WordPress 24-Hour Trainer, 3rd Edition

Lesson 3Installing WordPress

Because this book covers the self-hosted version of WordPress, you need to have a hosting account on a web server. This is different from having a domain name. A domain name points to a hosting account on a server where the files and a database for a WordPress website are stored. If you don't have a hosting account, following are some things to keep in mind when looking for one.

Hosting WordPress

At www.WordPress.org, you can find a list of currently recommend hosting companies, but there are many others that are just as good. There are a few software requirements for hosting WordPress, but most hosting packages these days—even the most basic—should meet them. Still, it's best to double-check, so here's what to look for as of Version 4.0:

• PHP Version 5.2.4 or greater
• MySQL database Version 5.0 or greater
• The recommended server software is Apache or Nginx, but as long as the minimums for PHP and MySQL are met, everything should be fine.

NOTE If you're not sure how to word your question to your hosting company, the WordPress site provides you with the text for an e-mail you can send at http://wordpress.org/about/requirements/. The letter adds a third item to the list: the mod_rewrite Apache module. This module is needed for the custom permalinks feature in WordPress; although there is a way to use custom permalinks without it, it just makes life a bit easier. Most Linux servers have the module installed.

Of course there's more to choosing ...