Installing an application using the cPanel Softaculous plugin

Introduction

• In this tutorial, we will present the necessary steps for installing an application using the cPanel Softaculous plugin.
• Softaculous is an auto-installer that simplifies the installation of web applications. It includes numerous CMSs (Content Management Systems), such as: WordPress, Joomla, PrestaShop, phpBB, Magento, WHMCS, etc.
• In the steps of the article, the installation of the web application Wordpress will be used as an example.

Requirements

For the following steps, we will need the following:

• The login credentials for the cPanel, present in the email with the administration details.

Steps

• First, we will log in to the cPanel control panel.

• Once authenticated, we will go to the Software section and click on the Softaculous Apps Installer button.

• On the next page, the main interface of the Softaculous auto-installer will be loaded.
• On the left side of the page, we will have the option to search for an application in the Softaculous database, either in the Search field or by using the categories in the navigation menu below the search field.
• The center of the page will contain Top Scripts, with the most frequently installed web applications.
• The Wordpress application can be installed directly from Top Scripts or from the search menu. To search for the Wordpress application in the Softaculous database using the search function, we will click on the Search field and type Wordpress or any other desired application.

• After clicking on the application from the results, in this case Wordpress, we can proceed to the actual installation.
• A presentation page of the application will open. With the help of the buttons at the top, we will be able to view details about the selected application. To install, we will click on Install Now.

•  The next window will contain the fields necessary for application configuration.
  
• The first category will be Software Setup and will contain the following fields:

Choose Protocol - The protocol by which the application will operate will be chosen: HTTPS or HTTP, with or without www. For HTTPS options, an SSL certificate will also need to be installed on the domain.

Choose Domain  - The domain on which the application is to be installed. Here, all domains and subdomains added to the cPanel account will be listed.

In Directory - The directory in which we want the application to be installed. If we want the installation to take place in the root path of the domain or subdomain, we will leave this field empty. If we want the installation to be done in a subdirectory, we will enter the name of that subdirectory.

• The second category will be Site Settings with the following fields:

Site Name - The name of the website.

Site Description - Website description.

Enable Multisite (WPMU) - WordPress Multisite is a built-in feature in WordPress that allows you to create a network of multiple websites running on a single WordPress installation.

• The third category Admin Account will contain the administration data of the application:

Admin Username - The administrator's username.

Admin Password - Administrator password.

Admin Email - The administrator's email address.

 

*We will note the username and password in a safe place. These will be used later to log in to the administration area.

 

• In the fourth category Choose Language we will choose the desired language:

• In the fifth category Select Plugin(s) we will choose which plugins we wish to be installed in the application.

• The sixth category Advanced Options will contain other advanced settings of the application. These fields can be left at their default value:

Database Name - The name of the database can be changed.

Table Prefix - The prefix for the database tables can be modified

Disable Update Notifications Emails - If checked, you will not receive emails about the availability of new updates for the application.

 

Auto Upgrade - If checked, the application will be updated automatically.

 

Auto Upgrade WordPress Plugins - If checked, the application will automatically update the plugins.

 

Auto Upgrade WordPress Themes - If checked, the application will automatically update the installed themes.

 

Backup Location - The location where we want to store the backups.

 

Automated backups - How often do we want to create a backup of the application.

 

Backup Rotation - It is set by default to 1. When a new backup is created, the old one is deleted.

• In the last category Select Theme, we will have the opportunity to choose a desired theme for the web page.

• The settings in the steps presented above can be modified after the application is installed, from the Wordpress administration area or from Softaculous.
• To start the installation we will click on the Install button. We can specify an email address to which the installation details will be sent in the Email installation details to field.

• After the application has finished installing, we will be greeted with a success message. The domain or subdomain where the application was installed will also be presented, as well as the address through which we can access the administration area.

• If we return to the main Softaculous page, at the top of the page we will see the number of installed applications, outdated installed applications, and backups.
• We will click on Installations.

• In the next window, we will be able to see a list of all applications installed via Softaculous. This page will give us the option to edit, delete, clone, or create a backup of the installed applications.