How to manage multiple WordPress sites on your VPS with ServerAvatar

What is ServerAvatar?

ServerAvatar is a cloud-based server management panel designed for hosting PHP applications, with a strong focus on WordPress. It connects to your VPS and provides a web dashboard for deploying sites, managing databases, configuring SSL, and handling routine server administration.

A key differentiator: ServerAvatar supports OpenLiteSpeed, a high-performance web server that can significantly speed up WordPress sites compared to traditional Nginx or Apache setups.

Why use ServerAvatar for WordPress hosting?

OpenLiteSpeed support

OpenLiteSpeed is the open-source edition of LiteSpeed Web Server, known for excellent WordPress performance. It includes:

• Built-in page caching (LSCache)
• HTTP/3 and QUIC support
• Lower resource usage than Apache
• Compatibility with LiteSpeed Cache plugin for WordPress

ServerAvatar makes OpenLiteSpeed setup painless - no command line configuration required.

Cost-effective for agencies

If you manage multiple WordPress sites, ServerAvatar’s pricing makes sense:

Plan	Servers	Price/month	Key Features
Free	1	$0	Basic features, community support
Developer	5	~$6.67	WordPress toolkit, staging
Business	20	~$17.50	Team features, priority support
Enterprise	Unlimited	~$37.50	Custom solutions

Prices are for annual billing. Check ServerAvatar’s pricing page for current rates.

VPS requirements for ServerAvatar

Requirement	Specification
Operating System	Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, or 24.04 LTS
RAM	Minimum 1 GB (2 GB recommended)
Storage	At least 10 GB free
Access	Root SSH access
Fresh install	No existing control panel or web server

All ServerPoint VPS plans include full root access, your choice of operating system, and generous SSD storage.

How to connect your VPS to ServerAvatar

Step 1: Deploy a fresh Ubuntu VPS on ServerPoint’s ColossusCloud

Make sure you have a VPS ready and online on ServerPoint’s ColossusCloud platform. Log into ServerPoint’s Client Portal:

1. Create a new VPS in your preferred data center location
2. Select Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
3. Choose at least 1 GB RAM (2+ GB for hosting multiple sites)
4. Your ColossusCloud VPS will be online in under a minute

Note the IP address and root password from your Client Portal dashboard.

Step 2: Create a ServerAvatar account

Sign up at serveravatar.com. The free tier lets you connect one server.

Step 3: Connect your server

In ServerAvatar:

1. Click “Connect a Server”
2. Select “Other” as the cloud provider
3. Enter your server’s IP address
4. Choose your preferred web server:
   • OpenLiteSpeed (recommended for WordPress)
   • Nginx
   • Apache
5. Copy the installation command

Step 4: Run the installation

SSH into your VPS:

ssh root@your-vps-ip

Paste and run the installation command. This installs:

• Your chosen web server (OpenLiteSpeed/Nginx/Apache)
• PHP (multiple versions)
• MySQL/MariaDB
• Security configurations
• Monitoring agent

Installation takes 10-15 minutes.

Step 5: Verify connection

Your server appears as “Active” in ServerAvatar once installation completes.

Installing WordPress with ServerAvatar

Create an application

1. Go to your server in ServerAvatar
2. Click “Create Application”
3. Choose “WordPress”
4. Enter your domain name
5. Select PHP version (8.2+ recommended)
6. Click “Create”

Configure DNS

At your domain registrar, add:

A    @      your-vps-ip
A    www    your-vps-ip

Wait for DNS propagation (usually a few minutes to a few hours).

Install SSL certificate

1. Go to your application
2. Click “SSL”
3. Choose “Let’s Encrypt”
4. Click “Install SSL”

Auto-renewal is configured automatically.

Complete WordPress installation

Visit your domain to run the WordPress installer. Enter your site title, admin username, and password.

Managing multiple WordPress sites on one VPS

ServerAvatar excels at hosting multiple sites on a single server:

System user isolation

Each application runs under its own system user, preventing one compromised site from affecting others.

Resource allocation

Monitor resource usage per application to identify sites consuming too much CPU or memory.

Bulk operations

Apply updates, create backups, or modify settings across multiple sites simultaneously.

OpenLiteSpeed performance optimization

If you chose OpenLiteSpeed, take advantage of these WordPress optimizations:

LiteSpeed Cache plugin

Install the LiteSpeed Cache plugin from the WordPress repository:

1. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New
2. Search for “LiteSpeed Cache”
3. Install and activate

Configure caching settings:

• Enable page cache
• Enable browser cache
• Enable object cache (if Redis is available)

Built-in performance

OpenLiteSpeed provides:

• HTTP/3 support out of the box
• Efficient handling of concurrent connections
• Lower memory usage per connection than Apache

Staging environments for WordPress

Test changes before going live:

1. Go to your WordPress application
2. Click “Staging”
3. Create a staging copy
4. Make changes on staging
5. Push to production when ready

Staging runs on a subdomain (e.g., staging.yourdomain.com).

Automatic WordPress updates

ServerAvatar can handle WordPress updates automatically:

• Core updates: Apply WordPress core updates automatically
• Plugin updates: Choose auto-update or manual approval
• Theme updates: Same options as plugins

For production sites, we recommend reviewing updates before applying them.

Database management

phpMyAdmin access

ServerAvatar provides secure phpMyAdmin access for direct database management.

Database creation

Create new databases through the dashboard:

1. Go to server → Databases
2. Click “Create Database”
3. Enter name and credentials

Remote database access

Enable remote access for specific IP addresses if you need to connect from external tools.

Security features in ServerAvatar

Firewall configuration

ServerAvatar configures UFW (firewall) automatically. Manage rules through the dashboard.

Malware scanning

Run security scans on your applications to detect common malware patterns.

SSH key authentication

Add your SSH public keys to enable passwordless, more secure access.

ModSecurity (WAF)

Enable web application firewall rules to block common attacks.

Team collaboration

On paid plans, invite team members with specific roles:

• Admin: Full access
• Developer: Deploy and manage applications
• Viewer: Read-only access

Comparing ServerAvatar to other panels

Feature	ServerAvatar	RunCloud	Ploi
Free tier	Yes (1 server)	No	Yes (limited)
OpenLiteSpeed	Yes	No	No
Built-in caching	Via LiteSpeed	Plugin-based	Plugin-based
Staging sites	Yes	Pro plans	Yes
Starting price	~$6.67/mo	~$8/mo	€10/mo

ServerAvatar is particularly strong for WordPress users who want OpenLiteSpeed performance without command line setup.

Using ServerPoint’s Cloud Firewall with ServerAvatar

One advantage of running ServerAvatar on ServerPoint’s ColossusCloud is our network-level Cloud Firewall. This firewall operates outside your VPS, blocking attacks before they reach your server - providing better protection than software firewalls alone.

Configure your firewall via ServerPoint’s Client Portal:

1. Navigate to your VPS → Firewall
2. Allow ports: 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS)
3. If using OpenLiteSpeed admin: Allow port 7080 from your IP only
4. Set default policy to deny all other traffic

This enterprise-grade network security is included with every ColossusCloud VPS at no additional cost.

When ServerAvatar might not be right for you

Consider alternatives if:

• You need non-PHP applications: Limited Node.js support
• You want self-hosted panel software: ServerAvatar is SaaS-only
• You need Windows servers: Linux only
• You’re a Laravel developer: Ploi has better Laravel-specific features

Official resources

• ServerAvatar website - Official site with pricing and features
• ServerAvatar documentation - Setup guides and configuration reference
• ServerAvatar blog - Tutorials and product updates
• ServerAvatar reviews on G2 - User reviews and ratings
• ServerAvatar reviews on Trustpilot - Customer feedback

Getting started with ServerAvatar on ServerPoint

1. Deploy a ColossusCloud VPS with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
2. Sign up for ServerAvatar’s free tier
3. Connect your ServerPoint VPS and choose OpenLiteSpeed
4. Deploy your WordPress sites
5. Enable ServerPoint’s VPS snapshot backup service for disaster recovery

Need to scale? Upgrading your ColossusCloud VPS takes just a few clicks - add more RAM, CPU cores, or storage without any migration.

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View VPS plans - Our ColossusCloud VPS instances are ready for ServerAvatar in minutes, available across all ServerPoint data centers.