@moonashish,

As someone who found himself in the same position as you, only a month (or two) ago...

If you're completely new to the wonderful world of VPS, I would recommend Ubuntu over CentOS; as I think you'll have an easier time finding answers to "newbie" questions. CentOS is a very quality operating system, but it tends to be found more in enterprise environments; thus, a lot of the chatter on the internet is b/w people that are experienced in Linux--which makes a lot of the info. challenging (but not impossible) to understand for a newbie.

Nginx vs. Apache is an ongoing debate that's constantly attracting more attention. Nginx seems to be the favorite web server for speed-hungry sites w/a lot of static files. But, I've found it more difficult to find config. & troubleshooting info. on the net that's prepared in a manner that a newbie can understand. Thus, if you're just delving into VPSs, I would recommend Apache for now, w/an eye toward migrating over to Nginx later (if the need arises). Apache is the most popular web server in the world, and you'll find plenty of documentation and answers to questions posed by other newbies.

All methods are the same. The only differences are the operating systems and the webservers.

We have an article on how to set up Wordpress Multisite: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/articles/how-to-set-up-multiple-wordpress-sites-using-multisite

You'll have to install Wordpress first using one of the 5 articles you mentioned in your post. We have a 1-click Wordpress install: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/articles/308

Hi Kamal,

Thanks for your response.

Yes, I am aware of the resources you pointed out.

But what I want to understand is the reason for choosing one method over the other - since there are 5 approaches - there has to be advantages or disadvantages of one over the other - otherwise there's no reason for 5 of them to exist, hence my question.

Pablo

Glad you've shed some light over the matter in the direction I wanted, but still I feel the need to understand it far more. I am somewhat surprised that there is not much relevant info available on google too.

Could you (or the staff at Digital Ocean) point this thread to someone who has a comprehensive knowledge on these technologies and be able to answer this in the most thorough manner? I am sure lot of newbies starting with VPS would like to have this understood properly.

>Nginx seems to be the favorite web server for speed-hungry sites w/a lot of static files.

One of the drawbacks with WP is its loading time. Hence when you say this, I want to use it, but you also say it is somewhat difficult to manage - Does it also mean that DigitalOcean does not provide much assistance when it comes to knowledgebase on managing these technologies?

moonashish, all articles use the same method of installing wordpress.

The only difference between:

- 1 and 3 is the webserver (nginx/apache);
- 4 and 5 is the webserver (nginx/apache);
- 1+3 and 4+5 is the operating system (ubuntu/centos).

#2 is the same as #4 except that additional software is installed (Varnish) which caches static files and makes your wordpress site faster.

I personally recommend #4 as it uses Ubuntu which is easier for beginners and has more articles online than CentOS, and because it uses nginx instead of apache which is faster and uses less resources.

moonashish,

Here are a few good articles to get your feet wet.

1.) The Importance of Caching WordPress

2.) WordPress Multisite with Nginx | How to set it all up and enjoy the blazing fast consequences

3.) 10 Million hits a day with WordPress using a $15 server