Installation & Setup

Fresh

Source: MainWP Getting Started Guide

Prerequisites

• A dedicated WordPress site for the Dashboard (not a production site)
• Administrator access to the Dashboard site
• Administrator access to each child site
• MainWP Child plugin ready for installation

Install MainWP Dashboard

Standard Installation

1. Access WP Admin > Plugins
2. Click Add New
3. Search for "MainWP"
4. Install MainWP Dashboard
5. Activate the plugin

Manual Installation

1. Download from wordpress.org/plugins/mainwp
2. Upload plugin folder to wp-content/plugins/ via FTP
3. Activate through WP Admin > Plugins

Critical Warning

Install MainWP Dashboard on a clean WordPress installation rather than an operating site. This eliminates plugin conflicts.

Quick Setup Wizard

The wizard guides you through:

1. Welcome - Introduction with optional guided tours
2. System Requirements - Verification of server configuration
3. Add Sites - Single or multiple site connection
4. Client Profiles - Create client associations
5. Monitoring - Configure uptime and health checks
6. Completion - Ready to manage

Install MainWP Child

On each site you want to manage:

1. Navigate to WP Admin > Plugins
2. Click Add New
3. Search "MainWP Child"
4. Install and Activate

Child Plugin Settings

Setting	Default	Purpose
Require Password Authentication	Enabled	Additional auth layer
Unique Security ID	Disabled	Extra verification step
Connection Timeout	Default	Max wait for Dashboard

Connect a Child Site

1. Log into Dashboard
2. Go to MainWP > Sites > Add New
3. Enter child site URL
4. Confirm MainWP Child plugin is active
5. Enter administrator username
6. Choose authentication method(s)
7. Add optional settings (icon, tags, client)
8. Click Add Site

Optional Settings

• Site icon selection
• Tag organization
• Client association
• SSL certificate verification options
• HTTP authentication credentials (for basic-auth protected sites)

Test Connection

1. Navigate to MainWP > Sites > Add New
2. Enter child site URL
3. Click Test Connection

Success response: Connection successful! URL: yoururl.com (IP: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) - Received HTTP-code 200 (OK)

Connect Multiple Sites

Enter multiple site URLs, admin usernames, and optional security IDs in the table format, then click to add all entries at once.

CSV Import

CSV format with columns: site name, URL, admin credentials, tags (use semicolons not commas), security IDs, HTTP auth details, certificate verification, SSL version.

CSV Format

Tags must use semicolons as separators (e.g., Tag A;Tag B;Tag C) since CSV files are comma-delimited. Must be actual .csv format, not .txt.

Verification Checklist

• [ ] MainWP Dashboard installed on dedicated site
• [ ] Quick Setup Wizard completed
• [ ] MainWP Child installed on child site(s)
• [ ] Child site(s) successfully connected
• [ ] Test Connection returns HTTP 200 status