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Installing and managing WordPress with WP-CLI from the command line on Ubuntu

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Here is a really simple way to manually manage WordPress installations on Ubuntu.

My previous WordPress (and related) guides

My Server Setup Guides

Go to https://make.wordpress.org/cli/handbook/installing/ and read the install instructions.

How to install wp-cli on Ubuntu

First read this post too install WordPress from the command line. You should install WordPress here.

Telnet to your server (SSH)

Did the file download?

Execute

Make the file executable and move it to /usr/local/bin/wp

Now you can run wp-cli by typing the following from the command line

Read the official wp-cli quick start guide https://make.wordpress.org/cli/handbook/quick-start/

Ever since I moved my WordPress to a self-managed server I have not been able to update my plugins and I have not installed an  FTP server (by choice for security reasons).

Wordpress manual update plugins page

Let’s see if we can update plugin with wp-cli

Yes, it worked

I have now updated all active plugins from one command line.

WordPress Plugins

I have been unable to update WordPress itself since I moved my website (without an FTP server).

Update WordPress

Let’s try and update WordPress with wp-cli.

Run this command.

Success

WordPress version

Awesome 🙂

Now time to create a few executable bash files to update plugins and WordPress files in future.

Update WordPress Plugins Bash Script

Contents

Make Executable

Update WordPress Bash Script

sudo nano /scripts/updatewordpress.sh

Contents

Make Executable

More Commands

More commands can be found here: https://developer.wordpress.org/cli/commands/

Information on exporting tables can be found here https://developer.wordpress.org/cli/commands/db/export/

Site Wide Search and Replace

Results

If you are updating past pages and post links do include https look for www alos

When you are ready to run the replace remove the

As always, backup your database and files before you make changes.

This was the easiest way to update my WordPress site and force existing links use https links.  Of course, you can downgrade https links if you don’t want to have https anymore.

Troubleshooting

wp needs to be run from the root folder of your web server (or it will report an error). You can specify a path location as a parameter  too ( –path=’/path/to/wordpress’)

All the following the wp command if you are logged in as root (not recommended for security reasons).

Adding “Advertisement” text above Google ads in all WordPress pages and posts, read this guide on setting up AdSense on your blog (unless you go Auto Ads).

Official Troubleshooting guide here

I had an issue where I received error messages running the wp tool, iI fixed this editing my php.ini file and changing this..

memory_limit = 128

to

memory_limit = 128M

The M made all the difference after I restarted PHP/NGINX.

to this

Thank You, Kerry Hoath for the tip on this awesome cli tool.

fyi: WordPress fixed a SQL injection vulnerability and the wp-cli tool helped me update WordPress from the CLI.

Update Themes

Update Plugins

Update WordPress Core

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v1.5 Updating WordPress themes, plugins or core

v1.42 added ‘cd /www’ before calling wp cli.