WP-CLI Access

WP-CLI Access

When the FlyWP dashboard doesn’t quite give you the control you need — bulk-updating dozens of plugins, running a database find-and-replace across thousands of rows, or automating repetitive tasks with scripts — WP-CLI is the tool you reach for. WP-CLI (the official command-line interface for WordPress) lets you interact with every part of a WordPress site from a terminal prompt, without touching the admin panel at all. On FlyWP, each site runs inside its own isolated Docker container (a self-contained environment that keeps sites separate from one another), so you’ll target the right container when running commands.

Accessing WP-CLI

You can run WP-CLI commands through two methods:

1. Server Terminal (Browser)

Open the Terminal tab on your server’s detail page in the FlyWP dashboard. This gives you a browser-based shell where you can run commands without a separate SSH (Secure Shell) client installed on your computer — useful if you’re on a shared machine or just want a quick one-off command.

2. SSH Access

Connect to your server via SSH (Secure Shell — an encrypted connection to your server’s command line) as the fly user:

ssh fly@your-server-ip

SSH is the better choice when you’re running longer scripts or want to pipe command output into local files.

Running WP-CLI Commands

Because each site runs in an isolated Docker container, you need to target the correct container by its domain name. The docker exec command runs a command inside a named container:

docker exec -it your-domain-com wp plugin list

Here are common WP-CLI commands you’ll use day-to-day:

# List installed plugins
docker exec -it your-domain-com wp plugin list

# Update all plugins
docker exec -it your-domain-com wp plugin update --all

# List installed themes
docker exec -it your-domain-com wp theme list

# Search and replace in the database
docker exec -it your-domain-com wp search-replace 'old-url.com' 'new-url.com'

# Export the database
docker exec -it your-domain-com wp db export /tmp/backup.sql

# Clear WordPress cache
docker exec -it your-domain-com wp cache flush

# Create a new admin user
docker exec -it your-domain-com wp user create admin admin@example.com --role=administrator

Tip

FlyWP’s dashboard provides visual tools for many common WP-CLI tasks — plugin management, database operations, and search-replace. Reach for WP-CLI when you need fine-grained control, want to automate tasks through scripts, or need to work with large datasets that are slow to handle through the UI.

Site Isolation

Each WordPress site on a FlyWP server lives in its own container, which means it has:

• Its own PHP environment and extensions
• Its own WP-CLI installation
• Its own file system (WordPress core, plugins, themes, uploads)
• Access to its own database only

This isolation is a security and stability feature: WP-CLI commands in one container cannot accidentally affect other sites on the same server.

Scripting with WP-CLI

You can chain WP-CLI commands to handle batch operations in a single session. For example, to cleanly remove a plugin:

# Deactivate and delete a plugin
docker exec -it your-domain-com wp plugin deactivate akismet
docker exec -it your-domain-com wp plugin delete akismet

Always back up your site before running destructive WP-CLI commands like wp db import, wp search-replace, or wp plugin delete. These operations change or remove data permanently and cannot be undone without a backup.

Related Pages

• Access Server Terminal
• FlyWP Server CLI
• MySQL from Docker Container
• WordPress Management