How to Setup WordPress on Oracle Cloud Free Tier (Step-by-Step)

How to Set Up WordPress on Oracle Cloud Free Tier with CloudPanel

When I first set up the web infrastructure for Royal Subz, I was obsessed with minimizing initial costs. I spent three sleepless nights trying to deploy WordPress on Oracle Cloud’s Free Tier. It felt like trying to pick an enterprise-grade lock with a paperclip. Yes, getting a 4 oCPU, 24 GB RAM server for free forever is an insane deal on paper, but the setup process is a minefield of SSH errors, blocked VCN ports, and Ubuntu firewall hurdles. If you want to check how proper cloud setups compare to standard plans, read our guide on Idaho Web Hosting Performance. This step-by-step guide is the map I wish I had back then.

Billing tip for Bangladesh developers: While Oracle's Free Tier doesn't cost a dollar, setting it up requires an international credit card for verification. If you don't have one or don't want the headache of managing raw Linux firewalls, you can get high-speed managed hosting or domains from RackUp IT using Bkash or Nagad. If you encounter timeout issues during setup, you can follow our detailed troubleshooting guide on How to Open Port 80 and 443 on Oracle Cloud VPS.

Step 1: Launch Your Ampere A1 Compute Instance

To begin, log into your Oracle Cloud Console, navigate to Compute > Instances, and click Create Instance. Ensure you select the Ampere (ARM) A1 shape. Allocate 4 oCPUs and 24 GB of RAM, and select Ubuntu 22.04 LTS as your operating system. Make sure to download and save your generated private key file (.key) safely as you will need it to connect via SSH.

Step 2: Install CloudPanel for 1-Click Management

Once your server is online, connect via SSH using your private key. Since we want an easy way to manage WordPress sites without paying licensing fees, we will install CloudPanel. Run the following installation script in your terminal:

curl -sS https://installer.cloudpanel.io/install.sh | sudo BOOTSTRAP=1 bash

This script will automatically configure PHP, Nginx, MySQL, and other key dependencies. However, before you can log in, you must configure the network firewalls to allow ingress traffic. Check out our Managed Shared WordPress hosting

Step 3: Open Network Ports in OCI Console

Oracle's Virtual Cloud Network (VCN) blocks all incoming traffic by default. Go to your instance details, click on the subnet, select the Default Security List, and add Ingress Rules for the following ports:
• Port 22 (SSH)
• Port 80 (HTTP)
• Port 443 (HTTPS)
• Port 8443 (CloudPanel Admin Panel)

Step 4: Open Ubuntu Firewall Rules

In addition to OCI VCN security rules, Ubuntu blocks ports locally. Run these commands inside your SSH session to allow incoming traffic:

sudo iptables -I INPUT 6 -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -I INPUT 6 -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables -I INPUT 6 -p tcp --dport 8443 -j ACCEPT
sudo netfilter-persistent save

You can now navigate to https://your-server-ip:8443 to log into CloudPanel, add a site, and install WordPress in one click!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Oracle Cloud's Free Tier truly free forever?

Yes, Oracle's Always Free resources — including the Ampere A1 Compute instance with up to 4 oCPUs and 24 GB of RAM — are genuinely free with no time limit. However, you do need a valid international credit card during sign-up for identity verification. Oracle will not charge it unless you manually upgrade to a paid tier.

Why does Oracle require an international credit card for a free account?

Oracle uses the credit card purely for identity verification to prevent abuse of their free resources. The card is not charged for Always Free services. Unfortunately, this is currently a hard requirement and there is no bypass. Bangladesh developers without an international card can opt for fully managed hosting alternatives like RackUp IT, payable locally via Bkash or Nagad.

What is CloudPanel and why use it instead of cPanel?

CloudPanel is a free, open-source server control panel built specifically for PHP-based applications like WordPress. Unlike cPanel, which costs $20–$40 per month in licensing fees, CloudPanel is completely free. It comes bundled with Nginx, PHP, MySQL, and Let's Encrypt SSL support, making it ideal for budget-conscious developers running servers on Oracle's Free Tier.

Why can't I access CloudPanel after installation?

This is the most common issue. Oracle Cloud blocks all incoming traffic by default at two levels — first at the VCN (Virtual Cloud Network) level through Security List Ingress Rules, and second at the Ubuntu OS level through iptables rules. You must open port 8443 (for CloudPanel), port 80 (HTTP), and port 443 (HTTPS) in both places before you can access the panel.

Can I run multiple WordPress sites on the Oracle Free Tier instance?

Yes. CloudPanel supports hosting multiple websites on a single server. With 4 oCPUs and 24 GB of RAM, your Oracle Ampere A1 instance has more than enough resources to run several low-to-medium traffic WordPress sites simultaneously — far more than what a typical shared hosting plan provides.

What happens to my server if Oracle decides to retire the Free Tier?

Oracle has maintained their Always Free program since 2019 and has not indicated plans to discontinue it. However, it is always best practice to keep daily automated backups of your WordPress database and files. If Oracle ever changes their policy, you will need to migrate to a paid cloud provider or a managed hosting service. Using CloudPanel makes this migration straightforward since you can export a full site backup in one click.

Is the Ampere A1 ARM architecture compatible with all WordPress plugins?

Almost all WordPress plugins and themes are written in PHP, which is fully compatible with ARM-based servers. Potential issues can arise with server-level software compiled specifically for x86 architecture. However, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS has excellent ARM support and the CloudPanel installation script handles all dependency configurations automatically, so most users will not encounter any compatibility problems.

Post-Installation Hardening: Tuning NGINX FastCGI & Securing CloudPanel

Once your CloudPanel control panel and WordPress installation are operational on your Oracle Cloud instance, completing post-installation hardening is critical to prevent automated bot scans from draining your compute resources and compromising your server credentials.

By default, CloudPanel listens on port 8443 for web dashboard access. You should immediately configure UFW and OCI security lists to restrict access to port 8443 exclusively to your administrative IP address, completely hiding the control panel from global internet scanners:

# Restrict CloudPanel port 8443 access to your static administrator IP
sudo ufw delete allow 8443/tcp
sudo ufw allow from <YOUR_ADMIN_IP> to any port 8443 proto tcp
sudo ufw reload

Next, configure NGINX FastCGI microcaching inside CloudPanel's site management settings. FastCGI caching stores pre-rendered HTML output of your WordPress pages directly in RAM, allowing your Oracle Cloud VPS to handle thousands of concurrent visits without generating dynamic database queries. To understand the underlying caching mechanics, read our complete guide on how to speed up WordPress with server-level caching.

If your site encounters port accessibility or firewall issues during setup, consult our troubleshooting guide on how to open ports 80 and 443 in Oracle Cloud VCN. And if you ever need to test plugin updates safely before touching production, learn how in our guide on setting up a WordPress staging site.

Prefer not to manage the server yourself? Compare RackUp’s hosting plans: Cloud WordPress hosting starts at $2.49 a month.

Configuring Automated Linux Security Updates (Unattended-Upgrades)

Leaving your cloud instance unpatched exposes your WordPress website to automated port vulnerability scans within minutes of deployment. To protect your server without manual intervention, configure Ubuntu's unattended-upgrades package to automatically install critical security patches as soon as upstream distributions release them:

# Install unattended-upgrades
sudo apt-get install -y unattended-upgrades

# Enable automated security patching
sudo dpkg-reconfigure --priority=low unattended-upgrades

This ensures zero-day vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel, OpenSSL, or system libraries are patched automatically, maintaining a fortress-like operating system underneath your WordPress CMS.

Configuring WP-CLI for Rapid Command-Line Management

Managing WordPress solely through the browser dashboard is slow and vulnerable to timeouts during large plugin updates. Installing WP-CLI—the official command-line interface for WordPress—allows you to manage your entire CMS directly from your SSH terminal:

# Download and install WP-CLI binary
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar
chmod +x wp-cli.phar
sudo mv wp-cli.phar /usr/local/bin/wp

# Verify installation
wp --info

With WP-CLI installed, you can update plugins, reset passwords, clear object caches, and regenerate thumbnails in seconds using commands like wp plugin update --all. Command-line control transforms server management from a tedious chore into an automated, streamlined workflow.

Configuring Automated Database Backups in CloudPanel

A critical operational feature of CloudPanel is its built-in remote backup engine. Instead of manually writing complex bash backup scripts, you can configure CloudPanel to automatically export compressed MySQL databases and web directories directly to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, or Wasabi.

Inside the CloudPanel dashboard, navigate to Admin Area → Backups. Enter your S3 API key, secret token, and target bucket name, then set your retention schedule to 7 daily and 4 weekly snapshots. CloudPanel executes backups via low-priority background workers, ensuring snapshots occur silently in the middle of the night without impacting your live visitors' browsing performance.

Having automated offsite cloud backups configured from day one provides absolute protection against accidental file deletions, buggy plugin updates, or tenancy interruptions.

Configuring phpMyAdmin Access Restrictions in CloudPanel

By default, CloudPanel provides web-based database management via phpMyAdmin. Because phpMyAdmin is a frequent target for automated brute-force attacks and credential stuffing scripts, securing this endpoint is essential.

Inside CloudPanel, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for your primary administrative account, and consider disabling public access to phpMyAdmin entirely when not actively running database maintenance. Connecting securely via SSH tunneling (ssh -L 3306:127.0.0.1:3306 user@vps-ip) and local management software like TablePlus or DBeaver provides enterprise-grade database security with zero web exposure.

Summary Checklist: Long-Term Maintenance for Cloud WordPress

By combining isolated cloud compute resources, lightweight control panels, and automated security patching, your Oracle Cloud WordPress deployment achieves enterprise-grade speed and exceptional global uptime. Consistently monitoring system logs, maintaining remote database snapshots, and testing plugin upgrades in a staging container will ensure that your website continues to deliver flawless performance as your online audience scales.