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Set up a WordPress multisite

Want to run a WordPress network of sites from a single WordPress installation?

This article describes the Cyberfusion side: which hostnames to add for the layout you pick, how to point DNS at them, and how to get a certificate for them. The WordPress side, meaning enabling multisite in wp-config.php, the Network Setup screen, and plugin choices, is covered in WordPress's own documentation.

Pick the multisite layout first

It decides everything else:

Layout Sites live at Aliases needed SSL
Subdirectory example.com/site-a None Let's Encrypt
Subdomain site-a.example.com One wildcard: *.example.com Paid wildcard certificate
Domain mapping site-a.com, site-b.net One per domain Let's Encrypt

The rest of this article assumes you've already set up the site for your primary domain. See All about virtual hosts.

1. Open the virtual host

Directly

  1. Navigate to 'Advanced' > 'Virtual Hosts'.
  2. Select the virtual host.

Via the project

  1. Navigate to 'Projects'.
  2. Select the project.
  3. Navigate to 'Advanced'.
  4. Under the 'Virtual Host' tile, click 'Manage'.

2. Add the aliases

Skip this for a subdirectory multisite — the primary domain is enough.

  1. Next to 'Aliases', click '+'.
  2. Enter the hostname in the 'Domain' field.
  3. Click 'Add'.
  4. Repeat for each alias.

Leave the 'Add www' toggle off. For a multisite it would add www.*.example.com, which is not a valid hostname.

Wildcards (subdomain layout)

Enter *.example.com as the alias. One wildcard covers every subdomain, so you do not add each site individually.

Rules:

  • The * must be the only character before the first dot. *.example.com is valid; *sub.example.com and sub.*.example.com are not.
  • Only one * per alias.
  • The alias must still be unique across every site and URL redirect on the cluster. See the uniqueness rules.

3. Point DNS at the cluster

  • Subdirectory — only the primary domain needs a record.
  • Subdomain — add a wildcard DNS record, *.example.com. Without it, sub-sites do not resolve at all.
  • Domain mapping — add a record for each mapped domain.

4. Set up SSL

Subdirectory or domain mapping

Use a Let's Encrypt certificate manager covering the primary domain and any mapped domains. See Let's Encrypt certificates.

Subdomain (wildcard)

Let's Encrypt certificate managers in Cyberfusion do not accept wildcard domains in their 'Common Names'. For *.example.com you need a paid wildcard certificate. See Paid SSL certificates.

Once uploaded, attach it to *.example.com. That wildcard covers every subdomain that doesn't have an entry of its own.

5. Configure WordPress

Cyberfusion serves whatever WordPress sends back. The multisite settings — subdomain versus subdirectory, the network admin, mapped-domain plugins — live entirely inside WordPress.

Follow WordPress's Create A Network guide for the wp-config.php constants and the Network Setup steps.

Cyberfusion registers the install as WordPress automatically once wp-includes/version.php appears under the document root. See Automatic CMS detection.