wp-install

What is wp-install?

It's like npm install for WordPress.

WordPress encourages the use of long-lived servers:

• Plugins are typically downloaded directly to a running server, rather than being stored in source control
• WordPress (and it's plugins) update themselves by downloading new code directly to the server
• To deploy a custom theme, a developer typically FTP's files to a running server

This goes against the modern idea of Immutable Infrastructure.

This package is here to help make immutable WordPress deployment easier!
This package:

• Downloads the latest version of WordPress and puts it in a ./dist folder.
• Downloads the latest version of the WordPress plugins that you configure in .wp-install.yml
• Copies plugins that you have saved locally
• Copies your custom theme that you have saved locally

This ends up with a working WordPress installation in ./dist/wordpress that you can serve or deploy.

Installation

npm install wp-install -g

This will install wp-install globally so it can be run from the command line.

Usage

• Create a file .wp-install.yml
  The structure should be like this:

---
cache-folder: .wordpress-download-cache  # Optional - this is the default value
dist-folder: dist  # Optional - this is the default value

plugins-to-download:  # Optional
  plugins:
  - name: custom-post-type-ui
  - name: custom-post-type-permalinks

plugins-to-copy:  # Optional
  directory: plugins-to-copy
  plugins:
  - name: advanced-custom-fields-pro
    type: directory
    directory: advanced-custom-fields-pro
  - name: advanced-custom-fields-pro-2
    type: zip
    filename: advanced-custom-fields-pro-2.zip

custom-theme:  # Optional
  directory: my-custom-theme

• In the same folder as .wp-install.yml simply run:

wp-install

What does it do? / what are the options?

• Deletes and re-creates a ./dist folder.

• Downloads WordPress:

  • It checks the WordPress.org API (specifically the Version Checker) to find which version of WordPress to download.
    Note: it chooses the first offer with response:"upgrade".
  • Downloads the file to .wordpress-download-cache/wordpress/[version]
  • Unzips WordPress into the ./dist/wordpress folder

• Plugins (part 1) - download plugins

  • Looks in .wp-install.yml to see if you want to download any plugins from WordPress.org
    This is configured in the plugins-to-download section.
  • Checks the WordPress.org API to find which version of the plugin to download.
    For instance, for the custom-post-type-ui plugin, uses this page on the API
  • Downloads the plugin to .wordpress-download-cache/plugins/[plugin-name]
  • Unzips the plugin to ./dist/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/

• Plugins (part 2) - locally saved plugins

  • Looks in .wp-install.yml to see if you have any locally saved plugins to copy
  • Plugins can be folders or zip files

• Copies your custom theme

  • Looks in .wp-install.yml to see if you have a custom theme to copy
  • The theme is copied to ./dist/wordpress/wp-content/themes