Dockerized WordPress with Nginx Reverse Proxy

This project demonstrates a multi-container WordPress application using Docker Compose.

The stack includes Nginx as a Reverse Proxy, WordPress, and MySQL with persistent storage, service isolation, and health checks.

Technologies Used

• Docker
• Docker Compose
• Nginx
• WordPress
• MySQL
• GitHub Actions
• GitHub Secrets

Architecture

• Nginx acts as a Reverse Proxy.
• WordPress runs in its own container.
• MySQL runs in a separate container.
• Containers communicate over a dedicated Docker network.
• Data is persisted using Docker volumes.
• Health checks monitor service availability.
• CI validation is performed using GitHub Actions.

Architecture Diagram

Browser
    │
    ▼
Nginx (Reverse Proxy)
    │
    ▼
WordPress
    │
    ▼
MySQL

Prerequisites

• Docker
• Docker Compose

How to Run

cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d

Access WordPress at:

http://localhost:8080

Configuration

• Environment variables are managed using a .env file
• Create your .env file by copying .env.example.
• MySQL credentials and WordPress DB config are stored in environment variables

Persistence

• WordPress data is stored using Docker volumes
• MySQL data remains intact even after containers are stopped or removed

Troubleshooting

• Check logs:

docker compose logs

• Restart containers if needed:

docker compose restart

What I Learned

• Designing multi-container applications using Docker Compose
• Managing service dependencies
• Using volumes for persistent data
• Configuring Nginx as a Reverse Proxy
• Managing application traffic through a reverse proxy
• Applying DevOps best practices for local development environments
• Building CI pipelines using GitHub Actions
• Managing sensitive configuration with GitHub Repository Secrets

Continuous Integration

This project uses GitHub Actions to:

• Validate the Docker Compose configuration
• Start the application stack
• Verify service availability using an HTTP health check

Sensitive configuration is securely managed using GitHub Repository Secrets.