Chuyển tới nội dung chính

Hosting requirements

Short answer: GrabWP needs WordPress 5.0 or newer (WordPress 6.2 or newer for GrabWP Restore), PHP 7.4 or newer, and a standard single-site WordPress install (not WordPress Multisite). You also need write access to wp-config.php, wp-content/mu-plugins, and wp-content/grabwp-tenancy, plus a server cron job and transactional email for WaaS. Needs: Free

What it is​

GrabWP runs inside a standard single-site WordPress installation and uses server files, PHP extensions, scheduled tasks, and outgoing email to create and manage client sites:

RequirementMinimum or needed settingWhat uses it
WordPress version5.0 or newer (tested up to 7.1); 6.2 or newer for GrabWP RestoreBase, Pro, WaaS, and all add-ons
PHP version7.4 or newerAll GrabWP plugins
WordPress MultisiteOff (No on Tenancy > Status)GrabWP is not designed for WordPress Multisite
Writable pathswp-config.php, wp-content/mu-plugins/, wp-content/grabwp-tenancy/ (and wp-content/grabwp-tenancy-pro/, wp-content/grabwp-tenancy-sqlite/ for Pro)Early loader block, mu-grabwp-tenancy.php, tenants.php, settings.php, and site folders
PHP pdo_sqlite extensionNeeded for Isolated SQLite DatabasePro SQLite site databases; without pdo_sqlite, new Pro installs default to Shared Database (with table prefixes)
PHP symlink() functionNeeded for symlink extension installs and Domain Symlink (Clean URLs)Pro symlink install method (default) and domain symlinks
MySQL privilegesPer-site database credentials entered by the operatorPro Isolated MySQL Database
Server cron jobSystem cron calling wp-cron.php regularlyScheduled site tasks, Pro Auto Backup, and WaaS renewal, invoice, and provisioning checks
Transactional email (SMTP)Working outgoing mail on the main siteWaaS Verification code (OTP), welcome, trial, invoice, and renewal emails

Why it matters​

  • If wp-content/grabwp-tenancy or wp-content/mu-plugins is not writable, GrabWP displays Plugin needs write access to create tenant directories and manage configuration files. or Auto-install of MU-plugin will not work. Manual installation required. on Tenancy > Status.
  • If WordPress Multisite is active on the main site, the WordPress Multisite row in System Information on Tenancy > Status shows Yes with the note GrabWP Tenancy is not designed for Multisite., and the Hosting setup card says This site still runs as WordPress Multisite. GrabWP needs regular WordPress. Remove every line below.
  • Some lines in wp-config.php stop GrabWP from giving each site its own address and login. See Settings in wp-config.php that stop GrabWP.
  • By default, Disable WP-Cron (DISABLE_WP_CRON) is turned on for client sites, so a server cron job is required for scheduled tasks to run.
  • Without reliable transactional email, customers in WAAS Auth (Email signup) mode will not receive their Verification code email to complete signup.

How to check​

  1. In wp-admin, go to Tenancy > Status and check the Plugin General tab.
  2. Read the Hosting setup card. It says ✓ Ready when all four rows pass. See Hosting setup checks.
  3. Open System Information and confirm PHP Version, Web Server, WordPress Multisite (No), Data Dir Writable (Yes), and MU-Plugins Dir Writable (Yes).
  4. If you use Pro, check Tenancy > Pro Settings > Symlink to confirm symlink() is available, and Tenancy > Pro Settings > Backup > Schedule Assurance to check WP-Cron Status.

What to do​

Before launching your platform:

  1. Start on a VPS or hosting account where you control folder permissions, cron jobs, and domain routing. The GrabWP team tests on xCloud (see Hosting with xCloud).
  2. Keep page caching off while installing and testing GrabWP, and only re-enable caching after site provisioning is verified.
  3. Configure an SMTP plugin on the main site and send a test email from Waas > Settings > Email before opening public signups.
  4. Follow Set up WaaS and Install GrabWP.

Hosting setup checks​

The Hosting setup card is on Tenancy > Status > Plugin General and in the setup wizard's Server check (Welcome step). It appears only on the main site. Each row has a mark: ✓ passes, ✗ needs attention, ○ not needed. Click Check again after you change something at your host.

RowPasses whenWhat you can do
Multisite and wp-config.phpThis site runs as regular WordPress.See Settings in wp-config.php that stop GrabWP.
Secure addressWordPress uses https.If the site already works on https but WordPress still uses http, click Switch to https. It changes the WordPress Address and Site Address only. Links inside posts are not changed. Click Undo to go back to http. If the row says the address does not answer on https or the certificate is not valid, turn on SSL at your host or CDN first.
HTTPS behind a proxyWordPress sees https from your proxy or CDN.If your proxy or CDN serves https but WordPress is not told, click Add HTTPS detection. GrabWP adds a small HTTPS detection block to wp-config.php and keeps a backup in the GrabWP data folder. Remove HTTPS detection takes it out again. If GrabWP cannot write the file, open Code to add by hand and click Copy code. The row also warns when HTTPS code in wp-config.php runs after the GrabWP loader, so new sites can miss https. No proxy or CDN reports https for this visit. means there is nothing to fix here.
Subdomains (wildcard)New sites at *.your-domain work.The row tests three things: DNS, address and certificate. Add a wildcard DNS record at your DNS host, point it at this site at your host, and get a certificate that covers *.your-domain. With path addresses the row says Not needed: sites use path addresses.

When the Multisite or Subdomains row needs attention, the card also shows Using xCloud? with the steps from Hosting with xCloud.

Settings in wp-config.php that stop GrabWP​

Your wp-config.php file may still contain lines left over from WordPress Multisite or from your host. GrabWP sets these values for each of your sites, so if wp-config.php sets them first, your sites can open the main site or fail to log in. It does not matter what value the line has.

GrabWP looks for these names:

  • The WordPress Multisite settings: MULTISITE, SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL, VHOST, DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE, PATH_CURRENT_SITE, SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE, BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE, SUNRISE, NOBLOGREDIRECT and WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE
  • WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL
  • COOKIE_DOMAIN, COOKIEPATH, SITECOOKIEPATH and ADMIN_COOKIE_PATH
  • A $base line

WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE on its own only shows the Network Setup screen, so the row then says Regular WordPress. WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE is optional cleanup.

Where you see the warning: in the Multisite and wp-config.php row of the Hosting setup card on Tenancy > Status, and in the Server check of the setup wizard. The row says wp-config.php has settings that stop GrabWP. Remove every line below. and Lines to remove by hand lists each line it found, with its line number in wp-config.php. A setting made outside wp-config.php (for example by a host must-use plugin) is listed by name: ask your host to remove it.

What Remove these settings does: when you click Remove these settings and confirm, GrabWP:

  1. Saves a backup copy of wp-config.php in the GrabWP data folder.
  2. Removes the lines it found. If WP_HOME or WP_SITEURL holds a plain web address, GrabWP first saves that address in WordPress, so your main site keeps the same address.
  3. Opens your main site to check that it still works. If it does not, GrabWP puts the old wp-config.php back right away.

You may need to log in again, then activate plugins that were network activated. If something looks wrong afterwards, click Undo settings removal to put back the old wp-config.php and the old main site address. Undo refuses to run if wp-config.php was changed since the removal; the old copy stays in the GrabWP data folder.

GrabWP does not change .htaccess. Old Multisite rules there do not affect GrabWP, which uses its own GrabWP Tenancy block, so they can stay.

When you must remove lines yourself: GrabWP will not fix the file for you if a line sits inside a condition (an if block, marked (inside a condition, check it)), is written in an unusual way, or if the same name is still used somewhere else in the file. The card then says Some of these lines are inside a condition or still used by other code, so GrabWP cannot remove them for you. Make a backup of wp-config.php, delete the listed lines with your host's file manager or ask your host to do it, then click Check again.

GrabWP also refuses to fix a real WordPress Multisite network that has more than one site (This is a Multisite network with %d sites. Do not convert it: back up or move those sites first.). Move off Multisite first.

Limits and versions​

  • Automatic creation of a new MySQL database per site from a master MySQL account is not supported; today Isolated SQLite Database provisions automatically when pdo_sqlite is loaded, and Isolated MySQL Database uses database credentials entered per site.
  • The Hosting setup card, Remove these settings and Undo settings removal need Base 1.1.15 or later.
  • Verified against Base 1.1.15, Pro 1.1.18, and WaaS 1.1.25.