Change Domain

If you plan on using a custom domain or restoring an existing site, it’s best to set the custom domain before completing the WordPress installation assistant.

If you need to change the domain after installation, follow those steps:

  1. First change the domain in the wp_options table, options home and siteurl using the pod’s database access feature.
  2. Update the domain in your PikaPods control panel.
  3. Finally, some resources, like images may still point to the old domain on pages or posts. Solution is to use a search and replace plugin to properly update those references. Otherwise images and files may keep referencing the old domain.

Adjust PHP Settings

The default upload limit is set to 64 MB. You can increase this or adjust other PHP settings by editing the uploads.ini file using SFTP. This file is already populated with some common settings, like upload limits or memory limits.

Adjust WordPress Settings

You can use the WORDPRESS_CONFIG_EXTRA env var in the PikaPods Control panel to pass additional settings to wp-config.php. E.g. to change the memory limit enter define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');. Note that this setting can potentially break your site. So if your pod fails to start or shows errors in the logs, try adjusting this setting first.

Reset Password

You can reset your password using the database. Steps are like this:

  1. Enable the pod’s database access feature
  2. Follow the official WordPress docs to do the actual reset. Look for the wp_users table and then change the user_pass field of the user.

Email Configuration

To enable WordPress email functionality for user registration, password reset, and notifications, you’ll need to configure an external SMTP service. While this can be configured manually using the WORDPRESS_CONFIG_EXTRA environment variable, we recommend using one of these well-maintained SMTP plugins for easier setup:

  • Simple Email Sender: A lightweight plugin ideal for basic SMTP configuration
  • Post SMTP: Feature-rich plugin with email logging and good compatibility
  • WP Mail SMTP: Popular option with extensive email service integrations

For SMTP server details, you can use any email service that provides SMTP access. See our FAQ on sending emails for recommended email service providers.

Debugging

For troubleshooting, WordPress debug mode offers detailed error messages. To activate:

  1. In My Pods, go to Pod Settings > ENV VARS.
  2. Update the WORDPRESS_DEBUG environment variable, setting it to 1.
  3. Save your settings to apply the changes.

Be sure to disable debugging after troubleshooting by setting the WORDPRESS_DEBUG variable to 0 or removing it altogether to prevent the display of errors to site visitors.