wordpress bash

# Once inside, check PHP info
php -i

# Check Apache config
cat /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf

# View error logs
tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

Debug WP-CLI Issues

# Check WP-CLI version
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp cli version

# Verify WordPress installation
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp core is-installed

# Check database connection
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp db check

# List environment variables
docker-compose run --rm wpcli env

Performance Optimization

Improve Docker WordPress performance for development.

Enable Object Caching

services:
  redis:
    image: redis:alpine
    ports:
      - "6379:6379"

  wordpress:
    # ... existing config
    depends_on:
      - db
      - redis

Install Redis plugin:

docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp plugin install redis-cache --activate
docker-compose run --rm wpcli wp redis enable

Optimize MySQL

services:
  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    command: --default-authentication-plugin=mysql_native_password --innodb-buffer-pool-size=256M

Volume Performance

# Use cached mode for better performance on macOS
volumes:
  - ./wordpress:/var/www/html:cached

Learn about Docker volume performance optimization.

Next Steps

You now have professional Docker-based WordPress development skills with WP-CLI integration.

Week 1: Basic Docker setup

  • Launch WordPress with Docker Compose
  • Run WP-CLI in containers
  • Import/export sites

Week 2: Advanced configuration

  • Test multiple PHP versions
  • Add development tools
  • Optimize performance

Week 3: Automation

  • Build setup scripts
  • Create helper commands
  • Implement CI/CD

Week 4: Team workflows

  • Share configurations
  • Document processes
  • Standardize environments

Advanced Topics

  1. Docker Multi-Stage Builds – Optimized production images
  2. Kubernetes WordPress – Container orchestration
  3. CI/CD Pipelines – Automated deployment

Get More Resources

Download Docker WordPress configs including:

  • Complete docker-compose files
  • Setup automation scripts
  • Development tools

Join our email course for:

  • Weekly WP-CLI tutorials
  • Docker best practices
  • Modern WordPress DevOps

Conclusion

Docker and WP-CLI together create the ultimate WordPress development environment—fast, consistent, isolated, and completely reproducible across your entire team.

What we covered:

✅ Docker Compose WordPress configuration
✅ WP-CLI integration in containers
✅ Advanced Docker features (multiple PHP versions, tools)
✅ Automated setup and teardown scripts
✅ Import/export workflows
✅ Testing, debugging, and optimization

Master these techniques, and you’ll never waste time on local WordPress setup again—spin up fresh environments in seconds, test across PHP versions, and share identical setups with your team.

Ready for more? Learn WordPress CI/CD pipelines or Kubernetes deployment.

Questions about Docker WordPress with WP-CLI? Drop a comment below!

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