Title: WordPress on VIP
Author: WordPress VIP Documentation
Published: May 5, 2022
Last modified: May 29, 2025

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#  WordPress on VIP

WordPress environments on the WordPress VIP Platform can be created as either a 
[WordPress single site](https://docs.wpvip.com/wordpress-single-site/) or a [WordPress multisite](https://docs.wpvip.com/wordpress-multisite/).
WordPress multisite (also known as a WordPress network) allows multiple sites to
be created and run from a single installation of WordPress Core files.

The infrastructure of a WordPress environment on the VIP Platform differs from typical
hosting platforms. The infrastructural differences are designed to improve the security
and performance of WordPress applications.

 * A copy of [VIP Must Use plugins](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-go-mu-plugins/) (
   VIP MU plugins) is loaded on every WordPress environment to provide performance
   enhancements and commonly used plugins like [Jetpack and Akismet](https://docs.wpvip.com/wordpress-on-vip/jetpack/).
 * Because the WordPress VIP Platform uses NGINX (not Apache), there are no [`.htaccess`](https://wordpress.org/support/article/htaccess/)
   files. The [directives defined in NGINX](https://nginx.org/en/docs/dirindex.html)
   are platform-wide and cannot be customized per-site.
 * **There is no SFTP access** for managing files within the `/wp-content` directory
   of a WordPress site on the WordPress VIP Platform. The methods required to edit
   the contents of that directory on the WordPress VIP Platform are designed to 
   enhance the performance and [security of a WordPress site](https://docs.wpvip.com/security/for-wordpress/).
    - **`[/wp-content/plugins](https://docs.wpvip.com/wordpress-skeleton/plugins-directory/)`
      and `[/wp-content/themes](https://docs.wpvip.com/wordpress-skeleton/themes-directory/)`**:
      Files and directories for plugins and themes can only be added, updated, and
      removed via code commits to [an application’s GitHub repository](https://docs.wpvip.com/github-repository/).
      Plugins and themes cannot be added or removed within the WordPress Admin dashboard.
    - `**/wp-content/uploads**`: Files that are uploaded through the Media Library—
      or imported with VIP-CLI—are located within the `/wp-content/uploads` file
      path. Instead of mapping to a filesystem located within the web container,
      a WordPress site’s `/wp-content/uploads` path is mapped to [the VIP File System](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-go-files-system/),
      an external globally-distributed object store.

Last updated: May 29, 2025