How to install plugins in separate accounts?

Question

Have:

• an FTP server with Cpanel running over WHMCS
• three Mysql databases linked to different users
• three Wordpress accounts associated with the above mentioned databases

How to install a plugin separately, and connect to the installation of the same plugin to three Wordpress accounts?

I want to do this because I have a large project ahead of me, and I need to be able to update in a single location the plugin, that I intend to connect with the various accounts, so to facilitate the updating of the

Someone provided me with this solution in Stack Overflow in English. however, I need to know if this moves the original files by deleting them, and if so, what is the command to copy the files in a non-destructive way

// Set WP_CONTENT_DIR to the full local path of this directory (no trailing slash), e.g.
define( 'WP_CONTENT_DIR', $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/blog/wp-content' );
// Set WP_CONTENT_URL to the full URI of this directory (no trailing slash), e.g.
define( 'WP_CONTENT_URL', 'http://example/blog/wp-content');
// Set WP_PLUGIN_DIR to the full local path of this directory (no trailing slash), e.g.
define( 'WP_PLUGIN_DIR', $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/blog/wp-content/plugins' );
// Set WP_PLUGIN_URL to the full URI of this directory (no trailing slash), e.g.
define( 'WP_PLUGIN_URL', 'http://example/blog/wp-content/plugins');
// If you have compability issues with plugins Set PLUGINDIR to the full local path of this directory (no trailing slash), e.g.
define( 'PLUGINDIR', $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'] . '/blog/wp-content/plugins' );

Answer 1

I find two ways to accomplish this. The first is by automating the plugins when updates are available. Configuration is performed via filter, and may even be limited to a few plugins:

function auto_update_specific_plugins ( $update, $item ) {
    // Array of plugin slugs to always auto-update
    $plugins = array ( 
        'akismet',
        'buddypress',
    );
    if ( in_array( $item->slug, $plugins ) ) {
        return true; // Always update plugins in this array
    } else {
        return $update; // Else, use the normal API response to decide whether to update or not
    }
}
add_filter( 'auto_update_plugin', 'auto_update_specific_plugins', 10, 2 );

Here we have the Codex documentation, which also contains more suggestions.

If it is necessary to have an update control, I recommend using management services (all paid):

• Managewp
• Infinitewp

Both solutions are very complete, and have Features quite interesting.

Answer 2

A technique is to modify conditionally constants in wp-config.php. You can have a single Wordpress file base with a single wp-config.php and serve multiple domains, each with its own separate database.

define( 'DB_USER', 'user' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'pass' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'localhost' );
define( 'DB_CHARSET', 'utf8' );
define( 'DB_COLLATE', '' );

if ( $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']=='www.example.com' ) {
    define( 'DB_NAME', 'www_db' );
    define( 'WP_CONTENT_DIR', '/com.example/wp-content/www' );
    define( 'WP_CONTENT_URL', 'http://www.example.com/wp-content/www');
} 
elseif ( $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']=='sub.example.com' ) {
    define( 'DB_NAME', 'sub_db' );
    define( 'WP_CONTENT_DIR', '/com.example/wp-content/sub' );
    define( 'WP_CONTENT_URL', 'http://example.com/wp-content/sub');
}

define( 'WP_PLUGIN_DIR', '/com.example/wp-content/plugins' );
define( 'WP_PLUGIN_URL', 'http://www.example.com/wp-content/plugins');
define( 'WPMU_PLUGIN_DIR', '/com.example/wp-content/mu-plugins' );
define( 'WPMU_PLUGIN_URL', 'http://www.example.com/wp-content/mu-plugins');

This search in WPSE is a good place to start investigating the topic.

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Another option is to use the Wordpress Multisite. The principle is the same, an installation, several websites, but when converting a normal site into Multisite, a super-admin panel appears and from there it is possible to create sub-sites and control which themes and plugins can use. Natively, it is only possible to control the themes available for each site, but it is possible to make a plugin to leave exclusive plugins for some of the sub-sites. In this example, the important filter is all_plugins.

Managing a Multisite has its particularities that add another level of difficulty, on this tag wiki has some useful resources.

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In both options, plugin management should be done very carefully, it is easy to take down multiple sites at once with a spelling error.

Regardless of the configuration chosen to install multiple Wps, the super managers who quotes Felipe are very good. In practice, I only know Infinitewp and I like it very much, but I know that Managewp is very good.