Linux Administration, Docker, CI/CD, and WordPress Deployment Case Study

Overview

This repository packages a hands-on infrastructure project focused on deploying and operating a containerized WordPress stack on Linux. It is designed as a portfolio-grade case study showing practical capability across:

• Linux administration
• Docker and containers
• Nginx reverse proxying for WordPress
• CI/CD automation
• Operational documentation
• Security hardening and troubleshooting

The project reflects real-world admin work rather than theory-only lab notes. It demonstrates how a Linux server can be prepared, secured, used to run a WordPress application in containers, and supported with deployment and maintenance workflows.

Project Scope

The environment is built around a Linux host running Docker Engine and Docker Compose. The application stack includes:

• WordPress application container
• MariaDB database container
• Nginx web tier container
• Supporting scripts for deploy, backup, first-run setup, and health checks
• CI/CD pipelines for validation and deployment

Key Skills Demonstrated

Linux Administration

• Server preparation and package installation
• File permission awareness
• Service management with systemctl
• Port and process validation
• Log inspection and troubleshooting

Docker and Containers

• Multi-container application design with Docker Compose
• Persistent volume planning
• Environment variable configuration
• Container health validation and lifecycle management

CI/CD

• GitLab CI pipeline for validation and deployment
• GitHub Actions workflow for equivalent deployment automation
• Secure SSH-based deployment flow
• Basic artifact and compose validation checks before release

WordPress Operations

• WordPress deployment behind Nginx
• Database-backed content persistence
• First-run initialization
• Backup strategy for database and web content

Repository Structure

linux-admin-wordpress-case-study/
├── README.md
├── .gitignore
├── .env.example
├── .gitlab-ci.yml
├── docker-compose.yml
├── .github/workflows/deploy.yml
├── docker/nginx/default.conf
├── scripts/deploy.sh
├── scripts/backup.sh
├── scripts/first-run.sh
├── scripts/health-check.sh
├── docs/case-study.md
├── docs/architecture.md
├── docs/implementation-runbook.md
├── docs/security-hardening.md
├── docs/troubleshooting.md
└── docs/project-artifacts.md