EasyEngine CLI — Course Outline for a WordPress Developer 🧭

Below is a chaptered, addressable syllabus you can reference like c2.6 (Chapter 2, Subsection 6). It’s designed around what you shared from the GitHub docs (site management for HTML/WP, cron, and shell) and also adds the practical, WordPress-on-a-root-server knowledge you’ll want alongside those commands. ✅

c1) Orientation: What EasyEngine is (and why it changes your workflow) 🧩

c1.1 — EasyEngine mental model (shared hosting vs root server vs containers)

c1.2 — What EasyEngine manages for you (sites, containers, services, SSL)

c1.3 — Core CLI structure: ee <noun> <verb> [args] [options]

c1.4 — Local machine vs server: where you run ee and what it touches

c1.5 — Learning map: what you’ll be able to do by the end of the course

c2) Site Lifecycle Fundamentals (HTML + WordPress) 🏗️

c2.1 — Naming and identifying sites (<site-name> conventions, DNS expectations)

c2.2 — Creating sites: the shared mechanics across types

• What --type means conceptually
• When --skip-status-check matters and when it’s risky

c2.3 — ee site create --type=html

• c2.3.1 Minimal create
• c2.3.2 Create with SSL (--ssl=le, --ssl=self)
• c2.3.3 Wildcard SSL (--wildcard) and when you actually need it

c2.4 — ee site create --type=wp (WordPress install paths)

• c2.4.1 Minimal WP create
• c2.4.2 WP + Let’s Encrypt SSL
• c2.4.3 WP + wildcard SSL
• c2.4.4 WP + Redis cache (--cache) and what it implies
• c2.4.5 WP multisite (--mu=subdir vs --mu=subdom)
• c2.4.6 VIP flow (--vip) and using a repo containing wp-content
• c2.4.7 Skipping steps (--skip-install, --skip-content) and why/when
• c2.4.8 Version selection (--version=latest|nightly|x.y.z)

c2.5 — Managing a site’s runtime state

• c2.5.1 ee site enable (and what “enable” means in practice)
• c2.5.2 ee site disable (what stops/removes; what persists)
• c2.5.3 --verify and dependent “global services”
• c2.5.4 --force usage patterns (and cautions)

c2.6 — Updating an existing site: ee site update

• c2.6.1 Adding SSL to a non-SSL site (--ssl=le|self)
• c2.6.2 Switching to wildcard (--wildcard)
• c2.6.3 Safe operational routine (pre-checks, downtime avoidance mindset)

c2.7 — SSL operations: ee site ssl

• c2.7.1 Challenge verification concepts
• c2.7.2 Renewal behavior and --force
• c2.7.3 Practical renewal troubleshooting checklist

c2.8 — Inspecting & inventorying: ee site info and ee site list

• c2.8.1 ee site info output: credentials, links, what to look for
• c2.8.2 ee site list filters (--enabled, --disabled)
• c2.8.3 Output formats (--format=table|csv|yaml|json|count|text) 📋

c2.9 — Reload/restart: ee site reload and ee site restart

• c2.9.1 Reload vs restart (what you use each for)
• c2.9.2 “Type” variants in docs (--type=html|wp) and expected behavior

c2.10 — Deleting sites: ee site delete

• c2.10.1 Confirmation and --yes
• c2.10.2 Data safety: what to back up before deletion

c2.11 — Caching operations: ee site clean

• c2.11.1 Clearing both caches (default behavior)
• c2.11.2 --page vs --object (when to clear which)

c2.12 — Sharing a site online: ee site share (ngrok)

• c2.12.1 Create a share link
• c2.12.2 --refresh behavior
• c2.12.3 Taking it down (--disable)
• c2.12.4 Using --token (ngrok token hygiene)

c3) WordPress Provisioning Details (Deep Dive) 🧱

(Still based on your doc excerpt, but expanded into the decisions you’ll actually make.)

c3.1 — Admin bootstrap options (--title, --admin-user, --admin-pass, --admin-email)

c3.2 — PHP version selection (--php=5.6|7.2|latest) and compatibility strategy

c3.3 — Database configuration patterns

• c3.3.1 Defaults vs explicit config (--dbname, --dbuser, --dbpass, etc.)
• c3.3.2 Remote DB host (--dbhost) implications
• c3.3.3 --skip-check and when it can bite you
• c3.3.4 --force and “reset remote database if not empty”

c3.4 — Local DB & local Redis containers (--local-db, --with-local-redis)

c3.5 — Multisite operations mindset (subdir vs subdom prerequisites)

c3.6 — VIP workflow (--vip) as a deployment pattern

c4) Cron Management with ee cron ⏱️

c4.1 — What EasyEngine cron controls (site-level vs host-level)

c4.2 — Listing jobs: ee cron list [<site-name>] [--all]

c4.3 — Creating jobs: ee cron create

• c4.3.1 Site cron vs host cron (<site-name> vs host)

• c4.3.2 --command quoting rules and practical examples

• c4.3.3 --schedule formats:

  • Classic Linux cron strings
  • Macros like @weekly, @daily, etc.
  • @every <duration> (e.g., @every 10m, combined units)

c4.4 — Running immediately: ee cron run-now <cron-id>

c4.5 — Updating jobs: ee cron update <id>

• c4.5.1 Changing site, command, schedule, and user

c4.6 — Deleting jobs: ee cron delete <cron-id>

c4.7 — WordPress-specific cron recipes (WP-Cron alternatives, due-now runners)

c5) Shell Access with ee shell (Your daily driver) 🧰

c5.1 — Interactive shell into a site container: ee shell <site-name>

c5.2 — Choosing the user: --user=root|www-data|... (practical safety rules)

c5.3 — Choosing a service: --service=php (default) vs --service=nginx, etc.

c5.4 — Non-interactive execution: --command='...'

c5.5 — TTY considerations: --skip-tty (when automation needs it)

c5.6 — Common WP developer workflows via ee shell

• Running WP-CLI operations
• Inspecting logs/configs
• Quick Nginx tests/reloads

c6) Operational Routines (Putting commands into real workflows) 🔁

c6.1 — “Day 1” routine: create → SSL → verify → info → share (optional)

c6.2 — “Release” routine: maintenance mode, cache clear, reload/restart

c6.3 — “Incident” routine: disable/enable, verify dependencies, SSL renewal

c6.4 — Safe defaults vs dangerous flags (--force, --skip-check, --skip-status-check)

c6.5 — Auditing & reporting with ee site list --format=...

c7) WordPress Performance & Architecture Tuning (EE-centric mindset) 🚀

c7.1 — Page cache vs object cache: what you clear and why

c7.2 — Redis in practice (--cache, --with-local-redis)

c7.3 — PHP version strategy for client projects

c7.4 — Multisite scaling considerations

c7.5 — When to prefer local DB container vs global/remote DB

c8) Security & Access Patterns (Root server reality check) 🔐

c8.1 — SSL choices (le vs self) and practical environments

c8.2 — Principle of least privilege for ee shell --user=...

c8.3 — ngrok sharing: token handling and exposure control

c8.4 — Deletion safeguards and backup checkpoints

c9) Capstone Projects (guided practice paths) 🎯

c9.1 — Build a production-like WP site with SSL + cron runner + caching

c9.2 — Build a multisite (subdir/subdom) with correct SSL and cron strategy

c9.3 — VIP-style site: --vip repo workflow + operational commands

c9.4 — Maintenance toolkit: scripts using ee shell --command, ee site list --format=json

c10) Quick Reference Index (command→topic map) 📌

1. Site

   1. c2.3 — ee site create --type=html
   2. c2.4 / c3 — ee site create --type=wp
   3. c2.10 — ee site delete
   4. c2.6 — ee site update
   5. c2.5 — ee site enable|disable
   6. c2.7 — ee site ssl
   7. c2.8 — ee site info|list
   8. c2.9 — ee site reload|restart
   9. c2.11 — ee site clean
   10. c2.12 — ee site share

2. Cron

   1. c4.3 — ee cron create
   2. c4.2 — ee cron list
   3. c4.5 — ee cron update
   4. c4.6 — ee cron delete
   5. c4.4 — ee cron run-now

3. Shell

   1. c5 — ee shell

Next step ✅

Tell me where you want to start:

1. c2.4 (WordPress site creation end-to-end), or
2. c5 (shell workflows; fastest way to feel productive), or
3. Name any code like c2.6 and I’ll “execute” that chapter in lesson format.