Run WordPress over HTTPS on CentOS by putting Nginx in front of PHP-FPM, serving the site from a TLS-enabled server block on port 443, redirecting port 80 to HTTPS, and configuring WordPress to use the secure URL. Keep SELinux enforcing, allow ports 80 and 443 in firewalld, protect the certificate key, and test every change before reloading Nginx.
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What the finished setup looks like
A production installation has four cooperating layers:
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- PHP-FPM: executes WordPress PHP through a Unix socket or loopback TCP listener.
- WordPress: stores its canonical HTTPS URLs and uses the secure scheme for administration and generated links.
- CentOS controls: firewalld permits the web ports and SELinux labels allow the web processes to read or write only where policy permits.
WordPress supports Nginx as a standalone web server. Unlike Apache, Nginx has no .htaccess layer, so rewrite rules, HTTPS redirects, hidden-file restrictions, and upload protections must be written in administrator-managed server configuration.
Prerequisites and decisions
Use a maintained platform
Start with a supported CentOS Stream release or a compatible Red Hat-family distribution. Install Nginx, PHP-FPM, the PHP extensions required by your WordPress version and plugins, and a supported database using the distribution’s package tooling. WordPress warns that obsolete PHP and database releases can expose a site to security vulnerabilities, so support status is part of the deployment rather than a later optimization.
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Choose the canonical hostname
Decide whether the public address is, for example, example.com or www.example.com. Obtain a certificate covering every hostname you will actually serve, then use one canonical name in WordPress Address, Site Address, redirects, and any reverse-proxy configuration. A certificate for only one name will not make the other name secure.
Choose the PHP-FPM transport
PHP-FPM can listen on a Unix socket or on a loopback TCP address. Either is valid; the important requirement is that the value in Nginx’s fastcgi_pass exactly matches the PHP-FPM pool listener and that the Nginx/PHP-FPM processes can access it.
Prepare the document root and permissions
Create a dedicated site root such as /var/www/example.com. Make its owner, group, and SELinux contexts consistent with the account and policy used by Nginx and PHP-FPM. Do not recursively make the entire tree world-writable. WordPress needs write access to selected content locations, not unrestricted write access to the operating-system files.
On a CentOS-family host, a denial caused by SELinux can look like an ordinary Unix permission failure. Check both mode bits and security contexts before changing ownership or permissions. Use ls -Z to inspect labels and review audit records when a process is denied.
Configure PHP-FPM for WordPress
Set the pool listener
In the PHP-FPM pool configuration, select a Unix socket or loopback address and ensure the service is enabled and running. Record the exact listener; it will be copied into the Nginx server block.
; Example only: use the listener defined by your installed pool
listen = /run/php-fpm/www.sockThe path above is an example pattern, not a universal CentOS filename. Confirm the actual socket created by your installed PHP-FPM package before using it.
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Nginx must pass the script filename and the standard request parameters to PHP-FPM. A typical WordPress location includes the document root, the requested script, and the query string:
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location ~ .php$ {
try_files $uri =404;
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php-fpm/www.sock;
}Set an upload limit appropriate for the media your site accepts. The Nginx limit and PHP limits must agree; otherwise a file can be rejected by one layer even when the other allows it. Change only the limits you need and verify the resulting behavior with a normal media upload.
Create the Nginx HTTP and HTTPS server blocks
Port 80: redirect, do not duplicate the site
Use a separate HTTP server block for the canonical domain. Its only job is to return a permanent redirect to the same host and URI under HTTPS. Keeping the HTTP block simple avoids accidentally serving a second, insecure copy of WordPress.
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;
return 301 https://example.com$request_uri;
}If you also answer for a www name, either include it in the certificate and redirect it deliberately to the canonical name, or create a separate redirect block. Do not create a redirect loop by sending HTTPS back to HTTP.
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The secure server block must listen with SSL enabled, identify the hostname, point to the WordPress root, and reference both the certificate chain and private key:
server {
listen 443 ssl;
server_name example.com;
root /var/www/example.com;
index index.php;
ssl_certificate /etc/pki/tls/certs/example.com.fullchain.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /etc/pki/tls/private/example.com.key;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}
location = /index.php {
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php-fpm/www.sock;
}
location ~ .php$ {
try_files $uri =404;
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php-fpm/www.sock;
}
location ~ /. {
deny all;
}
location ~* /(?:uploads|files)/.*.php$ {
deny all;
}
}The try_files fallback is WordPress’s front-controller pattern: existing files and directories are served directly, while other requests are sent to index.php with their query arguments. The dot-file rule blocks files such as .htaccess and .env. The uploads rule prevents a PHP file placed in a media directory from being executed.
Protect the private key
A certificate can be publicly served; its private key cannot. Store the key in an access-controlled location. Nginx’s master process must be able to read it at startup, but unrelated users should not. Never place the key in the web root or make it broadly readable just to work around a startup error.
Validate before every reload
nginx -tReload only after the test reports a valid configuration. A malformed directive, unreadable key, missing certificate chain, or mismatched bracket can otherwise take the site offline.
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Install and renew the TLS certificate
Install the complete chain
Obtain a certificate for the production hostname from your chosen certificate authority. Install the full chain and private key at the paths referenced by the HTTPS server block. An incorrectly ordered chain can prevent Nginx from starting or leave clients without an intermediate certificate.
Confirm that the certificate names match the hostname users enter and that the server clock is correct. Test from a client that validates the complete chain, not merely that port 443 accepts a connection.
Automate renewal and reload safely
Use the certificate authority’s supported renewal method. Renewal is incomplete until the new files are installed and Nginx has reloaded successfully. The renewal procedure should run nginx -t before reloading and should alert you if validation or reload fails. Do not wait for expiry to discover that the Nginx worker cannot read the replacement key.
Point WordPress at HTTPS
Set both WordPress URLs
After the HTTPS virtual host responds correctly, set WordPress Address and Site Address to the secure form, such as https://example.com. Both settings matter: one identifies where the WordPress files are addressed and the other is the public site URL. Changing only one can leave redirects, login links, or generated assets on the wrong scheme.
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Force secure administration
To require TLS for logins and the administration area, add this directive to wp-config.php:
define( 'FORCE_SSL_ADMIN', true );Place it before the file’s completion comment and keep the file outside public download paths. Test /wp-login.php and the dashboard after enabling it.
Account for a TLS-terminating proxy
If another proxy or load balancer terminates TLS before the request reaches Nginx, the origin may see an HTTP connection even though the browser used HTTPS. Pass the proxy’s X-Forwarded-Proto value and configure WordPress’s HTTPS detection accordingly. Without that coordination, WordPress can issue a redirect loop or generate HTTP links for an HTTPS page. Only trust this header from your controlled proxy; accepting arbitrary client-supplied values would weaken the design.
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Open firewalld ports permanently
Permit both HTTP and HTTPS. Port 80 remains necessary when it performs the redirect and when certificate validation uses an HTTP challenge.
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sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
sudo firewall-cmd --list-servicesThe --permanent changes survive a restart; the reload applies them to the running firewall. Runtime-only rules disappear after reboot. If your policy uses explicit ports instead of service names, allow TCP 80 and 443 and then perform the same reload and verification.
Keep SELinux enforcing
SELinux is typically installed on Red Hat-family distributions, including CentOS. It can block Nginx or PHP-FPM independently of Unix mode bits. Do not disable it as a first response.
- Inspect labels with
ls -Zon the document root, WordPress content directories, sockets, and certificate files. - Review AVC denial records when a request fails despite apparently correct ownership and permissions.
- Apply the appropriate web-content labels and SELinux booleans for the access WordPress actually needs.
- Give write access only to required directories, commonly selected content paths, rather than the complete application tree.
After correcting a label or boolean, repeat the failing request and confirm that the denial has disappeared from the logs. A working page alone does not prove the policy is correct if the fix was an unsafe permission change.
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Block hidden files
Keep the dot-file denial in the HTTPS server block. It prevents accidental disclosure of configuration, repository metadata, and Apache-era files such as .htaccess. Nginx will not enforce these rules automatically because it does not read .htaccess.
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Disable PHP execution in uploads
Media directories should contain data, not executable application code. Deny PHP below wp-content/uploads (and any legacy files directory used by the installation). The location rule must take precedence over a broad PHP location, so test the effective configuration rather than assuming order is correct.
Do not expose configuration backups
Keep database dumps, editor swap files, deployment archives, and copied configuration files outside the document root. A deny rule is useful defense in depth, but it is not a substitute for storing secrets away from a public path.
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Verification checklist
- Run
nginx -t; correct every error before reloading. - Request the HTTP URL and confirm one permanent redirect to the expected HTTPS host and identical path.
- Open the HTTPS site in a client that validates the certificate hostname and complete chain.
- Visit
/wp-login.phpand the dashboard over HTTPS, then confirm that login cookies and administration remain secure. - Inspect page source and browser network requests for HTTP images, scripts, stylesheets, or API calls that would create mixed content.
- Upload an ordinary media file and confirm it loads normally.
- Create a harmless PHP file inside the uploads directory, request it, and verify that execution is denied rather than returning PHP output. Remove the test file immediately.
- Check both firewalld runtime and permanent configuration and confirm that TCP 80 and 443 are reachable from the intended network.
- Review Nginx, PHP-FPM, and SELinux logs for denied requests, upstream failures, permission errors, and certificate problems.
Troubleshoot by symptom
502 Bad Gateway
Nginx cannot reach PHP-FPM. Check that PHP-FPM is running, that its socket or loopback address matches fastcgi_pass, and that SELinux permits the connection. A stale socket path after a package update is a common cause.
403 or 404 responses for valid WordPress URLs
Check the document root, file ownership, labels, and the try_files fallback. A PHP location with try_files $uri =404 should reject nonexistent scripts while the root location sends permalink requests to /index.php.
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Check that WordPress Address and Site Address both use HTTPS, that the port-80 block redirects only toward HTTPS, and that a TLS-terminating proxy forwards X-Forwarded-Proto correctly. Do not make WordPress trust an uncontrolled header from the public internet.
Certificate warning or Nginx startup failure
Verify the certificate hostname, file paths, permissions, private-key match, and chain order. Run nginx -t and inspect the exact error before changing file modes.
Uploads fail after enabling SELinux
Review the AVC denial and the label on the intended writable directory. Correct the context or narrowly required boolean; do not make the whole WordPress tree writable or disable SELinux.
Self-managed CentOS/Nginx or managed WordPress hosting?
| Decision area | Self-managed CentOS with Nginx | Managed WordPress hosting |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative effort | You configure Nginx, PHP-FPM, WordPress, firewalld, SELinux, certificates, and renewals. | The provider normally supplies the web stack and exposes a narrower control surface. |
| Control | Direct control over server blocks, PHP-FPM pools, labels, caching, and performance tuning. | Changes are limited to the provider’s supported settings. |
| TLS automation | You install the chain, protect the key, renew, test, and reload. | Certificate issuance and renewal may be integrated, but you must verify what is covered. |
| Patching | You track and patch CentOS, Nginx, PHP, the database, WordPress, themes, and plugins. | The provider may patch infrastructure; WordPress and extension responsibilities vary. |
| Backups and monitoring | You design backup retention, restore tests, log collection, and alerts. | Plans differ; confirm backup scope, retention, restore process, and monitoring. |
| Support | You diagnose upstream, firewall, certificate, and SELinux failures yourself. | Support may cover platform incidents but not every plugin or custom configuration. |
Choose self-management when you need operating-system and Nginx control and can maintain the full security boundary. Choose managed service when reducing routine server administration is more valuable than customizing the underlying stack; verify certificate renewal, backups, patch scope, and support boundaries before migrating.
Quick Recap
Ongoing maintenance
- Keep CentOS, Nginx, PHP, PHP-FPM, the database, WordPress core, themes, and plugins on maintained releases.
- Monitor certificate expiry and test renewal before the final days of validity.
- Back up the database and uploads, and perform restores rather than merely checking that backup jobs completed.
- Re-run configuration and HTTPS checks after changes to server blocks, PHP-FPM pools, proxies, or firewall policy.
- Review logs and SELinux denials routinely so a security control does not silently become an availability problem.
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