Setup Wizard — WebsiteBox

Step 1 — Get a VPS

WebsiteBox runs on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) — a Linux server in a data center that you rent by the month. This is where your website will live. You have full control of the server, and only you can access it.

What is a VPS?

A VPS is a small virtual computer running 24/7 in a data center. Unlike shared hosting, no one else runs software on your server. Your files stay on your server only — WebsiteBox never touches them.

Recommended providers

Provider	Starting price	Notes
BuyVM (opens in new tab)	From $2/mo	Content-friendly, generous bandwidth
DigitalOcean (opens in new tab)	From $4/mo	Beginner-friendly interface
Linode (Akamai) (opens in new tab)	From $5/mo	Reliable, global data centers

Requirements

Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 11+
1 GB RAM minimum (2 GB recommended)
Root SSH access

I have a VPS running Ubuntu or Debian

Step 2 — Get a Domain

Your domain is your website's address — like mysite.com. You'll buy one from a registrar and point it at your VPS. WebsiteBox handles SSL automatically once DNS is configured.

Recommended registrars

Porkbun (opens in new tab) — competitive prices, simple interface
Namecheap (opens in new tab) — popular and reliable
Cloudflare (opens in new tab) — at-cost pricing, excellent DNS

How to point your domain to your VPS

Log into your registrar's DNS settings for your domain
Find or create an A record for @ (the root domain)
Set the value to your VPS's IP address
Optionally, add a second A record for www pointing to the same IP

DNS changes propagate within minutes to a few hours. WebsiteBox will verify DNS during install.

Your domain name

Enter your domain without http:// or www — e.g. mysite.com

My domain's DNS is pointed to my VPS

Step 3 — License Key

Enter your WebsiteBox license key. Keys use the format WBOX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. The format is validated here — the key is not sent anywhere until you run the install command.

License key

Dashes are inserted automatically. Characters are uppercased as you type.

Don't have a key yet? View pricing to purchase one.

Step 4 — Configure Your Site

Customize your installation. All fields have sensible defaults — you can change anything after installation from the WordPress admin panel.

Basic Info

Site Title

Shown in browser tabs and search results. Defaults to "My Portfolio" if left blank.

Admin Username *

Your WordPress admin username. Cannot be "admin".

Admin Email *

Used for WordPress admin and recovery emails.

Admin Password *

Minimum 12 characters. Keep this somewhere safe.

Content Modules

Blog Adds a blog section to your site

Contact Page Adds a contact page with configurable method

Contact method

Email Link Contact Form Telegram

Link-in-Bio Page A simple links page for social profiles

Appearance

Color Scheme

Midnight Ocean Slate Dawn Forest Rose

Logo URL (optional)

Link to your logo image. Leave blank to use the site title as text.

Other Options

Age Gate Show an age verification prompt before the site loads

Minimum age

Visitors must confirm they are at least this age.

Importer Install WordPress import tools (useful for migration)

Work Mode Password-protect the site during construction

Step 5 — Your Install Command

SSH into your VPS and paste this command. It will install everything automatically.

Terminal

What this command does

Updates system packages and installs Docker
Configures UFW firewall and Fail2ban
Acquires an SSL certificate via Let's Encrypt
Installs and configures WordPress
Applies 20+ automatic WordPress improvements
Sets up daily database and weekly full-site backups

How to run it

Copy the command above
Open a terminal and SSH into your VPS: ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP
Paste and press Enter
The installer will run — this takes 5–15 minutes

Full Setup Guide