Build a Personal Blog on a VPS (2025) - WordPress/Typecho/Hugo Complete Solutions

WordPress is the world's most popular CMS, with countless themes and plugins.

Deployment steps:

1. Create the directory:

   mkdir wordpress && cd wordpress
   

2. Create docker-compose.yml:

   Security tip: We bind the web port to 127.0.0.1, allowing only the local Caddy to access it, avoiding direct port exposure to the public internet and improving security.

   services:
     db:
       image: mariadb:10.11
       container_name: wp-db
       restart: always
       environment:
         MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your_strong_root_password # 请务必修改为强密码
         MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
         MYSQL_USER: wordpress
         MYSQL_PASSWORD: your_strong_db_password      # 请务必修改为强密码
       volumes:
         - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
   
     wordpress:
       image: wordpress:latest
       container_name: wp-app
       restart: always
       ports:
         - "127.0.0.1:8080:80" # 仅监听本地，配合 Caddy 反代
       environment:
         WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
         WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress
         WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: your_strong_db_password # 与上面保持一致
         WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
       volumes:
         - wp_data:/var/www/html
       depends_on:
         - db
   
     redis:  # 可选：用于对象缓存加速
       image: redis:alpine
       container_name: wp-redis
       restart: always
   
   volumes:
     db_data:
     wp_data:
   

3. Start the service:

   docker compose up -d
   

4. Configuration recommendations:

   • After completing the Caddy configuration, visit https://你的域名 to finish the installation.
   • Strongly recommended: Install the "Redis Object Cache" plugin, set the connection address to redis, which can significantly improve backend loading speed.

Typecho is a very popular lightweight blogging system in China, with native Markdown support, a simple structure, and blazing-fast performance.

Deployment steps:

1. Create the directory:

   mkdir typecho && cd typecho
   

2. Create docker-compose.yml (using the PHP-FPM + Nginx combination):

   services:
     typecho:
       image: joyqi/typecho:nightly-php7.4-fpm-alpine
       container_name: typecho-app
       restart: always
       environment:
         TYPECHO_DB_HOST: db
         TYPECHO_DB_USER: typecho
         TYPECHO_DB_PASSWORD: your_strong_db_password
         TYPECHO_DB_DATABASE: typecho
       volumes:
         - typecho_data:/var/www/html
       depends_on:
         - db
   
     nginx:
       image: nginx:alpine
       container_name: typecho-nginx
       restart: always
       ports:
         - "127.0.0.1:8081:80" # 仅监听本地
       volumes:
         - typecho_data:/var/www/html
         - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf:ro
       depends_on:
         - typecho
     
     db:
       image: mariadb:10.11
       container_name: typecho-db
       restart: always
       environment:
         MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: your_strong_root_password
         MYSQL_DATABASE: typecho
         MYSQL_USER: typecho
         MYSQL_PASSWORD: your_strong_db_password
       volumes:
         - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
   
   volumes:
     typecho_data:
     db_data:
   

3. Create nginx.conf:

   server {
       listen 80;
       server_name localhost;
       root /var/www/html;
       index index.php index.html;
   
       # 屏蔽敏感文件
       location ~ ^/(\.user.ini|\.htaccess|\.git|admin/config.inc.php) {
           deny all;
       }
   
       location / {
           try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
       }
   
       location ~ \.php$ {
           fastcgi_pass typecho:9000;
           fastcgi_index index.php;
           include fastcgi_params;
           fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
       }
   }
   

4. Start the service:

   docker compose up -d
   

Hugo is not a program that runs on the VPS; instead, it generates HTML files on your local computer, which you then upload to the VPS.

Workflow:

1. Local (Mac/PC): Write Markdown -> run the hugo command -> generate the public folder.
2. VPS: Run a web server (Caddy/Nginx) to host the HTML files.
3. Publish: Use rsync or scp to sync the local public folder to the VPS.

VPS-side deployment (Docker Caddy):

1. Create the directory:

   mkdir myblog
   

2. Create docker-compose.yml:

   services:
     caddy:
       image: caddy:alpine
       container_name: blog-server
       restart: always
       ports:
         - "80:80"     # Caddy 需要公开 80/443 以申请证书
         - "443:443"
       volumes:
         - ./public:/usr/share/caddy  # 映射网页文件目录
         - caddy_data:/data
         - caddy_config:/config
   
   volumes:
     caddy_data:
     caddy_config:
   

3. Start the service:

   docker compose up -d
   

4. Upload content (execute on your local computer):

   # 假设你的 VPS IP 是 1.2.3.4，目录是 /root/myblog/public
   rsync -avz --delete ./public/ [email protected]:/root/myblog/public/
   

For WordPress and Typecho, we also recommend using Caddy as a reverse proxy to handle HTTPS.

Key preparation steps (must-read):

1. Domain resolution: Be sure to first go to your domain registrar (such as Alibaba Cloud, Namecheap) and point the domain's A record to the VPS IP address.
2. Wait for propagation: Ping the domain in your local terminal, and you must ensure the IP has already changed. If the domain isn't resolved properly when Caddy starts, the SSL certificate application will fail outright, making the site inaccessible.

Caddyfile example:

# WordPress 反代
blog.yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}

# Typecho 反代
note.yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8081
}

After starting Caddy, it automatically applies for and renews certificates, with no manual intervention needed.

Many beginners easily overlook this, but on a VPS, data backup is life. Once the VPS provider disappears or the server fails, having no backup means all your articles are gone.

1. Backup directory: All Docker configurations in this article mount data to volumes. You need to regularly back up the /var/lib/docker/volumes directory.
2. Automated backup: Manual backups are easy to forget, so we strongly recommend referring to our previous article VPS Automated Backup Solutions (2025) and using Rclone to automatically sync data to Google Drive or an S3 bucket, so you can sleep soundly.

• WordPress: The strongest ecosystem, suitable for users who don't want to tinker and have many feature requirements.
• Typecho: Light, fast, and simple, suitable for pure writing.
• Hugo: Secure, blazing-fast, and database-free, suitable for tech enthusiasts.

No matter which solution you choose, content is always the core of a blog.