WordPress Multi-Version Test Environment

Docker-based setup for testing WordPress plugins across multiple PHP and WordPress versions side-by-side. Each combination runs in its own container, sharing a single MariaDB database.

• PHP versions: 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5
• WP versions: 6.1–6.9, 7.0 (beta)
• 33 valid combinations (based on available Docker Hub images), each with WooCommerce + dummy data

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose v2+
• ~3–5 GB RAM for Docker (if running all 33 instances)
• Ports in the 8161–8570 range

Quick Start

git clone <repo-url> && cd wordpress-test-env
cp .env.example .env

# Setup a single instance (fast)
./scripts/init.sh 8.3 6.8

# Or setup everything (33 instances — takes a while)
./scripts/init.sh

Port Scheme

Ports follow the pattern {php_major}{php_minor}{wp_major}{wp_minor}:

PHP 8.1 + WP 6.1 → http://localhost:8161
PHP 8.3 + WP 6.8 → http://localhost:8368
PHP 8.5 + WP 7.0 → http://localhost:8570

Full Port Table

Only valid combinations (based on Docker Hub image availability) are shown:

WP ↓ \ PHP →	8.1	8.2	8.3	8.4	8.5
6.1	8161	8261	–	–	–
6.2	8162	8262	–	–	–
6.3	8163	8263	–	–	–
6.4	8164	8264	8364	–	–
6.5	8165	8265	8365	–	–
6.6	8166	8266	8366	–	–
6.7	8167	8267	8367	8467	–
6.8	8168	8268	8368	8468	8568
6.9	8169	8269	8369	8469	8569
7.0 (beta)	–	8270	8370	8470	8570

Default Credentials

Role	Username	Password
WP Admin	admin	admin
Customer	john	password

Admin dashboard: http://localhost:{port}/wp-admin

Scripts

All scripts accept [php_version wp_version] to target a single instance, or no args for all.

Script	Description
scripts/init.sh	Full setup (build + configure + seed)
scripts/start.sh	Start instance(s) + shared DB
scripts/stop.sh	Stop instance(s), keeps data
scripts/reset.sh	Destroy container + volume (with confirmation)
scripts/status.sh	Show running instances
scripts/setup-wordpress.sh	Run WordPress core install
scripts/install-woocommerce.sh	Install and activate WooCommerce
scripts/seed-data.sh	Seed products, orders, customers, coupons
scripts/generate-compose.sh	Regenerate docker-compose.yml from version matrix

Examples:

./scripts/start.sh 8.3 6.8     # start one instance
./scripts/stop.sh 8.3 6.8      # stop it
./scripts/reset.sh 8.3 6.8     # wipe and reset it
./scripts/init.sh 8.4 7.0      # full setup for PHP 8.4 + WP 7.0

What's Pre-Installed

• WordPress with permalinks, debug mode, auto-updates disabled
• WooCommerce with USD/US store, Cash on Delivery enabled
• Sample products from WooCommerce sample data
• 5 test customers with billing addresses
• 10 orders in various statuses
• 3 coupons: SAVE10 (10% off), FLAT5 ($5 off), FREESHIP

Suggested Testing Strategy

For most plugin testing, focus on boundary versions — the lowest and highest supported. If a plugin works on the extremes, it will almost certainly work on versions in between, since deprecations and breaking changes happen at major boundaries.

Recommended initial set (6 instances):

./scripts/init.sh 8.1 6.1    # oldest PHP + oldest WP
./scripts/init.sh 8.1 6.9    # oldest PHP + newest stable WP
./scripts/init.sh 8.5 6.9    # newest PHP + newest stable WP
./scripts/init.sh 8.2 7.0    # WP 7.0 beta — major version boundary
./scripts/init.sh 8.5 7.0    # WP 7.0 beta + newest PHP
./scripts/init.sh 8.3 6.5    # mid-range sanity check

Expand to middle versions only if you suspect a version-specific issue.

Architecture

┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐       ┌─────────────┐
│  wp-81-61   │  │  wp-83-68   │  ...  │  wp-85-70   │
│ PHP8.1+WP6.1│  │ PHP8.3+WP6.8│       │ PHP8.5+WP7.0│
│  port 8161  │  │  port 8368  │       │  port 8570  │
└──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘       └──────┬──────┘
       │                │                     │
       └────────────────┼─────────────────────┘
                        │
                 ┌──────┴──────┐
                 │     db      │
                 │ MariaDB 10.11│
                 │ 50 databases │
                 └─────────────┘

• Custom Dockerfile extends official wordpress:{version}-php{version}-apache images with WP-CLI
• Single shared MariaDB with one database per instance (wp_81_61, wp_83_68, etc.)
• Named Docker volumes persist data across restarts
• docker-compose.yml is auto-generated — edit versions in scripts/config.sh then run scripts/generate-compose.sh

Changing the Version Matrix

1. Edit PHP_VERSIONS and/or WP_VERSIONS in scripts/config.sh
2. Run ./scripts/generate-compose.sh to regenerate docker-compose.yml and db/init.sql
3. Run ./scripts/init.sh to set up new instances

Troubleshooting

Docker image not found: Not all PHP×WP combinations have official Docker images. For example, wordpress:6.1-php8.5-apache may not exist. Remove that combo from config.sh and regenerate.

Port conflict: If a port is in use, check which service occupies it and either stop that service or adjust the version matrix.

Out of memory: You don't need to run all 50 instances simultaneously. Start only what you need: ./scripts/start.sh 8.3 6.8

Slow first build: First run builds Docker images and downloads MariaDB. Subsequent starts are fast.

WooCommerce compatibility: Older WP versions use pinned WooCommerce versions. See scripts/install-woocommerce.sh for the version map.

DB init not running: The db/init.sql only runs on first MariaDB startup. If you added new versions after the DB was created, either ./scripts/reset.sh the whole stack or manually create the new database.