---
title: "nginx + WordPress - redux"
date: 2008-08-17
canonical: https://michaelshadle.com/2008/08/17/nginx-wordpress-redux
---

# nginx + WordPress - redux

Note: this has been outdated once again. Now it can be simplified with one simple directive shown [here](http://michaelshadle.com/2009/03/19/finally-using-nginxs-try-files-directive).

  
There's been a minor tweak required in my [original WordPress+nginx rewrite rule post](http://michaelshadle.com/2008/05/01/wordpress-nginx-rewrite-rules-stop-the-insanity).

I think we've finally got it right now. I've been exchanging emails ad nauseum with Igor and I believe the behavior now works properly (part of the exchange was regarding PHP+basic http auth, there were some bugs around the regexps/nested location blocks or something)

Anyway, here is a perfect working example, running this very website:

```
server {
   listen 80;
   server_name michaelshadle.com;
   index index.php;
   root /home/mike/web/michaelshadle.com/;
   include /etc/nginx/defaults.conf;
   include /etc/nginx/expires.conf;
   error_page 404 = /wordpress/index.php?q=$request_uri;
   location ^~ /wordpress/wp-admin {
      auth_basic "wordpress";
      auth_basic_user_file /home/mike/web/michaelshadle.com/.htpasswd;
      location ~ \.php$ {
         fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:11000;
      }
   }
   location ~ \.php$ {
      fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:11000;
   }
}
```

Likewise, you can also omit the basic HTTP authentication if you don't think you need it:

```
server {
   listen 80;
   server_name michaelshadle.com;
   index index.php;
   root /home/mike/web/michaelshadle.com/;
   include /etc/nginx/defaults.conf;
   include /etc/nginx/expires.conf;
   error_page 404 = /wordpress/index.php?q=$request_uri;
   location ~ \.php$ {
      fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:11000;
   }
}
```

Note: this does require a patched version of 0.7.10 - I assume he will put these changes into 0.7.11. Some of the changes required include the basic HTTP auth stuff. Also, when using error_page 404, it generated logfile noise in the error log. That was fixed as of 0.7.9 or 0.7.10, so no longer will you receive script-handled 404's in your error log.

This should be the last and final need to run WordPress properly under nginx. This has the approval of Igor, the creator - you cannot get better than that. (Note: this is WordPress 2.6.1, but I have not seen any reason the rewrite rule would be different since even before 2.x)

Let me know if it doesn't work! Or better yet, let the [nginx mailing list](http://mailman.nginx.org/mailman/listinfo) know :)