Detailed Installation Steps

📖 Detailed Installation Steps

Step 1: Welcome & Agreement

When you first visit your site, you'll see the installer welcome screen.

What to do:

1. Read the "Before You Begin" section carefully
2. Review the installation requirements
3. Check the agreement box
4. Click Get Started

Theme Switching: Use the sun/moon icon in the top right to toggle between Light and Dark modes. Your preference will be saved!

Step 2: System Requirements Check

The installer automatically checks if your server meets all requirements.

What's Being Checked:

✅ PHP Version - Must be 8.2 or higher
✅ PHP Extensions - All required extensions must be enabled
✅ File Permissions - Storage and cache directories must be writable

Status Indicators:

• 🟢 Green Check: Requirement met
• 🔴 Red X: Requirement not met (must be fixed)
• 🟡 Yellow Warning: Optional but recommended

If You See Red Icons:

1. PHP Extensions Missing:

   • Contact your hosting provider
   • Or enable them in php.ini if you have server access

2. Permission Issues:

   # On Linux/Mac
   chmod -R 755 storage bootstrap/cache
   chmod -R 644 storage/logs/*.log
   
   # Or use your hosting control panel's file manager
   

Once all checks are green, click Continue.

Step 3: Database Configuration

Enter your database connection details.

Form Fields:

• Database Host: Usually localhost or 127.0.0.1

  • For shared hosting: Check your hosting control panel
  • For local development: 127.0.0.1

• Database Port: Default is 3306 for MySQL

  • Leave as default unless your host specifies otherwise

• Database Name: The name of your database

  • Must be created beforehand in phpMyAdmin or cPanel

• Database Username: Your database user

  • Must have full permissions on the database

• Database Password: Your database password

  • Leave empty if no password is set (local development only)

Important Notes:

⚠️ Create Database First: Make sure your database exists before this step. The installer will NOT create the database for you.

⚠️ Test Connection: The installer will test your connection before proceeding. If it fails, double-check your credentials.

Click "Continue & Setup Database"

The installer will now:

1. Test the database connection
2. Run all database migrations
3. Create all necessary tables

This may take 30-60 seconds. Please wait...

Step 4: Admin Account Creation

Create your administrator account.

Form Fields:

• Full Name: Your name (e.g., "John Doe")

• Email Address: Your email (this will be your login username)

  • ⚠️ Use a real email address you can access
  • This cannot be changed easily later

• Password: Create a strong password

  • Minimum 8 characters
  • Mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols recommended
  • Password strength indicator will guide you

• Confirm Password: Re-enter your password

Security Tips:

✅ Use a unique password (not used elsewhere)
✅ Consider using a password manager
✅ Write it down securely if needed
❌ Don't use common passwords like "password123"

Click "Create Admin Account"

Step 5: Final Configuration

Configure your application settings.

Form Fields:

• Application Name: The name of your website

  • Example: "My Awesome Site"
  • This appears in the browser title and admin panel

• Application URL: Your website's full URL

  • Example: https://your-domain.com
  • ⚠️ Must match your actual domain
  • Include https:// if you have SSL

• Timezone: Your preferred timezone

  • Default: UTC
  • Example: America/New_York, Europe/London, Asia/Kolkata

• Locale: Your preferred language

  • Default: en (English)
  • Example: es (Spanish), fr (French)

Database Seeders:

☑️ Run Database Seeders - UNCHECK THIS!

Important: We recommend UNCHECKING this option and running seeders manually after installation. This prevents timeout issues.

Click "Finalize Installation"

The installer will now:

1. Generate application key
2. Update environment variables
3. Clear all caches
4. Create storage link
5. Mark installation as complete

This may take a few seconds...

Step 6: Installation Complete! 🎉

Congratulations! Your application is now installed.

What's Been Set Up:

✅ Database configured and migrated
✅ Admin account created
✅ Application settings configured
✅ Security keys generated
✅ Caches optimized

Next Steps:

1. Run Database Seeders (Required)

   Open your terminal and run:

   php artisan db:seed --class=Database\Seeders\InstallationSeeder --force
   

   This will populate your database with:

   • Roles and permissions (7 roles, 57 permissions)
   • System settings (126+ settings)
   • Static pages (Privacy Policy, Terms, etc.)
   • Navigation menu items
   • Landing page sections
   • Footer configuration
   • Security settings

   Time: ~10 seconds

2. Log In to Admin Panel

   Visit: https://your-domain.com/admin

   Default Credentials:

   • Email: admin@example.com
   • Password: password

   ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Change these credentials immediately after first login!

3. Configure Your Application

   In the admin panel:

   • Update site settings
   • Change admin password
   • Configure email settings
   • Set up payment gateways (if needed)
   • Customize theme and content

🔒 Post-Installation Setup

1. Security Hardening

Change Default Credentials:

# Log in to admin panel
# Go to Profile → Change Password
# Update your email if needed

Update Environment File:

# Edit .env file
APP_DEBUG=false  # Disable debug mode in production
APP_ENV=production  # Set to production

Set Up SSL/HTTPS:

• Obtain SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt is free)
• Configure your web server to use HTTPS
• Update APP_URL in .env to use https://

File Permissions (Production):

# Secure permissions
find . -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find . -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache

2. Configure Email

Edit .env file:

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.mailtrap.io
MAIL_PORT=2525
MAIL_USERNAME=your_username
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=noreply@your-domain.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"

3. Set Up Cron Jobs (Optional)

For scheduled tasks, add this to your crontab:

* * * * * cd /path-to-your-project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

4. Configure Queue Workers (Optional)

For background jobs:

# Start queue worker
php artisan queue:work --daemon

# Or use Supervisor for production

5. Optimize for Production

# Cache configuration
php artisan config:cache

# Cache routes
php artisan route:cache

# Cache views
php artisan view:cache

# Optimize autoloader
composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev