If you are a fan of WordPress and blogs, you have probably already wanted to create your own network. Yet you know that a single network is very different from a multisite network, so you ask yourself questions, and you do well to contact us at BlogPasCher.
What is a mulisite network, but above all what does it imply? You have submitted a set of questions to us, and we will attempt to answer them.
Can we run a multisite network locally?
You can certainly do it. Install WordPress using MAMP or XAMPP, as you would do with a standalone installation, then enable the multisite feature as you would on a remote server. There is just one difference: You can not use subdomains on a local machine.
Can we activate multisite without touching the code?
Sorry but no. The Multisite feature is too basic and makes a significant change to a uni-site installation to be performed by a plugin. But the instructions for doing this are pretty clear, you do not need to master the coding.
I cannot access my files. What to do ?
Contact your supplieraccommodation and ask them to give you access. Because as we said in the previous question, you must necessarily manipulate WordPress files.
Does each subsite have a unique htaccess file?
No, there is only one for the entire network, the one that is at the root of your WordPress directory.
Do I need a VPS for a multisite network?
VPS can help you if you want to have a good network, but it is not essential. For me, it all depends on the size of the network and what you use on your sites. The VPS can therefore allow your sites to always work, but if you have a small personal network, you do not really need it.
Do you have a list of suppliers that I should contact?
Generally most hosts give you this possibility, but some are more complicated to configure than others. In my case, I easily configure a multisite network with Funio and the latter is a accommodation mutualized. But you can also use services of WPEngine, HostPapa or even 1and1.
Check out our tutorial on how to create a blog in 12 steps, we recommend web hosts there.
Can I use SSL on my network?
There are two approaches to doing this: get an SSL certificate for the domain on your network, or get it for all domains that you redirect to your domain with the " domain mapping ».
If you get SSL for the domain of your network and you use subdomains, you will need a SSL Wild Card Which costs a little more. If you use subdirectories, you will not need the " SSL Wild Card ". And if you're using domain mapping, you'll need an SSL certificate for each domain you map.
How do plugins work on a network? Do I have to install it every time for each site?
No, that's not how it works. You install the plugin once on your network, and you can then choose which sub-site it should work on. You can activate it from the network (main site) so that it works everywhere. Of course the updates are also unique.
I am worried about resources. I have the impression that a multisite network is greedy?
It depends on how many sites you have on your network. If you use more than three or four, I would say that multisite is not more greedy than unique installations, both in terms of servers and time. But the load becomes important when you receive a lot of traffic. You will probably need a VPS.
I can not see all my sites when I log in
You must verify that you are registered on each of these sites. Go to "Sites" in the network administration menu, then for each of them click on the link " Edit ", then go to the tab "User". If you are not there as a user, add yourself as a user to each site, using the username you use for the network as a whole.
And to finish
Here are some questions we tried to answer. If you have any questions, feel free to submit them to us. We will bring you answers.
