---
title: "Example: Deploying WordPress and MySQL with Persistent Volumes"
reviewers:
- ahmetb
content_type: tutorial
weight: 20
card: 
  name: tutorials
  weight: 40
  title: "Stateful Example: Wordpress with Persistent Volumes"
---

<!-- overview -->
This tutorial shows you how to deploy a WordPress site and a MySQL database using
Minikube. Both applications use PersistentVolumes and PersistentVolumeClaims to store data.

A [PersistentVolume](/docs/concepts/storage/persistent-volumes/) (PV) is a piece
of storage in the cluster that has been manually provisioned by an administrator,
or dynamically provisioned by Kubernetes using a [StorageClass](/docs/concepts/storage/storage-classes).
A [PersistentVolumeClaim](/docs/concepts/storage/persistent-volumes/#persistentvolumeclaims) (PVC)
is a request for storage by a user that can be fulfilled by a PV. PersistentVolumes and
PersistentVolumeClaims are independent from Pod lifecycles and preserve data through
restarting, rescheduling, and even deleting Pods.

{{< warning >}}
This deployment is not suitable for production use cases, as it uses single instance
WordPress and MySQL Pods. Consider using
[WordPress Helm Chart](https://github.com/bitnami/charts/tree/master/bitnami/wordpress)
to deploy WordPress in production.
{{< /warning >}}

{{< note >}}
The files provided in this tutorial are using GA Deployment APIs and are specific
to kubernetes version 1.9 and later. If you wish to use this tutorial with an earlier
version of Kubernetes, please update the API version appropriately, or reference
earlier versions of this tutorial.
{{< /note >}}

## {{% heading "objectives" %}}

* Create PersistentVolumeClaims and PersistentVolumes
* Create a `kustomization.yaml` with
  * a Secret generator
  * MySQL resource configs
  * WordPress resource configs
* Apply the kustomization directory by `kubectl apply -k ./`
* Clean up

## {{% heading "prerequisites" %}}

{{< include "task-tutorial-prereqs.md" >}} {{< version-check >}}

The example shown on this page works with `kubectl` 1.27 and above.

Download the following configuration files:

1. [mysql-deployment.yaml](/examples/application/wordpress/mysql-deployment.yaml)

1. [wordpress-deployment.yaml](/examples/application/wordpress/wordpress-deployment.yaml)

<!-- lessoncontent -->

## Create PersistentVolumeClaims and PersistentVolumes

MySQL and Wordpress each require a PersistentVolume to store data.
Their PersistentVolumeClaims will be created at the deployment step.

Many cluster environments have a default StorageClass installed.
When a StorageClass is not specified in the PersistentVolumeClaim,
the cluster's default StorageClass is used instead.

When a PersistentVolumeClaim is created, a PersistentVolume is dynamically
provisioned based on the StorageClass configuration.

{{< warning >}}
In local clusters, the default StorageClass uses the `hostPath` provisioner.
`hostPath` volumes are only suitable for development and testing. With `hostPath`
volumes, your data lives in `/tmp` on the node the Pod is scheduled onto and does
not move between nodes. If a Pod dies and gets scheduled to another node in the
cluster, or the node is rebooted, the data is lost.
{{< /warning >}}

{{< note >}}
If you are bringing up a cluster that needs to use the `hostPath` provisioner,
the `--enable-hostpath-provisioner` flag must be set in the `controller-manager` component.
{{< /note >}}

{{< note >}}
If you have a Kubernetes cluster running on Google Kubernetes Engine, please
follow [this guide](https://cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/tutorials/persistent-disk).
{{< /note >}}

## Create a kustomization.yaml

### Add a Secret generator

A [Secret](/docs/concepts/configuration/secret/) is an object that stores a piece
of sensitive data like a password or key. Since 1.14, `kubectl` supports the
management of Kubernetes objects using a kustomization file. You can create a Secret
by generators in `kustomization.yaml`.

Add a Secret generator in `kustomization.yaml` from the following command.
You will need to replace `YOUR_PASSWORD` with the password you want to use.

```shell
cat <<EOF >./kustomization.yaml
secretGenerator:
- name: mysql-pass
  literals:
  - password=YOUR_PASSWORD
EOF
```

## Add resource configs for MySQL and WordPress

The following manifest describes a single-instance MySQL Deployment. The MySQL
container mounts the PersistentVolume at /var/lib/mysql. The `MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD`
environment variable sets the database password from the Secret.

{{% code_sample file="application/wordpress/mysql-deployment.yaml" %}}

The following manifest describes a single-instance WordPress Deployment. The WordPress container mounts the
PersistentVolume at `/var/www/html` for website data files. The `WORDPRESS_DB_HOST` environment variable sets
the name of the MySQL Service defined above, and WordPress will access the database by Service. The
`WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD` environment variable sets the database password from the Secret kustomize generated.

{{% code_sample file="application/wordpress/wordpress-deployment.yaml" %}}

1. Download the MySQL deployment configuration file.

   ```shell
   curl -LO https://k8s.io/examples/application/wordpress/mysql-deployment.yaml
   ```

2. Download the WordPress configuration file.

   ```shell
   curl -LO https://k8s.io/examples/application/wordpress/wordpress-deployment.yaml
   ```

3. Add them to `kustomization.yaml` file.

   ```shell
   cat <<EOF >>./kustomization.yaml
   resources:
     - mysql-deployment.yaml
     - wordpress-deployment.yaml
   EOF
   ```

## Apply and Verify

The `kustomization.yaml` contains all the resources for deploying a WordPress site and a
MySQL database. You can apply the directory by

```shell
kubectl apply -k ./
```

Now you can verify that all objects exist.

1. Verify that the Secret exists by running the following command:

   ```shell
   kubectl get secrets
   ```

   The response should be like this:

   ```
   NAME                    TYPE                                  DATA   AGE
   mysql-pass-c57bb4t7mf   Opaque                                1      9s
   ```

2. Verify that a PersistentVolume got dynamically provisioned.

   ```shell
   kubectl get pvc
   ```

   {{< note >}}
   It can take up to a few minutes for the PVs to be provisioned and bound.
   {{< /note >}}

   The response should be like this:

   ```
   NAME             STATUS    VOLUME                                     CAPACITY   ACCESS MODES   STORAGECLASS       AGE
   mysql-pv-claim   Bound     pvc-8cbd7b2e-4044-11e9-b2bb-42010a800002   20Gi       RWO            standard           77s
   wp-pv-claim      Bound     pvc-8cd0df54-4044-11e9-b2bb-42010a800002   20Gi       RWO            standard           77s
   ```

3. Verify that the Pod is running by running the following command:

   ```shell
   kubectl get pods
   ```

   {{< note >}}
   It can take up to a few minutes for the Pod's Status to be `RUNNING`.
   {{< /note >}}

   The response should be like this:

   ```
   NAME                               READY     STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
   wordpress-mysql-1894417608-x5dzt   1/1       Running   0          40s
   ```

4. Verify that the Service is running by running the following command:

   ```shell
   kubectl get services wordpress
   ```

   The response should be like this:

   ```
   NAME        TYPE            CLUSTER-IP   EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)        AGE
   wordpress   LoadBalancer    10.0.0.89    <pending>     80:32406/TCP   4m
   ```

   {{< note >}}
   Minikube can only expose Services through `NodePort`. The EXTERNAL-IP is always pending.
   {{< /note >}}

5. Run the following command to get the IP Address for the WordPress Service:

   ```shell
   minikube service wordpress --url
   ```

   The response should be like this:

   ```
   http://1.2.3.4:32406
   ```

6. Copy the IP address, and load the page in your browser to view your site.

   You should see the WordPress set up page similar to the following screenshot.

   ![wordpress-init](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes/examples/master/mysql-wordpress-pd/WordPress.png)

   {{< warning >}}
   Do not leave your WordPress installation on this page. If another user finds it,
   they can set up a website on your instance and use it to serve malicious content.<br/><br/>
   Either install WordPress by creating a username and password or delete your instance.
   {{< /warning >}}

## {{% heading "cleanup" %}}

1. Run the following command to delete your Secret, Deployments, Services and PersistentVolumeClaims:

   ```shell
   kubectl delete -k ./
   ```

## {{% heading "whatsnext" %}}

* Learn more about [Introspection and Debugging](/docs/tasks/debug/debug-application/debug-running-pod/)
* Learn more about [Jobs](/docs/concepts/workloads/controllers/job/)
* Learn more about [Port Forwarding](/docs/tasks/access-application-cluster/port-forward-access-application-cluster/)
* Learn how to [Get a Shell to a Container](/docs/tasks/debug/debug-application/get-shell-running-container/)