I made this video to show you how to set up a new application on Cloudways, whether you’re installing WordPress, Laravel, a custom PHP app, or even a staging environment for testing.

Cloudways gives you more control than traditional shared hosting, without the headache of raw server management. But it’s easy to get lost if you’ve never launched a server-based app before. This walkthrough simplifies the entire process.

Step 1: Log into your Cloudways dashboard

Once you’re in, go to the Applications tab and click “Add Application.”

If you don’t have a server yet, you’ll be prompted to launch one. Choose your provider — I typically go with DigitalOcean for its performance-to-cost balance.

You’ll then:

  • Name your app (e.g. “kajabi-clone” or “client-site”)
  • Select the stack (WordPress, PHP, Magento, etc.)
  • Choose server size and location

Step 2: Wait for provisioning

Cloudways will spin up the server and configure everything in the background. This takes around 5–10 minutes.

Once complete, your app is live — you’ll be given:

  • Admin URL
  • MySQL credentials
  • SFTP access
  • Temporary domain
  • Application login credentials

Step 3: Access your app and make first changes

Click into the app, and you’ll see tabs for:

  • Access Details
  • Domain Management
  • SSL Certificate
  • Deployment via Git

If you’re setting up WordPress, this is where you log into wp-admin and start customizing your theme and plugins.

Step 4: Connect your domain

In the Domain Management tab, add your domain and update your DNS to point to the server IP. Once that’s live, install a free Let’s Encrypt SSL from the SSL tab.

Step 5: Use Staging, Backups, and Monitoring

Cloudways makes it easy to clone an app to staging, roll back to a backup, and monitor performance metrics.

In the video, I walk through how to:

  • Create a one-click staging version
  • Set up automated daily backups
  • Monitor PHP memory and CPU usage

Cloudways gives you just enough power without needing to hire a DevOps person. Once you’ve gone through it once, spinning up new apps becomes second nature.

Are you already hosting sites on Cloudways, or trying to move away from shared hosting?