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Multisite ​

The Raydium Framework offers a robust, secure, and scalable foundation for WordPress development, designed to enhance modularity and maintainability. While WordPress Multisite is not officially supported by Raydium at this time, the framework's flexibility makes it possible to configure and experiment with Multisite.

The Raydium team is actively exploring official Multisite support for future releases, so stay tuned for updates!

If you're interested in implementing Multisite on Raydium, follow this guide while keeping its unique architecture in mind.

Use Subdomains ​

Raydium's directory structure organizes files differently from the default setup, making subdomains the optimal choice for your Multisite configuration. Here’s why:

  1. Simplified Routing
    Subdomains avoid the potential routing conflicts that can occur with subdirectories (e.g., example.com/site1), ensuring seamless integration with the framework architecture.

  2. SEO Advantages
    Subdomains are treated as separate entities by search engines, allowing for more targeted SEO strategies tailored to specific audiences or niches.

  3. Scalability and Flexibility
    Subdomains make it easier to manage multiple unique brands or websites within your network, offering a future-proof solution as your business grows.

To use subdomains, ensure your DNS is configured to handle wildcard subdomains (e.g., *.example.com).

Configuring Multisite with Subdomains ​

1. Prepare Your Environment ​

Ensure your hosting meets the requirements for WordPress Multisite and wildcard subdomains:

  • PHP 7.4 or higher.
  • MySQL 5.7 or higher, or MariaDB 10.3 or higher.
  • Apache or Nginx with mod_rewrite enabled.
  • DNS wildcard subdomains configured:
    *.example.com A <server-ip>

2. Install Raydium ​

Set up your application using Raydium’s standard process:

bash
composer create-project devuri/raydium your-project-name

3. Enable Multisite ​

Add the following line to your wp-config.php file to enable Multisite functionality:

php
define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);

Save the file and refresh your admin dashboard.

4. Configure the Multisite Network ​

  • Navigate to Tools > Network Setup in your WordPress admin panel.
  • Choose Subdomains as your Multisite configuration type.
  • Follow the provided instructions to add the necessary code snippets to your wp-config.php and .htaccess files.

5. Access the Network Admin Dashboard ​

Log back in to access the Network Admin menu, where you can manage your Multisite network and configure additional sites.

Additional Tips for Using Multisite with Raydium ​

  1. Compatibility with Subdomains
    Subdomains work harmoniously with Raydium’s directory structure, eliminating conflicts and ensuring smooth operation.

  2. Security Practices
    Regularly audit your setup to manage user roles and permissions across sites securely.

  3. SEO and Scalability
    Subdomains allow for better SEO by creating distinct content silos while providing the flexibility to scale your network without path-based limitations.

  4. Staging and Testing
    Always test your Multisite setup in a staging environment before deploying it live to ensure compatibility with your chosen subdomain configuration.

About URLs ​

WordPress multisite expects the subdirectory (/wp/) to remain in the URLs (as setup by the framework) unless additional rewrite rules are added to strip it out for multisite. Here’s how you can adjust your .htaccess file to fix it and ensure the URLs resolve to example.com/some-url without the /wp/ prefix for your multisite setup.

Adjusted .htaccess Rules ​

Replace your current .htaccess file with the following code:

apache
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /

# Preserve authorization headers
RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]

# Add a trailing slash to /wp-admin
RewriteRule ^wp-admin$ wp-admin/ [R=301,L]

# Handle existing files and directories
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} -d
RewriteRule ^ - [L]

# Rewrite multisite paths to remove /wp
RewriteRule ^(wp-(content|admin|includes).*) wp/$1 [L]
RewriteRule ^(.*\.php)$ wp/$1 [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/wp/
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ wp/$1 [L,QSA]

# Route all other requests to index.php
RewriteRule . index.php [L]

Changes ​

  1. Preserve /wp/ for internal requests:
    The rules for wp-(content|admin|includes) and PHP files remain intact to ensure WordPress can locate the necessary files inside the /wp/ directory.

  2. Rewrite non-existing paths without /wp/:
    The line RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/wp/ ensures we don't apply the rule for requests already pointing to /wp/. The rule RewriteRule ^(.*)$ wp/$1 [L,QSA] rewrites requests like /some-url to /wp/some-url internally.

Additional Steps ​

  • Update WordPress Site URL:
    In your WordPress dashboard, update the Site URL and Home URL settings to https://example.com.

    Alternatively, update .env file values ${HOME_URL}/wp can be set to ${HOME_URL}/ in the .env file:

    plaintext
    HOME_URL=https://example.com
WP_SITEURL="${HOME_URL}/"

    The new htaccess rules will now handle the routing for wp

  • Flush Permalinks:
    After updating the .htaccess file, go to Settings > Permalinks in the WordPress admin and click Save Changes to regenerate the permalinks.

This should resolve the issue and ensure that your URLs resolve to example.com/some-url without the /wp/ prefix in a multisite setup.

If you are using Nginx server, the configuration should be updated in a similar way. Check the docs for more information.

Looking Ahead ​

Raydium is actively working to enhance compatibility with WordPress Multisite. Your feedback and experiences will help shape the framework's future support for advanced use cases, including Multisite. For now, subdomains offer the most reliable and efficient path to leverage Multisite with Raydium.