Introduction
Building a website from the ground up can often be a challenging and time-consuming endeavor. Fortunately, modern web development offers powerful alternatives to the traditional coding and design approach: Open Source Web Applications. These robust scripts are specifically designed to provide website owners with user-friendly platforms for creating, managing, and evolving their online presence. They are typically supported and enhanced by vibrant communities that deliver essential security updates, new features, performance improvements, and integrations based on user feedback.
Leveraging an Open Source Web Application as the foundation for your website is generally straightforward: you install the application, and it's ready for immediate use. However, the installation process itself can sometimes appear complex and overwhelming, particularly for those new to website creation.
To simplify this experience, many hosting providers offer intuitive solutions that enable the installation of Open Source Applications with just a few clicks. One such popular auto-installer is "Softaculous," conveniently accessible directly from your cPanel web hosting account.
In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the "Softaculous" auto-installer feature in cPanel, demonstrating how to swiftly and effortlessly install and manage Open Source Applications. Let's get started!
Accessing the Softaculous Feature in cPanel
Before you can begin utilizing the "Softaculous" auto-installer, you will first need to log in to your cPanel service. Once logged in, you will be greeted by the main cPanel interface, which presents a complete list of all available features, neatly organized into logical groups.
To locate and access "Softaculous," you have two primary options: you can either use the search tool conveniently located at the top of the page, or you can navigate to the "**Software**" features group, where "Softaculous Apps Installer" is typically found.
Once you have successfully located the feature using either of the methods described above, simply click on it. Upon clicking, cPanel will redirect you to a dedicated page where you can interact with the "Softaculous" auto-installer and perform various actions.
Overview of the Softaculous Interface
The "Softaculous" interface is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive. However, a brief introduction to its structure will help you navigate and utilize its features effectively. Immediately after accessing "Softaculous," you will be presented with the auto-installer's default homepage.
This page features a standard administrative interface layout, with the main navigation menu positioned on the left side. This menu contains a comprehensive list of categories for all the diverse applications available for installation. Concurrently, the central area of the page provides a concise summary of your currently installed scripts, along with suggestions for new scripts based on the most popular installations.
In the top right corner of the page, you will also discover several additional useful links. These links are designed to assist you with various administrative tasks and settings within the "Softaculous" environment.
Installing a New Open Source Application with Softaculous
To begin the process of installing a new application, you must first locate it within the Softaculous interface. For this purpose, you can effectively use the search tool provided at the top of the left vertical menu. As an example, let's proceed with installing "OpenCart," a popular e-commerce platform. First, use the search bar as illustrated below:
After you type the name of the script into the search bar, Softaculous will instantly display relevant results. Once the desired application appears beneath the search bar, click on it to initiate the installation process.
Clicking on the application link will redirect you to a dedicated page providing more detailed information about the chosen application. On this page, you will also find the option to install it. To proceed, you can either click on the "**Install**" tab located at the top of the application's page or select the prominent "**Install Now**" button.
Regardless of which button you click, the outcome will be the same: Softaculous will present you with the installation configuration page for your selected application. On this page, you will need to specify various settings pertaining to the application's installation to customize it to your needs.
It is important to note that the specific settings available will vary depending on the application you are installing. However, the most commonly encountered and essential fields you will typically need to complete include:
- Choose the version you want to install: Use this dropdown menu to select your preferred version of the application from all available supported releases. This allows you to choose a stable or feature-rich version.
- Choose Installation URL: Utilize the two dropdown menus and text field to define the protocol (e.g., http://, https://), domain, and specific installation directory where your application will be installed and subsequently accessed by your website visitors. In some cases, Softaculous may automatically populate the installation directory. If you intend to install the Open Source Application directly on your primary domain, ensure that you clear the content of the "**In folder**" field.
- Admin Email Address: In this text field, enter the administrative email address for your new Open Source Application. This email will be used for important notifications and password recovery.
- Admin Username: Provide the desired administrative username for the Open Source Application you are about to install. Open Source Applications are typically managed through an administrative dashboard, from which you can add content, configure settings, and oversee every aspect of the application.
- Admin Password: Enter a strong, secure password for the administrative user you specified earlier. This password will protect access to your application's administrative area.
- Admin Language: Use this dropdown menu to select the preferred language for your administrative dashboard, enhancing your management experience.
Additionally, irrespective of the application being installed, you will find a section labeled "**Advanced Options**" at the bottom of the configuration page. This section offers further customization opportunities.
This section will often come with sensible default configurations. However, if you wish to manually adjust these settings, you are free to do so:
- Database Name: This field displays the name of the database that Softaculous will create specifically for this application. Softaculous intelligently selects a unique name that does not conflict with existing databases on your account.
- Table Prefix: This option allows you to set a prefix for the tables within the application's database. This can be useful for distinguishing tables if you plan to host multiple applications within a single database.
- Disable Update Notifications Emails: By default, Softaculous sends email notifications whenever an update is available for your installed application. You can choose to disable these alerts here.
- Backup Location: Define the storage location for the automated backups that Softaculous will generate for your application, ensuring your data is safely stored.
- Automated backups: Configure the frequency at which Softaculous will automatically generate backups for the installed application, allowing for regular data protection.
- Backup Rotation: Specify the number of past backups Softaculous will retain for the installed application before older backups are automatically removed, optimizing storage use.
Once you have thoroughly reviewed and configured all the installation settings to your satisfaction, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "**Install**" button to commence the installation process.
Assuming that your hosting account's configuration is appropriate and free of issues, you should observe a progress bar indicating the installation status. Upon successful completion, a confirmation screen will appear. Should you encounter any errors during this process, please do not hesitate to seek assistance from your hosting provider's support team.
When the installation procedure concludes, Softaculous will provide you with a detailed summary of the installation, including crucial information on how to access your newly installed application, both the public-facing site and its administrative area.
Congratulations! The installation is now complete, and you are ready to begin using your newly deployed Open Source Application to build and manage your website.
Managing Already Installed Applications in Softaculous
To effectively manage your Open Source Applications that have been installed via Softaculous, you can navigate to the "**Installations**" section. This can be accessed either by clicking on the designated "**Installations**" box located in the center of the Softaculous default page, or by clicking the "**All Installations**" link found in the top horizontal menu.
Upon performing this action, you will be redirected to a new page that displays a detailed table listing all Open Source Applications currently installed through Softaculous on your account. For each application, you will find important information such as:
- Link: This column provides direct links to the public-facing frontend of your installed application.
- Admin: Here, you will find a convenient link to the administrative dashboard or backend of the installed application, allowing you to manage its content and settings.
- Installation Time: This column indicates the precise date and time when the application was initially installed.
- Version: Displays the current version of the installed application.
- Options: This column presents a series of additional actions and management tools you can apply to the specific application.
Let's delve deeper into the various management options available for each installed application:
Create Staging
A "Staging Environment" is a highly valuable feature that allows you to create an exact copy of your live website in its current state. This copy can be deployed under a different domain, subdomain, or subdirectory, providing a safe sandbox for development.
By clicking on the "**Create Staging**" link, you will be directed to a new page where you can configure your staging environment. The specific settings required may vary slightly depending on the installed application, but the most common ones include:
- Choose Installation URL: Use the dropdown menus and text fields to define the URL for the staging version of your website. It is generally recommended to deploy the staging version in a subdirectory separate from your main application's installation location. You might also consider including the word "staging" in the new directory's name for clear identification.
- Database Name: Use the provided text fields to set a unique name for the database that will be utilized by the staging version of your website.
Once you have completed configuring the staging version, click on the "**Create Staging**" button to initiate the process.
Softaculous will take a moment to create the staging replica of your website. Upon successful completion, you will receive a confirmation message. The primary advantage of a staging environment is the ability to perform significant changes, test new features, or apply updates without affecting your live production website. Once you are satisfied with the modifications, you can then safely push these changes to your production site.
Please be aware that pushing changes from a staging version to production will typically revert the production website's database to the state it was in when the staging copy was originally created. Always back up your production site before performing such operations.
Clone
The cloning option shares similarities with the staging feature; however, it generally does not include the functionality to easily push changes back to a production environment. When you click the "**Clone**" button, you will be redirected to a new page where you need to configure the destination for the cloned website.
After specifying the desired location, click on the "**Clone Installation**" button at the bottom of the page.
Softaculous will then proceed to create the cloned instance. Once the process is complete, you will receive a message indicating whether the cloning operation was successful.
Backup
The backup option provides a straightforward way to create a full backup for your chosen website. It's important to remember that if your website is large, this process might take a considerable amount of time and could potentially consume a significant portion of your available web hosting account space. Therefore, it is always a good practice to review your disk space usage before initiating a backup.
The backup configuration process is relatively simple. Once you have made any necessary adjustments, click on the "**Backup Installation**" button located at the bottom of the page.
Softaculous will then generate a complete backup of your website. Upon completion, you will be provided with additional information, including details on how to access the backup should you need to restore it in the future.
Remove
As its name suggests, this option allows you to completely remove an application from your hosting account. This action will delete the entire application, along with its associated database, from your web hosting environment.
Although most hosting providers offer server-level backups for your account, it is always highly recommended to download the entire application files and export its database to your local computer before you permanently delete it. This provides an additional layer of security and ensures you have a copy of your data.
Edit
This option provides the functionality to edit various details and settings for your installed application. Clicking on the pencil-like icon will direct you to a new page where you can perform a range of edits on the application's configuration.
Let's review the available editable options:
- Directory: Here you can change the subdirectory in which the application is currently installed.
- URL: In this field, you can modify the URL through which the application is accessible to visitors.
- Database Name: This field allows you to change the name of the database being used by the application.
- Database User: Here you will be able to set a new username for the database.
- Database Password: In this field, you can assign a new password for the database user you specified.
- Database Host: This option allows you to specify a new database hostname, which is useful if the application's database is hosted on a different server.
- Disable Update Notifications Emails: By enabling this option, you will prevent Softaculous from sending you email notifications regarding available updates for the installed application.
- Backup Location: With this option, you can configure the storage location for the backups generated by Softaculous for this specific application.
- Automated backups: In this field, you can configure the frequency at which Softaculous will automatically back up the application.
- Backup Rotation: Here you can specify the number of backups Softaculous will retain for the installed application before older ones are automatically removed.
- Admin Username: Here you will need to specify the current administrative username for which you wish to change the password.
- Admin Password: In this field, you will be able to set a new administrative password for your application.
Once you have made all your desired changes to the settings, click on the "**Save Installation Details**" button located at the bottom of the page to apply them.
As demonstrated, Softaculous offers a comprehensive suite of options for both installing and managing open-source applications on your website. Understanding Softaculous's full functionality will undoubtedly lead to a smoother and more efficient experience when performing various management actions with your installed applications. Should you encounter any difficulties or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Technical Support for assistance and guidance.
