Server Maintenance Guide

Introduction

This maintenance guide provides essential tasks and procedures for keeping your WordPress server secure, optimized, and running smoothly. It is based on the server installation and configuration documentation and focuses on regular maintenance activities that should be performed to ensure the health and performance of your server.

The guide is organized by maintenance frequency (daily, weekly, monthly) and by component (server, WordPress, database, etc.), making it easy to create a maintenance schedule that works for your needs.

Daily Maintenance Tasks

System Monitoring

1. Check System Resources

   Monitor CPU, memory, and disk usage to identify potential issues before they become critical.

   # Check current system resource usage
   htop
   
   # Check disk space usage
   df -h
   
   # Check memory usage
   free -m

2. Review System Logs

   Regularly check system logs for errors, warnings, or unusual activity.

   # Check system logs
   sudo journalctl -p err..emerg --since "24 hours ago"
   
   # Check authentication logs for failed login attempts
   sudo grep "Failed password" /var/log/auth.log

3. Monitor Fail2ban Status

   Check if Fail2ban is actively blocking malicious IP addresses.

   # Check Fail2ban status
   sudo fail2ban-client status
   
   # Check specific jail status (e.g., sshd)
   sudo fail2ban-client status sshd

WordPress Maintenance

1. Check for WordPress Updates

   Regularly check for WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates.

   # Navigate to your WordPress installation
   cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
   
   # Check for WordPress updates using WP-CLI
   sudo -u www-data wp core check-update
   sudo -u www-data wp plugin list --update=available
   sudo -u www-data wp theme list --update=available

2. Review WordPress Error Logs

   Check WordPress error logs for PHP errors or warnings.

   # Check WordPress error log
   sudo tail -n 100 /var/www/example.com/logs/php_errors.log

Weekly Maintenance Tasks

Security Maintenance

1. Update System Packages

   Keep your system up-to-date with the latest security patches.

   # Update package lists
   sudo apt update
   
   # Install available updates
   sudo apt upgrade -y
   
   # Remove unused packages
   sudo apt autoremove -y

2. Check for Unauthorized Access

   Review user accounts and login history for any unauthorized access.

   # List all user accounts
   cat /etc/passwd | grep /home
   
   # Check login history
   last
   
   # Check for failed login attempts
   sudo grep "Failed password" /var/log/auth.log | tail -n 20

3. Verify Firewall Rules

   Ensure your firewall rules are properly configured and active.

   # Check UFW status
   sudo ufw status verbose

WordPress Updates

1. Apply WordPress Updates

   Apply any pending WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates.

   # Navigate to your WordPress installation
   cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
   
   # Update WordPress core
   sudo -u www-data wp core update
   
   # Update plugins
   sudo -u www-data wp plugin update --all
   
   # Update themes
   sudo -u www-data wp theme update --all

2. Test Website Functionality

   After applying updates, test your website to ensure everything is working correctly.

   # Check WordPress site health
   sudo -u www-data wp site health status

Database Maintenance

1. Optimize WordPress Database

   Regularly optimize your WordPress database to improve performance.

   # Navigate to your WordPress installation
   cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
   
   # Optimize WordPress database
   sudo -u www-data wp db optimize

2. Backup WordPress Database

   Create regular backups of your WordPress database.

   # Navigate to your WordPress installation
   cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
   
   # Backup WordPress database
   sudo -u www-data wp db export /var/www/example.com/backups/db-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Monthly Maintenance Tasks

Performance Optimization

1. Check and Optimize Swap Space

   Verify that swap space is properly configured and functioning.

   # Check swap status
   sudo swapon -s
   
   # If swap is not enabled or needs to be recreated, follow the instructions in the server hardening guide:
   # [Server Hardening Guide - Configuring Swap Space](/server-installation-and-configurations/06-server-hardening#62-configuring-swap-space)

2. Verify Network Optimization Settings

   Check that network optimization settings are still in place.

   # Check network optimization settings
   sudo sysctl -a | grep -e "net.ipv4.tcp_syncookies" -e "net.core.somaxconn" -e "net.ipv4.tcp_max_syn_backlog"
   
   # If settings are not optimal, follow the instructions in the server hardening guide:
   # [Server Hardening Guide - Network Layer Optimization](/server-installation-and-configurations/06-server-hardening#65-hardening-and-optimizing-the-network-layer)

3. Check PHP OPcache Settings

   Verify that PHP OPcache is properly configured for optimal performance.

   # Check PHP OPcache settings
   sudo grep -r "opcache" /etc/php/8.3/fpm/pool.d/
   
   # If settings need adjustment, follow the instructions in the WordPress optimization guide:
   # [WordPress Optimization Guide - PHP OPcache](/server-installation-and-configurations/16-optimize-wordpress#166-implementing-php-opcache)

4. Verify Caching Configuration

   Check that your caching solution (FastCGI Cache or WP Super Cache) is working correctly.

   # For FastCGI Cache, check if cache files exist
   ls -la /var/run/SITE/
   
   # Test cache with curl
   curl -I https://example.com
   
   # For WP Super Cache, check plugin status in WordPress
   cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
   sudo -u www-data wp plugin status wp-super-cache

Security Auditing

1. Run Security Scans

   Perform regular security scans to identify potential vulnerabilities.

   # Install and run Lynis security scanner
   sudo apt install lynis
   sudo lynis audit system

2. Check for File Modifications

   Verify that critical system and WordPress files haven’t been modified unexpectedly.

   # For WordPress core files
   cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
   sudo -u www-data wp core verify-checksums
   
   # For system files, if you have AIDE installed
   sudo aide.wrapper --check

3. Review User Permissions

   Ensure that file and directory permissions are set correctly.

   # Check WordPress file permissions
   cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
   find . -type f -exec stat -c "%a %n" {} \; | grep -v "644"
   find . -type d -exec stat -c "%a %n" {} \; | grep -v "755"
   
   # If permissions need correction, follow the instructions in the WordPress hardening guide:
   # [WordPress Security Guide - File Permissions](/server-installation-and-configurations/15-hardening-wordpress)

Comprehensive Backups

1. Full System Backup

   Create a complete backup of your server, including all files and databases.

   # Create a backup directory if it doesn't exist
   sudo mkdir -p /var/backups/wordpress
   
   # Backup WordPress files
   sudo tar -czf /var/backups/wordpress/files-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /var/www/example.com .
   
   # Backup WordPress database
   cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
   sudo -u www-data wp db export /var/backups/wordpress/db-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql
   
   # Compress the database backup
   sudo gzip /var/backups/wordpress/db-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

2. Test Backup Restoration

   Periodically test your backup restoration process to ensure backups are valid.

   # Create a test directory
   sudo mkdir -p /var/www/backup-test
   
   # Extract files to test directory
   sudo tar -xzf /var/backups/wordpress/files-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /var/www/backup-test
   
   # Check if critical files exist
   ls -la /var/www/backup-test/public_html/wp-config.php
   
   # Clean up test directory
   sudo rm -rf /var/www/backup-test

Quarterly Maintenance Tasks

System Optimization

1. Review and Optimize Server Configuration

   Periodically review your server configuration for potential optimizations.

   # Check Nginx configuration
   sudo nginx -t
   
   # Check PHP-FPM configuration
   sudo php-fpm8.3 -t
   
   # Check MariaDB configuration
   sudo mysqlcheck --all-databases --check --optimize

2. Update SSL Certificates

   Ensure SSL certificates are up-to-date and properly configured.

   # Check SSL certificate expiration
   sudo certbot certificates
   
   # Renew certificates if needed
   sudo certbot renew --dry-run

WordPress Cleanup

1. Clean Up Post Revisions

   If you haven’t limited post revisions in wp-config.php, manually clean them up.

   # Navigate to your WordPress installation
   cd /var/www/example.com/public_html
   
   # Clean up post revisions using WP-CLI
   sudo -u www-data wp post delete $(wp post list --post_type=revision --format=ids) --force

2. Remove Unused Themes and Plugins

   Delete any themes or plugins that are not being used.

   # List inactive plugins
   sudo -u www-data wp plugin list --status=inactive
   
   # Delete inactive plugins
   sudo -u www-data wp plugin delete $(wp plugin list --status=inactive --field=name)
   
   # List inactive themes
   sudo -u www-data wp theme list --status=inactive
   
   # Delete inactive themes (except for Twenty* themes which are WordPress defaults)
   sudo -u www-data wp theme delete $(wp theme list --status=inactive --field=name | grep -v "^Twenty")

Maintenance References

For more detailed information on specific maintenance tasks, refer to the following guides:

1. Server Hardening Guide
2. Firewall Configuration Guide
3. Fail2ban Guide
4. LEMP Stack Optimization Guide
5. WordPress Security Guide
6. WordPress Optimization Guide

Conclusion

Regular maintenance is essential for keeping your WordPress server secure, optimized, and reliable. By following this maintenance guide and establishing a regular maintenance schedule, you can prevent many common issues and ensure your server continues to perform at its best.

Remember to adapt this guide to your specific needs and server configuration. Some tasks may need to be performed more or less frequently depending on your traffic volume, security requirements, and other factors.