Using WP CLI can be very helpful for a variety of management tasks.

In FlyWP managed server, there are 2 ways to access WP-CLI for a site. One is to use the server CLI already provided to the server; another is to use the Docker exec command for direct access.

We will first go into installation, and then details of using WP-CLI through FlyWP Server CLI. For accessing WP-CLI with Docker exec, scroll down.

Quick Install

Ready to install? Just run this command in your terminal. It will download and execute the install.sh script, which takes care of everything for you:

curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/flywp/server-cli/main/install.sh | sudo bash

And voilà! The FlyWP server-cli tool is installed in (/usr/local/bin). You can run the command to check if it succeeded.

fly --help

Using WP-CLI through Fly CLI

FlyWP installs a helpful server CLI that makes it easier to manage your site using WP-CLI. You can run WP-CLI commands in two ways: either by specifying the domain every time or by working directly in your site’s directory.

When specifying the domain, the basic structure is:

fly wp --domain example.com <wp-cli-command> <options>

For some commands, especially simple ones like wp plugin list or wp cache flush, you can omit the -- separator if no additional flags are needed.

Working Directly in the Home Directory

Sites in FlyWP reside in the home directory. Once you log into your server, you list all available sites with:

ls

If your site’s domain is domain.tld. Instead of always appending --domain domain.tld to your commands, navigate to your site’s directory:

cd domain.tld

Once you’re in that directory, you can run WP-CLI commands without including the domain flag. For commands that have extra options or flags, you might still need to use the -- separator to ensure arguments are passed properly to WP-CLI.

Executing WP-CLI Commands

Plugin Management

• Without Additional Flags:
  For simple commands that don’t need extra options, you can use: fly wp --domain example.com plugin list . After changing into your site directory, it becomes: fly wp plugin list
  

• With Additional Flags:
  If you need to pass extra options (e.g., output format), include the -- separator: fly wp --domain example.com -- plugin list --format=csv .And to run the same command from within your site directory: fly wp -- plugin list --format=csv
  

Everything after the separator (--) is passed directly to WP-CLI.

Database Operations

Database Backup

To export your site’s database, you can bypass SSL verification (useful for avoiding SSL issues) and redirect the output to a backup file. Since additional flags are included, use the -- separator if needed:

• Specifying the domain:

fly wp --domain example.com -- db export --skip-ssl - > ./site_name_date.sql

• Within your site directory:

fly wp -- db export --skip-ssl - > ./site_name_date.sql

Note: You can later restore this SQL file using phpMyAdmin.

Database Repair

To repair your site’s database, run the following command:

• Specifying the domain: fly wp --domain example.com -- db repair --skip-ssl
• Within your site directory: fly wp -- db repair --skip-ssl

The separator here is used because additional flags (e.g., --skip-ssl) are being passed.

You can restore this backup from phpMyAdmin

Tricks and tips

• Two Ways to Specify Your Site:
  • With the --domain flag: fly wp --domain example.com <wp-cli-command> <options>
  • By changing into your site’s directory (e.g., cd domain.tld), allowing you to run: fly wp <wp-cli-command> <options>
• When to Use -- :
  • Not Required: For simple commands (e.g., fly wp plugin list, fly wp cache flush) that need no extra options.
  • Required: When additional flags or parameters are passed to WP-CLI. In these cases, add -- to ensure the arguments are correctly forwarded.
• Database Operations:
  • Use the provided commands to export and repair your database. Remember that SQL backup files can be restored using phpMyAdmin.
    

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Direct WP CLI access with Docker exec

You can also access WP CLI directly through Docker. This will be most useful for scripting and automating mission-critical tasks.

If the domain is domain.TLD, then the change directory will look like the following command (change it as per your website’s name)

cd domain.tld

First, we will get inside the containers own shell to run these commands.
Now if you have an NGINX site, you can run WP CLI like this:

docker compose exec php wp

Or if you have an OpenLiteSpeed site;

docker compose exec --user=www-data openlitespeed wp

From there for example, showing all post list in an NGINX site:

docker compose exec php wp post list

For OpenLiteSpeed,

docker compose exec --user=www-data openlitespeed wp post list

Alternatively, if the Docker Compose command seems too long for you, you can go inside the container and run wp commands as usual.
For Nginx site,

docker compose exec php bash

For OpenLiteSpeed,

docker compose exec openlitespeed bash

…and now as you’re inside the container. You will be able to run wp commands like you’re used to.

wp cli version

Example

# Display the version currently installed.
$ wp cli version
WP-CLI 2.10.0

For Automation

If you wish to use WP CLI for automation, then you can use the following structure for automating tasks.

docker compose -f /home/fly/example.tld/docker-compose.yml exec php sh -c "wp plugin list"

For OpenLiteSpeed,

docker compose -f /home/fly/example.tld/docker-compose.yml exec --user www-data openlitespeed sh -c "wp plugin list"

While the command itself is long, it helps bring reliability for mission-critical automation and stability.