Auto Installer VS Manually Installing

  • Hello everyone,

    I remember trying out WordPress as a kid, years ago. It was still very new and all the tools supporting it were new as well and from what I remember, using Auto Installers via C-Panel was never stable. It was buggy, outdated, files were skipped and even if everything was installed correctly, it doesn’t follow proper security protocols.

    When you install WordPress manually you can do it step by step and delete certain folders which shouldn’t remain on the server after you finished installing and rename other folders and there were a few more things you could do which you can only do in the right order if you install it manually after creating a Username and Database and then installing it by uploading all the files to the server via an FTP client and accessing the install.php file.

    Am I lagging behind still resorting to those methods or manually installing WordPress is still the best way to go about it? Any information is greatly appreciated. I have some networking knowledge so I would love to learn from the pros and improve the way I work.

Viewing 10 replies - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

  • I’m not sure how it could be “new” and “outdated” at the same time.

    Today’s host tools to install WordPress work just fine. They usually leave an entry in some list of installed programs, though. So if you delete WordPress manually, it is still in that list and “thinks” it’s still installed. Some hosts push updates to installed programs, so if you don’t want your host to decide, don’t use their installer. The installer also chooses the name of the database and the db user. These are usually restricted to a particular prefix anyway, so that isn’t a big deal.

    Installing manually takes a little longer, but not much since there isn’t much to do. I wouldn’t FTP the files. I would FTP the zip and expand it on the server. It’s much more reliable that way and faster.

    Thread Starter ilsol

    (@ilsol)

    It can be new and outdated in the sense that it was still a new CMS but after a couple more versions were released, the auto installers weren’t up to date. It was still fairly new, it was still the first 3-4 years of WordPress but many versions were released already. Hope that clears up what I was saying.

    Thanks for the information and the tips. So what you said is to get the .tar.gz file instead and use the CPanel tools to unzip it?

    The way it says to do it here: Upload and Unzipping .zip and .gz files in cPanel

    Auto Installer have a great feature for beginners without any technical knowledge required,
    unfortunately it has several weaknesses due to default installation settings.
    Database name can easily be guessed as well as database user and database prefix, because automatic installers are
    using the same database prefix for all WordPress installations. The pattern is easy to guess.
    I think you should choose WordPress Manual install over Auto Installer

    • 1.) Default database table prefix
    • 2.) Unwanted plugins and files
    • 3.) Issues with some plugins
    • 4.) Outdated WordPress Version

    1.) Default database table prefix
    While some hosts don’t provide you with any option to change database prefix, some hosts offer a user to input their own database prefix, however this is not very useful as the input field is usually pre-populated with the default prefix.
    2.) Unwanted plugins and files
    Most of the automatic WordPress installer scripts will also install some plugins that you don’t want or need and also add some files to your server root installation. Most widely installed plugins are Mojo Marketplace, Jetpack or some other Host related plugins. Files places in your public root directory are exposed to the public and many people believe that they will create another security risk for your website.
    3.) Issues with some plugins
    One of the most used WordPress plugins “BuddyPress” recommends that WordPress should be installed manually via FTP, cPanel, etc. without using automatic webhost scripts. I have also experienced issues using WP Super Cache, even though I haven’t been able to troubleshoot where the problem was, installing the WordPress manually on the same troubled host, seemed to have fixed the issue. It may also caused some issues with some database related plugins.
    4.) Outdated WordPress Version
    I never recommend updating your WordPress installation as soon as the new version is released because the current theme you’re using and the plugins might not be compatible with the latest WordPress version. You should always check theme/plugin documentation and change log to check compatibility. But still, if you are doing a fresh install, it is recommended to install the latest WordPress version.

    Thread Starter ilsol

    (@ilsol)

    Thank you so much for this in-depth explanation. I find all the information provided thus far, extremely helpful. I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on the Manual methods of installing wordpress.

    One method is to unpack the RAR file and upload it VIA FTP and access the install.php and follow the instructions displayed on the page.

    There are a couple more methods I am aware of but I don’t have much experience with.

    Can anyone describe the best way (To install it manually)?

    As I mentioned before, I prefer (and WP does this for updates) to transfer the zip file to the host and unzip it on the host. It’s less bandwidth since it’s zipped and only one transfer instead of hundreds so it’s more reliable. And if the transfer corrupts the one file, it won’t unzip, so you know of the problem right away, instead of verifying hundreds of individual transfer results.
    I usually rename the wordpress folder to wp, and leave it in its folder. I install using install.php and make the small change for WP to control the root instead of just the folder it’s in. There’s not that much to do in an installation.
    You can install your favorite plugins with the zips, extracting on the server.

    Or develop the entire site on your computer and use a migration plugin to move it to your host.

    I prefer the oldskool method. Gives more control over database encoding for a brand new install, and other wp-config.php parameters most WP admins are unaware about. Simply by opening up a SSH connection and arrange everything through CLI.

    If you have to ask how to go about a manual install? Then you’re probably better of using an automated installation. Things have progressed since back in the days when it comes to a bare install. In some cases, one would still have to upgrade afterwards, but at least you wouldn’t have to mess about with correct access rights on a files level.

    And in both cases install and go over all the settings of https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/better-wp-security/ to change many options after an installation; even those who are forgotten by most server admins and webmasters.

    Thanks for everyone’s information!

    Thread Starter ilsol

    (@ilsol)

    Thank you so much for all the great info. I attempted using the method I was recommended on here. I opened Cpanel and accessed File Manager. Once I chose the wordpress-5.2.2.tar.gz file and uploaded it to my /public_html directory in order to unpack it there, it asked me which permissions I would like to set.

    Can someone explain to me how can I know for sure the right permissions required whenever I upload anything? This time it sets the following permissions by default: 644

    Please view this screenshot: https://prnt.sc/olchlj

    I am hosted with SiteGround and I read their tutorial: https://www.siteground.com/tutorials/cpanel/file-permissions/

    The problem with their tutorial is that I am not uploading a single file but a zipped file which contains many files and folders.

    How do I know which permissions to set?

    Correct File and Folder Permissions in WordPress
    The correct set of file and folder permissions allows WordPress to create folders and files. The following settings are recommended for most users.

      755 for all folders and sub-folders.
      644 for all files.
    Thread Starter ilsol

    (@ilsol)

    Correct File and Folder Permissions in WordPress
    The correct set of file and folder permissions allows WordPress to create folders and files. The following settings are recommended for most users.

    755 for all folders and sub-folders.
    644 for all files.

    I am aware of that. My question was different.
    I uploaded the wordpress-5.2.2.tar.gz file and unzipped it right on the server within my public_html directory.

    Once I did that, it asked me for the permissions I want to set. It looked like a global permission set, as in it will be setting the SAME permissions for everything once I click OK. So how can I separate files/folders permissions?

    My post described my question very well, if you don’t mind reading it again.

    EDIT: I JUST CHECKED THE PERMISSIONS AND THE FOLDERS ARE SET TO 755 AND FILES ARE SET TO 644 AUTOMATICALLY BUT I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY IT WAS ASKING ME TO SET THE PERMISSIONS FOR EVERYTHING WHEN I WAS UNZIPPING IF IT WENT AHEAD AND CHANGED IT AUTOMATICALLY AFTER THAT.

    • This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by ilsol.
Viewing 10 replies - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
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