What is our primary use case?
My main use case for Wordpress on Amazon Linux is deploying school solutions for companies. A quick specific example of a school solution I have deployed using Wordpress on Amazon Linux is a learning platform for a school that needed to host exercises for their students. I have also worked with some other more corporate companies that needed to perform internal exams or questionnaires internally, and I used this solution to deploy this kind of product quickly.
What is most valuable?
The best features Wordpress on Amazon Linux offers, in my experience, include having an out-of-the-box Wordpress deployed on Amazon without having to pull images or search for safe places to download it. With this product, I already have a trusted source of images for Wordpress ready to be deployed in an EC2 instance.
Having a trusted source and ready-to-deploy Wordpress images has helped my workflow and my clients by speeding up deployment times and eliminating worries about the quality or security of the image. It helps me and my company deploy a solution within minutes. Wordpress on Amazon Linux has positively impacted my organization by helping us go to market much faster. Instead of having to manually deploy the image myself or search for it online, I can press a few buttons and have it deployed, ready to be configured. The speed of deployment is a significant advantage.
I have been able to launch around one hundred projects in this way, and while I do not have access to actual metrics, I am confident that none of those one hundred projects took more than ten minutes to deploy.
What needs improvement?
One of the key improvements needed for Wordpress on Amazon Linux is its marketing because I did not know it existed as a product within AWS until I read about it on online forums. I was ready to start deploying these instances myself using images not from Amazon Linux, but from other non-trusted sources until I learned about them in a forum. I think there may be a visibility problem.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Wordpress on Amazon Linux for over two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Wordpress on Amazon Linux is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Wordpress on Amazon Linux is as scalable as AWS solutions. It depends on how I choose to deploy it, but it is indeed scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I have not had to use customer support, but I would say it is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I previously used Wordpress as a standalone installation and switched to Wordpress on Amazon Linux due to the reasons I mentioned earlier. In the past, I had to research where I was downloading it, check the version, and trust the source of the download. With the AWS image available, I eliminate those concerns and can simply install it.
How was the initial setup?
Wordpress on Amazon Linux has really easy integration capabilities with other tools or platforms I use because it is already prepared to be integrated with several services within AWS as part of the ecosystem.
The performance of Wordpress on Amazon Linux under heavy workloads or high traffic depends on how it is deployed. If I use a single EC2 instance, I may face performance issues with a lot of traffic from many customers. However, in my example, using a load balancer with three instances supports up to nine hundred concurrent users with no issues.
What about the implementation team?
Managing and maintaining Wordpress on Amazon Linux over time is really easy because I have access to AWS tooling. Once the image is ready and configured, I can take a snapshot and use it as a baseline image for further deployment. Maintainability is really easy.
What was our ROI?
I have definitely seen a return on investment in terms of time saved. Although I do not have specific metrics, having Wordpress ready to be deployed in under ten minutes is something to be proud of. It is really easy to deploy Wordpress this way.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was very straightforward since AWS Marketplace provides all necessary information, and purchasing it is just a matter of a few clicks.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before choosing Wordpress on Amazon Linux, I did not evaluate other options.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Wordpress on Amazon Linux a ten out of ten.
I chose ten because its ease of use, speed to deployment, and how up-to-date the documentation is, along with being close to the latest version, stand out most for me. I purchased Wordpress on Amazon Linux through the AWS Marketplace.
The backup and disaster recovery process for Wordpress on Amazon Linux is straightforward. I can either use the Wordpress backup system with plugins, but I prefer to back up the entire volume where Wordpress is allocated. I ended up using AWS backup system, which is really easy to use.
The flexibility of Wordpress on Amazon Linux when it comes to customization or adding plugins and themes is very high. I can use any plugin from the marketplace, and it works just like any other Wordpress.
My advice for others looking into using Wordpress on Amazon Linux is to trust the image, as it will prevent headaches associated with using a pre-provided image by AWS. The pricing is minimal, so there is no reason not to use it. My overall rating for this product is ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.