Configuration file

The Webinoly configuration file (webinoly.conf) is the central location for customizing your LEMP stack settings. This file allows you to override default values and persist custom configurations across server resets.

Location

The configuration file is located at:

/opt/webinoly/webinoly.conf

This file is created automatically during Webinoly installation.

File structure

The configuration file uses a simple key:value syntax:

# Comment lines start with #
variable-name:value

# Uncomment to enable
#disabled-variable:value

Key features:

Lines starting with # are comments or disabled settings
Variable names use lowercase with hyphens
Values are separated by a colon (:)
No spaces around the colon
Boolean values: true or false
Numeric values: integers without quotes
String values: text without quotes (unless containing special characters)

Configuration sections

The file is organized into logical sections:

Operating System: Timezone, kernel optimization, swap settings
Nginx: Web server configuration and security
PHP: PHP-FPM settings and extensions
MySQL/MariaDB: Database configuration

Editing the configuration

Open the file

Use your preferred text editor:

sudo nano /opt/webinoly/webinoly.conf

Uncomment and modify

Remove the # at the beginning and set your value:

# Before (disabled)
#max-mb-uploads:100

# After (enabled)
max-mb-uploads:500

Apply changes

Most settings require a server reset:

# Reset all components
sudo webinoly -server-reset

# Reset specific component only
sudo webinoly -server-reset=nginx
sudo webinoly -server-reset=php
sudo webinoly -server-reset=mysql

Always backup the configuration file before making major changes:

sudo cp /opt/webinoly/webinoly.conf /opt/webinoly/webinoly.conf.backup

Operating system settings

Timezone

Set the server timezone:

timezone:America/New_York

Valid values: Any timezone from the PHP timezone list Affects: System time, PHP, cron jobs, log timestamps Alternative command:

sudo webinoly -timezone=America/New_York

Kernel optimization

Enable or disable kernel-level optimizations:

kernel-optim:true  # Default: enabled

When enabled, applies:

Network stack security
File descriptor limits
SYN flood protection
IP spoofing protection
Swap management

Automatic updates

auto-updates:false  # Default: disabled

Ubuntu’s default automatic updates are disabled by Webinoly to prevent unexpected issues. Enable only if you understand the risks.

SWAP configuration

# Set custom swap size (GB)
swap-mem:2

# RAM percentage for /run folder
run-folder-size:15  # Default: 10%

Default swap sizes (if not specified):

1GB RAM: 1GB swap
2-6GB RAM: 2GB swap
6-12GB RAM: 3GB swap
12-16GB RAM: 4GB swap

Nginx settings

Branch selection

nginx-ppa:stable    # or "mainline"

Set before installation. Never change after Nginx is installed.

Upload limits

max-mb-uploads:100  # Default: 100MB

Affects:

Nginx: client_max_body_size
PHP: upload_max_filesize and post_max_size

Email address

mail:[email protected]

Used for:

Let’s Encrypt certificate registration
System notifications
Root email forwarding

SFTP access

sftp-www-data:false  # Default: disabled

Enables SFTP login for the www-data user:

sftp-www-data:true

Alternative command:

sudo webinoly -sftp=on

Access logs

global-access-log-off:true  # Default: disabled (for performance)

Log format options:

nginx-log-format:basic      # or "extended" or "custom"

Error log level

nginx-error-log-level:error  # Default

Valid values: info, notice, warn, error, crit, alert, emerg

Default site behavior

default-response:blackhole  # or "default"

Options:

default: Show Nginx welcome page
blackhole: Return 444 (connection closed)
example.com: Redirect to specific domain

Admin tools

# Change admin tools port
tools-port-set:8080  # Default: 22222

# Use specific domain for admin tools
tools-site:admin.example.com  # Default: default

IP management

# Whitelist IPs for HTTP auth bypass
auth-whitelist-ip:1.2.3.4,5.6.7.8

# Block specific IPs
blockip:9.9.9.9,8.8.8.8

File access restrictions

# Block specific files (case-insensitive, limited extensions)
locations-deny-files:readme|license|changelog|install

# Block file extensions
locations-deny-extensions:exe|bat|sh|sql|log|env

# Block exact matches (case-sensitive)
locations-deny-match:/node_modules/|composer\.json|/.git/

Use off to disable any of these security features.

Browser cache

browser-cache-extensions:css|js|jpg|jpeg|png|gif|webp|svg|woff|woff2

FastCGI cache

# Cache validity: success,inactive,redirects
fastcgi-conf:30d,7d,1m

WordPress cache settings

# Query string handling
wpcache-query-strings:never  # or "all"

# Excluded URLs (pipe-separated regex)
wpcache-exclude-url:/wp-admin/|/xmlrpc.php|/feed/|/cart/|/checkout/

# Excluded cookies (pipe-separated regex)
wpcache-exclude-cookie:wordpress_logged_in|comment_author|items_in_cart

WordPress security

# HTTP Basic Auth on wp-admin
wp-admin-auth:true  # Default: enabled

# Rate limiting on wp-admin
wp-admin-limited:true  # Default: enabled

# XML-RPC status
xmlrpc:blocked  # or "open"

HTTP headers

# Cache Control
header-cache-control:public, max-age=604800  # or "no-cache" or "off"

# Content Security Policy
header-csp:default-src 'self'; script-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline'
header-csp-report-only:off  # or "on"

# HSTS
header-hsts:31536000  # seconds, or "preload", or "off"

# Permissions Policy
header-permissions:camera=(),microphone=(),geolocation=()
# or use "floc" to block Topics API

# Referrer Policy
header-referrer:strict-origin-when-cross-origin
# Options: no-referrer, origin, same-origin, unsafe-url, off

# X-Content-Type-Options
header-xcto:true  # nosniff

# X-Frame-Options
header-xfo:sameorigin  # or "deny" or "allow-from" or "off"
header-xfo-url:https://example.com  # only with "allow-from"

# X-Robots-Tag
header-robots:noindex,nofollow  # pipe-separated for multiple

# X-XSS-Protection (deprecated)
header-xssp:false  # Default: disabled

PHP settings

Version selection

php-ver:8.4  # Default: latest stable

Supported versions: 7.4, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5

To change PHP version after installation, use:

sudo stack -php-ver=8.3

Never modify this value directly in the config file after PHP is installed.

Process manager

php-pm:dynamic  # or "static" or "ondemand"

Modes explained:

dynamic: Processes scale based on demand (recommended)
static: Fixed number of processes
ondemand: Processes spawn only when needed

Resource limits

# Child processes
php-max-child:10      # Auto-calculated by default

# Memory per script
php-max-mem:256       # MB

# Execution time
php-max-time:60       # seconds

# Simultaneous file uploads
php-max-files:20

# Input variables
php-max-input-vars:5000

OPcache

# Validate file changes
php-opcache-timestamps:true

# Revalidation frequency
php-opcache-reval:2  # seconds

Set php-opcache-timestamps:false in production for maximum performance (requires manual cache clearing).

Security

# Path info (SCRIPT_NAME)
php-info:false

# Disabled functions (comma-separated)
php-disable-functions:system,exec,shell_exec,passthru,proc_open
# or use "off" to disable this feature

# Allow URL fopen
php-allow-url-fopen:false

Session configuration

# Session lifetime (seconds)
php-session-max-lifetime:1440  # 24 minutes

# Cookie lifetime (0 = until browser closes)
php-session-cookie-lifetime:0

# SameSite attribute
php-session-cookie-samesite:Lax  # or "Strict" or "None"

Redis

# Memory percentage for Redis
redis-max-mem:10  # 10% of total RAM

MySQL/MariaDB settings

Database engine

db-engine:mariadb  # or "mysql"

Set before installation. Cannot be changed after database is installed.

Version

mysql-ver:11.8  # MariaDB versions: 10.11, 11.4, 11.8
# or
mysql-ver:8.4   # MySQL versions: 8.0, 8.4

External database

Save external database credentials:

external-dbh:mysql.example.com  # Host
external-dbx:3306               # Port
external-dbu:dbuser             # Username
external-dbp:password           # Password

Default privileges

dbrole:full  # or "basic", "limited", "extra", "complete", "grant", "all"

Privilege levels:

basic: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
limited: basic + CREATE, DROP, INDEX, ALTER
extra: limited + CREATE TEMPORARY TABLES, LOCK TABLES
full: extra + REFERENCES, CREATE VIEW, SHOW VIEW, TRIGGER, EVENT (default)
complete: full + EXECUTE, CREATE ROUTINE, ALTER ROUTINE
grant: complete + GRANT OPTION
all: All privileges with GRANT OPTION

Logging

# General query log
mysql-log-general:false

# Binary log (for replication)
mysql-log-binary:false
mysql-log-binary-expire:864000  # 10 days

# Slow query log
mysql-log-slow:false
mysql-long-query-time:10  # seconds

Public access

mysql-public-access:false  # or "true" or "1.2.3.4" (specific IP)

Configuration examples

Production WordPress server

# Operating System
timezone:America/New_York
kernel-optim:true
auto-updates:false

# Nginx
max-mb-uploads:250
mail:[email protected]
global-access-log-off:true
default-response:blackhole
wp-admin-auth:true
wp-admin-limited:true
xmlrpc:blocked

# FastCGI Cache
fastcgi-conf:30d,7d,1m
wpcache-query-strings:never

# PHP
php-ver:8.4
php-max-mem:256
php-max-time:60
php-opcache-timestamps:false
php-opcache-reval:60

# MySQL
db-engine:mariadb
mysql-ver:11.8
mysql-public-access:false

Development server

# Operating System
timezone:America/New_York
kernel-optim:true

# Nginx
max-mb-uploads:500
global-access-log-off:false
nginx-log-format:extended
wp-admin-auth:false

# PHP
php-ver:8.4
php-max-mem:512
php-max-time:300
php-opcache-timestamps:true
php-opcache-reval:2

# MySQL
mysql-log-slow:true
mysql-long-query-time:3

High-traffic site

# Nginx
max-mb-uploads:100
fastcgi-conf:60d,14d,5m

# PHP
php-pm:dynamic
php-max-child:50
php-max-mem:256
php-opcache-timestamps:false
php-opcache-reval:3600

# Redis
redis-max-mem:20

Applying changes

Server reset

Most configuration changes require a server reset:

All components
Specific component

Reset entire stack:

sudo webinoly -server-reset

This resets:

Nginx configuration
PHP-FPM settings
MySQL/MariaDB configuration
Kernel parameters (if enabled)

Reset individual components:

# Nginx only
sudo webinoly -server-reset=nginx

# PHP only
sudo webinoly -server-reset=php

# MySQL only
sudo webinoly -server-reset=mysql

# Operating system only
sudo webinoly -server-reset=os

Server reset will:

Reload service configurations
Restart affected services (brief downtime)
Preserve existing sites and databases
NOT delete any data

Changes without reset

Some settings don’t require a server reset:

timezone (use sudo webinoly -timezone=...)
mail (use sudo webinoly -email=...)
blockip (use sudo webinoly -blockip=...)
external-db* (credentials only)
awsiamrole

Backup and restore

Backup configuration

# Manual backup
sudo cp /opt/webinoly/webinoly.conf /root/webinoly.conf.backup

# With timestamp
sudo cp /opt/webinoly/webinoly.conf /root/webinoly.conf.$(date +%Y%m%d)

Restore configuration

# Restore from backup
sudo cp /root/webinoly.conf.backup /opt/webinoly/webinoly.conf

# Apply restored settings
sudo webinoly -server-reset

Configuration validation

Verify configuration syntax:

# Test Nginx configuration
sudo nginx -t

# Test PHP-FPM configuration
sudo php-fpm8.4 -t

# Full system verification
sudo webinoly -verify

Troubleshooting

Configuration not applied

Verify changes were saved:

sudo cat /opt/webinoly/webinoly.conf | grep variable-name

Ensure server reset was run:
```
sudo webinoly -server-reset
```
Check for syntax errors:
```
sudo nginx -t
sudo php-fpm8.4 -t
```

Reset to defaults

Restore original Webinoly defaults:

# Comment out custom values
sudo nano /opt/webinoly/webinoly.conf
# Add # before each custom setting

# Apply defaults
sudo webinoly -server-reset

Service restart issues

If services fail to restart after configuration changes:

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status nginx
sudo systemctl status php8.4-fpm
sudo systemctl status mysql

# View error logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log
sudo tail -f /var/log/php8.4-fpm.log
sudo tail -f /var/log/mysql/error.log

Best practices

Configuration tips:

Always backup before making changes
Test changes in development first
Document custom settings with comments
Use version control for configuration file
Keep default values commented for reference
Review configuration after Webinoly updates
Use sudo webinoly -verify regularly
Monitor logs after applying changes

Get Started

Core Concepts

Managing Sites

Stack Management

Advanced Features

Operations

​Location

​File structure

​Configuration sections

​Editing the configuration

​Operating system settings

​Timezone

​Kernel optimization

​Automatic updates

​SWAP configuration

​Nginx settings

​Branch selection

​Upload limits

​Email address

​SFTP access

​Access logs

​Error log level

​Default site behavior

​Admin tools

​IP management

​File access restrictions

​Browser cache

​FastCGI cache

​WordPress cache settings

​WordPress security

​HTTP headers

​PHP settings

​Version selection

​Process manager

​Resource limits

​OPcache

​Security

​Session configuration

​Redis

​MySQL/MariaDB settings

​Database engine

​Version

​External database

​Default privileges

​Logging

​Public access

​Configuration examples

​Production WordPress server

​Development server

​High-traffic site

​Applying changes

​Server reset

​Changes without reset

​Backup and restore

​Backup configuration

​Restore configuration

​Configuration validation

​Troubleshooting

​Configuration not applied

​Reset to defaults

​Service restart issues

​Best practices

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Location

File structure

Configuration sections

Editing the configuration

Operating system settings

Timezone

Kernel optimization

Automatic updates

SWAP configuration

Nginx settings

Branch selection

Upload limits

Email address

SFTP access

Access logs

Error log level

Default site behavior

Admin tools

IP management

File access restrictions

Browser cache

FastCGI cache

WordPress cache settings

WordPress security

HTTP headers

PHP settings

Version selection

Process manager

Resource limits

OPcache

Security

Session configuration

Redis

MySQL/MariaDB settings

Database engine

Version

External database

Default privileges

Logging

Public access

Configuration examples

Production WordPress server

Development server

High-traffic site

Applying changes

Server reset

Changes without reset

Backup and restore

Backup configuration

Restore configuration

Configuration validation

Troubleshooting

Configuration not applied

Reset to defaults

Service restart issues

Best practices