Beginner's Guide: Host Multiple WordPress Sites on One Server - No Terminal Required

Running multiple WordPress websites typically requires either expensive managed hosting ($15-30/month per site) or complex server administration with terminal commands, nginx configuration, and manual SSL certificate management. For beginners, freelancers, and small agencies, these costs and complexity add up quickly.

The good news: You don't need to be a server expert to host your own WordPress sites anymore.

This tutorial walks you through setting up multiple WordPress sites on a single Hetzner Cloud server — step by step, with screenshots. We'll use Server Compass, a desktop app that lets you manage servers visually without typing commands. Each WordPress site runs in its own isolated container with a dedicated database, and SSL certificates are obtained automatically.

What you'll achieve:

• 3+ WordPress sites running on a single €4.35/month Hetzner Cloud server (CX12)
• Automatic HTTPS with Let's Encrypt certificates (auto-renewed)
• Isolated environments (one site can't affect another)
• Visual management — click buttons instead of typing commands
• Secure SSH key authentication
• Easy backups and updates

Architecture overview:

+-------------------------------------------+
|           Hetzner Cloud VPS               |
|  +--------------------------------------+ |
|  |     Traefik (Reverse Proxy)          | |
|  |   - Routes by domain name            | |
|  |   - Auto SSL via Let's Encrypt       | |
|  +----------+-----------+--------------+ |
|             |           |                |
|      +------+---+  +---+-------+         |
|      | WordPress|  | WordPress |   ...   |
|      |  Site A  |  |  Site B   |         |
|      | + MySQL  |  | + MySQL   |         |
|      +----------+  +----------+          |
+-------------------------------------------+

Prerequisites

• A computer running macOS, Windows, or Linux
• A Hetzner Cloud account (sign up here)
• One or more domain names you control (we'll show you how to configure DNS)

No prior experience required — this tutorial explains everything from the beginning, including how to set up SSH keys and connect to servers.

Example terminology

This tutorial uses example values that you should replace with your own:

Step 1 - Create SSH Key, Server, and Connect

In this step, we'll set up everything you need: Server Compass on your computer, an SSH key for secure access, a Hetzner cloud server, and connect them together.

Step 1.1 - Download and install Server Compass

1. Download Server Compass from servercompass.app
2. Install it on your computer (available for macOS, Windows, and Linux)
3. Open the application

Step 1.2 - Create your SSH key

An SSH key is like a secure password that your computer uses to connect to servers. Server Compass makes creating one easy.

1. In Server Compass, click "SSH Keys" in the left sidebar
2. Click "+ Generate New Key" in the top right
3. Enter a name for your key (e.g., wordpress-vps)
4. Click "Generate Key Pair"
5. Find your new key in the list and click "Public Key" to copy it to your clipboard

Server Compass generates a key pair and saves it securely on your computer. Keep Server Compass open — you'll need it again soon.

Step 1.3 - Sign up for Hetzner Cloud

If you don't already have an account:

1. Go to console.hetzner.cloud
2. Click "Register" and create your account
3. Complete the verification process

Step 1.4 - Choose your server size

The server size depends on how many WordPress sites you plan to host:

For this tutorial, we'll use CX12 which is perfect for getting started.

Step 1.5 - Create the server with your SSH key

1. Log into the Hetzner Cloud Console
2. Select your project (or create a new one by clicking "+ New Project")
3. Click "Add Server"
4. Configure with these settings:

1. In the SSH Keys section, click "+ Add SSH key"

1. Paste the public key you copied from Server Compass into the SSH key field
2. Enter a name (e.g., wordpress-vps)
3. Click "Add SSH key"

1. Set the server name to wordpress-production
2. Click "Create & Buy Now"

Your server will be ready in about 30 seconds. Important: Note the IPv4 address displayed — you'll need this in the next step.

Screenshot suggestion: Hetzner Cloud Console showing the newly created server with IP address highlighted

Step 1.6 - Connect Server Compass to your server

1. In Server Compass, click "Add Server"

1. Fill in your server details:

1. Under "Choose your authentication method", select SSH Key
2. Select the key you created in Step 1.2 from the dropdown

1. Click "Test & Connect"

Server Compass will establish a secure connection using your SSH key — no password needed.

Step 1.7 - Install Docker and Traefik

When connecting to a fresh server, Server Compass detects that Docker isn't installed and prompts you to set up the required infrastructure.

Screenshot suggestion: Server Compass installation prompt showing Docker and Traefik

1. Server Compass shows: "This server needs Docker and Traefik to run applications"
2. Click "Install"
3. Watch the progress in the logs panel (takes 1-2 minutes)

What's being installed:

Once complete, you'll see a success message and your server is ready for deployments.

Screenshot suggestion: Server Compass dashboard showing connected server with green status

Step 2 - Create Your WordPress App

Now for the exciting part — deploying your first WordPress site. Server Compass makes this simple with a built-in WordPress template.

Step 2.1 - Create the WordPress app

1. In Server Compass, click on your server to open its detail page
2. Click the "Apps" tab
3. Click "+ New App" in the top right

1. Select "App Template" to deploy from a curated template

1. Search for "wordpress" in the search box
2. Select the WordPress template (WordPress CMS with MySQL database)
3. Click "Next"

1. Enter your Project Name (e.g., wordpress)
2. The Port will be auto-assigned (default 3000) — you can keep the default
3. Click "Next"

1. Review the Environment Variables — you can customize or use the defaults:

1. Click "Deploy" to start the deployment

Step 2.2 - Watch the deployment progress

Server Compass shows you exactly what's happening in real-time:

The deployment goes through these steps:

1. Preparing — Setting up deployment environment
2. Pulling Images — Downloads WordPress and MySQL containers
3. Building — Configures the application
4. Starting — Launches the containers
5. Verifying — Confirms everything is running

The entire process takes 1-3 minutes. You can close this window — Server Compass will notify you when it's done.

Once complete, you'll see your WordPress app with a green "Running" status:

Your WordPress app is now running. But before you can access it with a domain, you need to configure DNS (Step 3).

What's happening behind the scenes

Server Compass creates a clean folder structure on your server. If you're curious, you can explore it via the Terminal tab:

root@demo-vps:~# ls
server-compass

root@demo-vps:~# cd server-compass/apps/
root@demo-vps:~/server-compass/apps# ls
second-wordpress  wordpress  wordpress-site3

Each app has its own folder with a docker-compose.yml file that Server Compass manages:

root@demo-vps:~/server-compass/apps/wordpress# cat docker-compose.yml

services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:latest
    ports:
      - 3000:80
    environment:
      - WORDPRESS_DB_HOST=db:3306
      - WORDPRESS_DB_USER=wordpress
      - WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD=Dm8LFDuYsKoQ63ENvLByD4gE
      - WORDPRESS_DB_NAME=wordpress
    volumes:
      - wordpress_data:/var/www/html
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_healthy
    labels:
      - traefik.enable=true
      - traefik.http.routers.yourdomain-com.rule=Host(`yourdomain.com`)
      - traefik.http.routers.yourdomain-com.entrypoints=websecure
      - traefik.http.routers.yourdomain-com.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt
      # ... more Traefik labels for HTTPS and www redirect
    networks:
      - default
      - traefik-public

  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    environment:
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=wordpress
      - MYSQL_USER=wordpress
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=Dm8LFDuYsKoQ63ENvLByD4gE
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=9QHmK4mGoIJb6etmF9dk0xVo
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
    restart: unless-stopped
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "mysqladmin ping -h localhost"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  wordpress_data:
  db_data:

networks:
  traefik-public:
    external: true

Key things Server Compass handles for you:

You don't need to edit these files — Server Compass manages everything. But it's helpful to understand what's running on your server.

Step 2.3 - Complete the WordPress setup wizard

After connecting your domain (Step 3), click "Open" to visit your WordPress site:

1. You should see a green padlock (HTTPS is working) and the WordPress installation wizard
2. Select your language and click "Continue"
3. Enter your site details:

1. Click "Install WordPress"

Congratulations! Your WordPress site is now live with HTTPS.

Step 3 - Connect Your Domain

Now let's connect your domain to your WordPress site. Server Compass handles SSL certificates automatically through Traefik and Let's Encrypt.

Step 3.1 - Open the Domain tab

1. Click on your server to open its detail page
2. Click the "Domain" tab
3. Click "+ Add Domain"

Step 3.2 - Configure domain settings

Fill in the domain configuration:

1. Traefik Setup Required — Enter your email for Let's Encrypt SSL certificate notifications, then click "Install Traefik" (first time only)
2. Domain Name — Enter your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com)
3. Application Port — Select your WordPress container (wordpress-wordpress-1) from the list
4. Enable SSL certificate — Keep this checked for automatic HTTPS

Click "Continue" to proceed.

Step 3.3 - Configure DNS at your registrar

Server Compass shows you your VPS IP address and verifies your DNS configuration:

1. Copy your VPS IP address shown on screen
2. Go to your domain registrar's DNS settings
3. Create an A record pointing to your server's IP:

Important: If using Cloudflare, turn off the proxy (orange cloud -> grey cloud) before verifying. You can enable it again after SSL is configured.

Once DNS is configured correctly, you'll see "Domain verified successfully" and "DNS Configuration Verified!":

Click "Configure Domain" to complete the setup.

Step 3.4 - Domain connected with SSL

Your domain is now connected. Back on the Apps tab, you'll see your WordPress app now shows the HTTPS domain:

Server Compass automatically:

• Configured Traefik to route traffic to your WordPress app
• Obtained a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt
• Enabled HTTPS for your site

Click "Open" to visit your WordPress site with HTTPS enabled. You can now complete the WordPress setup wizard (Step 2.3).

Step 4 - WordPress Database Management & Backup

Server Compass provides tools for managing your WordPress database and creating backups.

Step 4.1 - Access the database

1. Click on your WordPress app to open its detail page
2. Click the "Database" tab

You'll see your MySQL database with these options:

Step 4.2 - Export your database (backup)

To create a database backup:

1. Click the "Export" tab
2. Enter a filename (e.g., wordpress-backup.sql)
3. Click "Export and download"

This downloads a SQL dump file to your computer — save it somewhere safe.

Step 4.3 - Import a database

To restore or migrate a database:

1. Click the "Import" tab
2. Select your SQL dump file
3. Click "Import"

This is useful for:

• Restoring from a backup
• Migrating from another WordPress installation
• Bulk-updating URLs after a domain change

Step 4.4 - Update WordPress

1. Click on your WordPress app
2. Click "Redeploy" to pull the latest image

Your data persists because it's stored in Docker volumes, not inside the container.

Tip: Always export your database before updating.

Step 5 - Host Multiple WordPress Sites

The power of this setup is running multiple sites efficiently on one server. Simply repeat the process.

Step 5.1 - Add another WordPress site

1. On your server's Apps tab, click "+ New App"
2. Select "App Template" — search for WordPress
3. Configure with a different project name:

1. Click "Deploy"
2. Once deployed, go to the Domain tab and add a domain for the new site (same as Step 3)

Server Compass handles everything automatically — Traefik detects the new container, routes traffic for the second domain, and obtains a new SSL certificate.

Step 5.2 - How multiple sites work together

Traefik inspects incoming requests and routes them based on the domain:

Request to site1.com -> WordPress container "wordpress"
Request to site2.com -> WordPress container "second-wordpress"
Request to site3.com -> WordPress container "wordpress-site3"

Each site is completely isolated with its own:

• WordPress installation
• MySQL database
• SSL certificate
• Docker volumes

You can host 10+ sites on a single server (given adequate RAM).

Step 5.3 - Verify your sites

In Server Compass, you'll see all your WordPress apps listed with their domains and status:

Each app shows:

• Running status (green indicator)
• 2 services (WordPress + MySQL)
• HTTPS domain configured
• Open button to visit the site

Visit each domain in your browser to confirm HTTPS is working.

Conclusion

You now have a production-ready setup for hosting multiple WordPress sites on a single Hetzner Cloud server. Each site runs in isolated Docker containers with automatic SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt.

What you've accomplished:

• Set up Server Compass with SSH key authentication
• Created a Hetzner Cloud server
• Installed Docker and Traefik with one click
• Deployed WordPress with automatic SSL
• Connected your domain
• Learned how to manage, backup, and host multiple sites

Cost comparison:

That's roughly 90% savings while maintaining full control over your infrastructure.

Next steps:

• Add more WordPress sites by repeating Step 2
• Set up automated backups
• Configure email sending with an SMTP plugin
• Add uptime monitoring with a service like UptimeRobot