This guide applies to instances provisioned with the WordPress blueprint, which comes pre-installed with WordPress, Apache/Nginx, MySQL, and WP-CLI via Bitnami.
Step 1: Get Your WordPress Admin Password
After your instance is provisioned:
1.SSH into your server (see SSH Access guide)
2.Retrieve the default password:
cat /home/bitnami/bitnami_credentials
This shows your initial WordPress username ("user") and password.
Step 2: Access WordPress Admin
1.Open your browser and go to:
http://YOUR-IP/wp-admin
2.Log in with username "user" and the password from Step 1
3.Immediately change your password from Users → Your Profile
Step 3: Configure Your Site
Site Title & Tagline
Go to Settings → General and set your Site Title, Tagline, and URLs.
Permalinks
Go to Settings → Permalinks and select "Post name" for SEO-friendly URLs:
https://yourdomain.com/my-first-post/
Timezone
Set your timezone in Settings → General to match your target audience.
Step 4: Point Your Domain
1.In NexusHost, link your domain to the hosting instance (automatic A record)
2.In WordPress, go to Settings → General
3.Change both "WordPress Address (URL)" and "Site Address (URL)" to:
https://yourdomain.com
Step 5: Install SSL Certificate
For a free SSL certificate:
1.SSH into your server
2.Run the Bitnami HTTPS configuration:
sudo /opt/bitnami/bncert-tool
3.Follow the prompts to install Let's Encrypt SSL
4.This also configures HTTP-to-HTTPS redirection
Or install SSL via the NexusHost SSL module.
Step 6: Essential Plugins
Recommended plugins to install from Plugins → Add New:
•Wordfence — Security & firewall
•WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache — Performance
•Yoast SEO — Search engine optimization
•UpdraftPlus — Automated backups
•Akismet — Spam protection (pre-installed)
Step 7: Using WP-CLI
WordPress CLI is pre-installed. SSH in and run:
wp plugin list
wp theme install flavflavor --activate
wp core update
wp db export backup.sql
Always run WP-CLI commands as the bitnami user:
sudo -u bitnami wp plugin update --all
Performance Tips
•Enable page caching with WP Super Cache
•Optimize images before uploading (use ShortPixel or Imagify)
•Use a CDN like Cloudflare for static assets
•Increase PHP memory in wp-config.php:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');
•Keep WordPress, themes, and plugins updated
Troubleshooting
•White Screen of Death: SSH in and check logs at /opt/bitnami/apache/logs/error_log
•Can't login: Reset password via WP-CLI: wp user update user --user_pass=NewPassword123
•500 error: Check .htaccess or disable plugins via WP-CLI: wp plugin deactivate --all
•Database connection error: Verify MySQL is running: sudo systemctl status mysql