---
title: "How to Install WordPress on Ubuntu ARM with CloudPanel"
description: "Step-by-step guide to install WordPress on an ARM VPS (Hetzner or Oracle free tier) using CloudPanel. Cheap, fast, and straightforward."
date: 2026-02-26
categories: ["hosting"]
tags: ["wordpress","cloudpanel"]
---

import { Picture } from "astro:assets";
import YouTubeEmbed from "../../layouts/components/widgets/YouTubeEmbed.astro";
import imgDns from "../../assets/images/wordpress/cloudpanel-cloudways-setup-1024x309.webp";
import imgSettings from "../../assets/images/wordpress/cloudpanel-settings-1024x328.webp";
import imgCreate from "../../assets/images/wordpress/create-website-cloudwanel.webp";
import imgDetails from "../../assets/images/wordpress/wordpress-details-1024x703.webp";
import imgPhp from "../../assets/images/wordpress/cloudpanel-php-configs-1024x777.webp";

ARM servers are cheaper than x86 at every tier. Hetzner's entry ARM server (CAX11) is €4.49/month (rising to €5.49 from April 2026). Oracle's free tier gives you a 4 vCPU / 24 GB ARM instance at no cost. Both run WordPress without issues. This guide covers installing WordPress on either using [CloudPanel](https://www.cloudpanel.io/).

<YouTubeEmbed
  url="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nm3xZe3W8zc"
  label="Install WordPress on Ubuntu ARM with CloudPanel"
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## Get your ARM server

### Option A: Hetzner Cloud

Sign up at [Hetzner](https://go.bitdoze.com/hetzner), [Hostinger](https://go.bitdoze.com/hostinger-vps) and create a new server:
- Image: **Ubuntu 24.04** (or 22.04, both work)
- Type: **CAX11** (ARM, 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, €4.49/month)
- Location: any available datacenter
- Enable IPv6, add your SSH key

### Option B: Oracle Cloud free tier

Sign up at [Oracle Cloud](https://cloud.oracle.com/). Create a compute instance:
- Image: Canonical Ubuntu 24.04 Minimal (or 22.04)
- Shape: **VM.Standard.A1.Flex** -- set 4 cores, 24 GB RAM (free)
- Enable a public IP

**Oracle extra step:** Open ports 80, 443, and 8443 in your instance's security list under Networking → Virtual Cloud Networks → Security Lists → Add Ingress Rules.

Also disable the Ubuntu firewall on Oracle (it conflicts with CloudPanel):
```bash
sudo iptables -F
```

## Step 1: Install CloudPanel

SSH into your server and update:

```bash
apt update && apt -y upgrade && apt -y install curl wget sudo
reboot
```

Check the [CloudPanel install docs](https://www.cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/getting-started/other/) for the latest install script and checksum, as these change with new releases. At the time of writing:

**Install on Hetzner:**
```bash
curl -sS https://installer.cloudpanel.io/ce/v2/install.sh -o install.sh; \
echo "a3ba69a8102345127b4ae0e28cfe89daca675cbc63cd39225133cdd2fa02ad36 install.sh" | \
sha256sum -c && sudo CLOUD=hetzner DB_ENGINE=MARIADB_11.4 bash install.sh
```

**Install on Oracle:**
```bash
curl -sS https://installer.cloudpanel.io/ce/v2/install.sh -o install.sh; \
echo "a3ba69a8102345127b4ae0e28cfe89daca675cbc63cd39225133cdd2fa02ad36 install.sh" | \
sha256sum -c && sudo DB_ENGINE=MARIADB_11.4 bash install.sh
```

> **Note:** CloudPanel now supports MariaDB 11.4 in addition to 10.11. Use `MARIADB_11.4` for new installs. MySQL 8.0 is also available if you prefer it.

Once done, access the CloudPanel admin at `https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8443`.

## Step 2: Point your domain to the server

In your DNS provider (I use Cloudflare), create an A record pointing your domain to the server IP. Also create an admin subdomain (e.g., `admin.yourdomain.com`) for the CloudPanel interface.

<Picture src={imgDns} alt="Cloudflare DNS setup for CloudPanel" />

In CloudPanel → Settings, set the admin URL to your admin subdomain:

<Picture src={imgSettings} alt="CloudPanel admin URL settings" />

## Step 3: Create a WordPress site

Go to **Sites → Add Site → Create WordPress Website**:

<Picture src={imgCreate} alt="CloudPanel create website button" />

Enter your domain, username, password, and email:

<Picture src={imgDetails} alt="CloudPanel WordPress site details form" />

CloudPanel installs WordPress automatically and creates the database.

## Step 4: Set PHP version

Click the site in CloudPanel and go to **PHP Settings**. Set the PHP version to 8.2 or 8.3:

<Picture src={imgPhp} alt="CloudPanel PHP version configuration" />

That's the full setup. Your WordPress site is running on ARM with MariaDB and Nginx via CloudPanel. From here you can add an SSL certificate (CloudPanel does this in one click), [enable Varnish Cache](https://www.bitdoze.com/cloudpanel-varnish-cache/) for speed, set up backups, and add more sites.

If you want to harden the server, check [How To Secure CloudPanel](https://www.bitdoze.com/secure-cloudpanel/) for firewall rules, 2FA, and WAF setup.