WordPress DigitalOcean Droplet – Complete Setup Guide

Step-by-step guide to set up WordPress on DigitalOcean with REST API, permalinks, and HTTPS

Step-by-step guide to set up WordPress on DigitalOcean with REST API, permalinks, and HTTPS.
คู่มือทีละขั้นตอนสำหรับติดตั้ง WordPress บน DigitalOcean พร้อม REST API, permalinks และ HTTPS

🌐 Domain Configuration

การตั้งค่าโดเมน

Enter your domain:

wordpress.example.com

This will automatically update all commands with your domain name.

📋 Setup Progress Checklist

รายการตรวจสอบความคืบหน้า

  • Create DigitalOcean Droplet
  • Configure Domain DNS
  • Update Server & Access
  • Apache Permalink & API Setup (Critical)
  • Install SSL Certificate (HTTPS)
  • Force HTTPS Redirect
  • Complete WordPress Setup
  • Configure Permalinks
  • Test REST API
  • Generate Application Password

1. Create the Droplet

1. สร้าง Droplet

  1. Go to DigitalOcean Marketplace
  2. Search for "WordPress One-Click" install
  3. Choose your region, size, and authentication
  4. Create the droplet and note the IP address

Recommended: Choose at least 1GB RAM for WordPress. Enable backups for production sites.

2. Set Up Domain DNS

2. ตั้งค่า DNS ของโดเมน

Point your domain's A record to your droplet's IP address:

Type: A Record
Name: @ (or your subdomain)
Value: YOUR_DROPLET_IP
TTL: 3600

3. Update & Access the Server

3. อัปเดตและเข้าถึงเซิร์ฟเวอร์

SSH into your droplet as root and update the system:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

4. 🔴 Apache Permalink & API Setup (Critical)

4. 🔴 ตั้งค่า Apache Permalink & API (สำคัญ)

a. Create/Check .htaccess file:

sudo nano /var/www/html/.htaccess

Paste this content into the .htaccess file:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

b. Edit Apache Config to Allow .htaccess Overrides:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf

Add this inside the <VirtualHost *:80> block:

<Directory /var/www/html>
    AllowOverride All
</Directory>

c. Enable mod_rewrite:

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl reload apache2

5. Secure Your Site with HTTPS

5. รักษาความปลอดภัยด้วย HTTPS

a. Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

b. Run Certbot (after DNS points to your droplet):

sudo certbot --apache -d your.domain.com

Follow the prompts: Enter your email, agree to terms. Certbot will auto-configure Apache for SSL.

6. บังคับใช้ HTTPS (แนะนำ)

Add HTTPS redirect inside <VirtualHost *:80> in /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Reload Apache:

sudo systemctl reload apache2

7. Complete WordPress Setup in Browser

7. ตั้งค่า WordPress ในเบราว์เซอร์

  1. Go to https://your.domain.com
  2. Complete WordPress installation (site name, admin user, password, etc.)
  3. Save your admin credentials securely

8. แก้ไข Permalinks ใน WP Admin

  1. Go to WP Admin → Settings → Permalinks
  2. Choose your preferred structure (recommended: Post name)
  3. Click Save Changes (this triggers .htaccess rewrite)

9. Test REST API

9. ทดสอบ REST API

Visit your REST API endpoint:

https://your.domain.com/wp-json/

Expected result: Should show JSON data, not a 404 error. If you see JSON, your REST API is working!

10. Generate Application Password (for API Access)

10. สร้าง Application Password (สำหรับ API)

  1. Go to Users → Profile in WP Admin
  2. Scroll to Application Passwords section
  3. Enter a name (e.g., "n8n Integration", "API Access")
  4. Click Add New Application Password
  5. Save the generated password - you won't see it again!

🧪 Quick Tests & Verification

การทดสอบและตรวจสอบ

Test REST API with curl:

curl -X GET "https://your.domain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $(echo -n 'your-username:your-app-password' | base64)"

https://your.domain.com/sample-page/

🔧 Common Issues & Solutions

ปัญหาที่พบบ่อยและวิธีแก้ไข

404 errors on REST API:

  • Check if .htaccess file exists and has correct content
  • Verify Apache AllowOverride is set to "All"
  • Ensure mod_rewrite is enabled
  • Restart Apache: sudo systemctl restart apache2

SSL Certificate issues:

  • Ensure DNS is pointing to your droplet before running Certbot
  • Check if port 80 and 443 are open
  • Verify domain ownership

WordPress not loading:

  • Check Apache status: sudo systemctl status apache2
  • Check error logs: sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log
  • Verify file permissions: sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html

🎉 You're Done!

เสร็จสิ้น!

  • ✅ REST API and permalinks are working
  • ✅ HTTPS is enforced
  • ✅ Ready for integrations (n8n, Postman, etc.)
  • ✅ Application password generated for API access

Your WordPress site is now ready for production use!

📚 Quick Reference

ข้อมูลอ้างอิงด่วน

WordPress Admin: https://your.domain.com/wp-admin/
REST API Base: https://your.domain.com/wp-json/
Posts API: https://your.domain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts
Pages API: https://your.domain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/pages
Users API: https://your.domain.com/wp-json/wp/v2/users

Apache Config: /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf
WordPress Files: /var/www/html/
Error Logs: /var/log/apache2/error.log

Essential Commands Summary:

Update System:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Enable mod_rewrite:

sudo a2enmod rewrite && sudo systemctl reload apache2

Install SSL:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y
sudo certbot --apache -d your.domain.com

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Check Apache Status:

sudo systemctl status apache2

View Error Logs:

sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

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