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The reliable way to run several WordPress sites at paths such as https://example.com/store and https://example.com/docs is one WordPress Multisite installation configured as a subdirectory (path-based) network. The extra sites are virtual network paths, not separate folders containing separate WordPress copies. Nginx must pass those paths to the shared WordPress front controller while stripping the site prefix from core and PHP requests.
Back up the existing site and database first, enable the Multisite network capability, choose subdirectory sites in the Network setup screen, install the generated constants and rewrite guidance, then apply the Nginx server-block pattern below. Test the root site and a subsite before treating the migration as complete.
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WordPress uses the term subdirectory for the URL shape, not for a collection of physical directories. As WordPress.org’s developer documentation puts it, “A sub-directory install creates a path-based network, even though it does not use file system directories.” A network at example.com might therefore contain:
https://example.com/for the network’s main sitehttps://example.com/store/for one sitehttps://example.com/docs/for another site
Those paths are records in the Multisite database and routing rules. They do not require /var/www/example.com/htdocs/store or /var/www/example.com/htdocs/docs to contain another WordPress code tree. WordPress describes Multisite as “a way to host multiple WordPress sites on a single WordPress installation.” Core files, PHP-FPM handling and the database installation are shared, while each site has its own content settings, users or roles as configured by the network administrator, themes and plugins that the network allows, and media data.
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This is different from putting one ordinary WordPress installation’s core files in a filesystem directory such as /my_subdir. That layout is covered later because its Nginx locations and URL calculations are different. Mixing the two models is a common cause of 404s and broken administrator links.
Choose the network layout before changing Nginx
When a path-based network is a good fit
- You want one hostname and URL paths that are easy to place under an existing domain.
- You want to avoid creating DNS records or wildcard DNS for every site.
- You can administer one WordPress codebase and coordinate network-wide plugin, theme and PHP changes.
- You are comfortable making Nginx route unknown paths to one WordPress front controller.
Subdirectory Multisite does not mean each site is independently deployable. A PHP, WordPress core or network-plugin change affects the shared installation, so backups and staged changes matter more than they would for unrelated single-site installations.
When to consider another architecture
Subdomain Multisite uses addresses such as store.example.com. It can provide clearer brand separation, but it normally adds DNS and certificate work and has different cookie and domain considerations. Separate WordPress installations provide stronger isolation but duplicate code, updates, databases and server configuration. The choice should be made before importing content; changing a network’s site-address model later is a migration, not a simple Nginx edit.
| Characteristic | Subdirectory Multisite | Subdomain Multisite | Separate installations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example URL | example.com/site-path |
site.example.com |
Any independent domain or path |
| WordPress code | One shared installation | One shared installation | One installation per site |
| DNS work | Usually none beyond the main hostname | DNS and often wildcard DNS are required | Depends on each domain |
| Nginx routing | Prefix-removal rewrites plus front-controller fallback | Host-based network rules | Separate roots and server blocks or locations |
| Cookie/domain behavior | One host with path-aware URLs | Cross-subdomain behavior must be handled | Independent per site |
| Operational isolation | Shared core and network administration | Shared core and network administration | Separate update and failure domains |
Prepare the existing WordPress installation
1. Make recoverable backups
Take a tested backup of the WordPress database and the entire document root, including wp-content, before enabling the network. Record the current site URL, document root, PHP version, PHP-FPM socket or upstream name, Nginx server name, TLS configuration and filesystem owner. A backup that has never been restored is only an assumption, so verify that you can retrieve both the database dump and uploaded files.
2. Check URL and filesystem assumptions
Decide the final network hostname and the path names before creating sites. Avoid path names that collide with existing WordPress directories, administrative endpoints or files. Confirm that the Nginx root points to the directory containing the existing index.php, wp-admin, wp-includes and wp-content. The web user must be able to read core files and write only to directories that WordPress genuinely needs, usually selected locations under wp-content.
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3. Verify PHP and Nginx independently
Make sure the current single site works before introducing Multisite. A PHP download in the browser, a 502 response, or a failing PHP-FPM service must be fixed first; Multisite rewrites cannot correct a broken PHP handler. Keep the PHP-FPM upstream or Unix socket value available because the sample server block uses the placeholder php.
Enable WordPress Multisite with subdirectory sites
- Back up the database and files as described above.
- Edit the main installation’s
wp-config.phpand add the following line before the file’s “That’s all, stop editing” comment (or its equivalent):define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true); - Sign in to the WordPress dashboard. Open Tools → Network Setup (the exact label can vary slightly with the WordPress version and language).
- Choose the subdirectory option when the screen asks whether sites should use subdomains or subdirectories. Confirm the proposed network title and network administrator address.
- Submit the setup form. WordPress displays generated constants for
wp-config.phpand rewrite guidance for the web server. Copy those instructions exactly into the indicated files; do not substitute values from a different network or from a subdomain installation. - Sign out and back in if WordPress requests it. The dashboard should expose My Sites → Network Admin, where network-level users, sites, themes and plugins are managed.
The setup screen’s generated values are authoritative for this particular installation. They encode the network domain, path and subdirectory choice; a typo in one value can produce redirects that omit the site path, login loops or links to the wrong host.
Configure the Nginx server block
For WordPress 3.5-and-newer Multisite activated as subdirectories, use this official handbook pattern as the starting point:
server {
server_name example.com;
root /var/www/example.com/htdocs;
index index.php;
if (!-e $request_filename) {
rewrite /wp-admin$ $scheme://$host$request_uri/ permanent;
rewrite ^(/[^/]+)?(/wp-.*) $2 last;
rewrite ^(/[^/]+)?(/.*.php) $2 last;
}
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}
location ~ .php$ {
try_files $uri =404;
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_pass php;
}
}Replace example.com with the network hostname, replace /var/www/example.com/htdocs with the real document root, and replace php with the PHP-FPM upstream or Unix socket configured on your host. Keep the directive order while adapting those deployment-specific values. If your distribution requires an explicit fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME, use the host’s known-good PHP-FPM include and parameter set rather than copying an incompatible one.
How the request flow works
location /usestry_filesto serve a real file or directory first. If neither exists, it sends the request to/index.php?$args, allowing WordPress to resolve posts, pages and virtual site paths.- The first rewrite adds a trailing slash to a request for
/wp-admin, preventing an administrator redirect from losing the site’s path. - The next rewrite matches a leading site segment followed by a WordPress core path such as
/store/wp-admin/and passes the core portion to the shared installation. - The PHP rewrite does the same for a request such as
/store/index.php, so the network’s PHP files are executed from the document root rather than searched for in a nonexistent physicalstoredirectory. location ~ .php$prevents Nginx from handing arbitrary missing PHP paths to PHP-FPM by requiringtry_files $uri =404first.
The handbook recommends putting reusable security restrictions and WordPress rules in include files, then including the appropriate Multisite subdirectory rules from each server block. That arrangement keeps routing and restrictions consistent when several hostnames are maintained, but the include paths must exist on your server and be readable by Nginx.
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Validate and reload safely
- Save the server configuration and run
nginx -t. Do not reload if the syntax test reports an error. - Reload Nginx using your operating system’s service manager only after the test succeeds.
- Open the main site’s home page, a post permalink,
/wp-admin/and a known CSS or JavaScript asset. - Open at least one subsite home page, a subsite post permalink, its
/wp-admin/path and a static asset. - Inspect the browser’s final URL after each redirect. It should retain the intended network hostname and subsite path.
- Review Nginx and PHP-FPM logs while making the first requests. A 404, redirect loop, PHP download or 502 generally leaves a more specific entry than the browser message.
Reload Nginx after every configuration change and repeat tests for both the root site and a subsite. Testing only the main site can hide a prefix-rewrite error that affects every additional site.
Create and check additional sites
- In My Sites → Network Admin, open Sites → Add New.
- Enter the site address as a path segment, not a complete URL. For example, use
storeif the resulting address should behttps://example.com/store/. - Enter the site title and administrator email, then create the site.
- Open the site’s edit screen in Network Admin and verify the recorded domain and path. The domain should match the network hostname and the path should match the intended URL segment.
- Visit the new site’s front page and dashboard. Create a temporary page or post and test its permalink before importing production content.
Do not create physical directories for these paths merely because they appear in the URL. A real directory with an unrelated index file can be served by try_files before WordPress receives the request and can make one site behave differently from the others.
Troubleshoot common failures
Every subsite permalink returns 404
The request is usually not reaching the shared front controller, or the Multisite subdirectory rewrite block is absent or in the wrong server block. Confirm that the request reaches the intended server_name, that location / contains try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;, and that the three conditional rewrites appear before the locations. Run nginx -t, reload, and retest a subsite home page and a post permalink.
Only a particular path returns 404
Check the site’s domain and path values in Network Admin. A typo, leading slash in the wrong field, or an existing physical directory can route the request away from WordPress. Also verify that the requested path belongs to the site you created and that the post or page is published.
PHP downloads instead of executing
Nginx is serving the file as static content or the PHP location is not matching. Confirm that location ~ .php$ exists in the active server block, that it includes the expected FastCGI parameters, and that the upstream points to a running PHP-FPM service. Never make PHP files downloadable as a workaround; correct the handler and retest with a non-sensitive PHP endpoint.
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Requests return 502 Bad Gateway
The PHP-FPM upstream or socket is wrong, unavailable, or inaccessible to Nginx. Compare fastcgi_pass with the socket or upstream used by the working single site, check that PHP-FPM is running, and verify socket permissions. The sample’s php value is a placeholder, not a universal service name.
Administrator redirects loop or lose the subsite path
Compare the generated WordPress network constants with the domain and path values shown in Network Admin. Then inspect rewrite ordering: the /wp-admin trailing-slash rule and the two prefix-removal rewrites must run before the normal locations. Check whether another server block, reverse proxy or HTTPS redirect is rewriting the host or path a second time.
Static files fail while pages work
Look at the failing asset’s URL and Nginx access log. Confirm that the file actually exists under the shared document root or the relevant site uploads location, and that filesystem permissions allow Nginx to read it. A broad deny rule inherited from a security include can block CSS, JavaScript or media even when PHP routing is correct.
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Security and operational checks
- Keep the standard Nginx restrictions for sensitive files such as configuration, backup and version-control artifacts. Do not expose database dumps or private keys from the document root.
- Do not allow uploaded files or other writable locations to execute arbitrary PHP. Apply the host’s normal Nginx and filesystem controls, and review them after adding plugins that create new upload directories.
- Use least-privilege ownership and permissions. WordPress needs write access only where your update and media workflow requires it.
- Back up the shared database and
wp-contentbefore network-wide plugin, theme, PHP or core changes. A network-wide failure can affect every path at once. - Record the network domain, path map, Nginx include files, PHP-FPM endpoint and TLS renewal process so another administrator can restore the service.
- After enabling or disabling a plugin at network level, test the root site and a representative subsite; a plugin that works for one site can still alter shared rewrite or authentication behavior.
Do not confuse Multisite paths with a core directory layout
Some deployments put one ordinary WordPress site’s core in a directory such as /my_subdir while serving a public location above it. That is not a Multisite network. WordPress documents this Nginx form:
location /my_subdir/ {
try_files $uri $uri/ /my_subdir/index.php?$args;
}
location ~ .php$ {
fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+.php)(/.*)$;
fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
include fastcgi_params;
}Here, /my_subdir is a real filesystem and URL location for one site’s core. The fallback points to /my_subdir/index.php, and the PHP block uses a specific PHP 8.3-FPM socket as an example. Adapt the socket, document root, TLS settings and distribution paths to the host. Do not paste this block into a path-based Multisite network: the network pattern must send virtual site paths to the shared root /index.php and remove the site prefix for core endpoints.
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A practical acceptance checklist
- The database and document-root backups can be restored.
WP_ALLOW_MULTISITEwas enabled and the Network Setup screen was completed with subdirectories selected.- The generated WordPress constants and rewrite guidance were copied exactly for this network.
- The Nginx
server_name,rootand PHP-FPM endpoint match the deployment. nginx -tsucceeds before each reload.- The root site and at least one subsite load home pages, post permalinks, dashboards and static assets.
- Subsite URLs retain their path through login and administrator redirects.
- Uploads, configuration files and other sensitive data are not executable or publicly exposed.
- Logs show the expected server block and no recurring 404, redirect-loop or PHP-FPM errors.
Once those checks pass, adding another site is primarily a Network Admin operation: create its path, verify its recorded domain and path, and test its front page and permalinks. Nginx continues to route all of the virtual sites through the same shared WordPress installation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a separate WordPress installation for every subdirectory site?
No. In a subdirectory Multisite network, paths such as /store and /docs are virtual network sites in one WordPress installation. Separate filesystem code trees are not required.
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Why does the Nginx example contain an if block?
The official Multisite subdirectory pattern uses that conditional block to rewrite virtual site paths for WordPress core and PHP endpoints. Keep its ordering, but test the complete server configuration with nginx -t and adapt only deployment-specific values.
Can I switch an existing subdomain network to subdirectories by editing Nginx?
No. The network’s WordPress constants, site domain/path records, cookies and redirects must be migrated consistently. Treat the change as a WordPress network migration and take a restorable backup first.
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