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• Last Updated: 01/31/2020
• ( 8 minutes reading )

How to install Joomla via Suftaculous Auto Installer

Introduction

Joomla is a free, open-source CMS based on PHP. With over one hundred and ten million downloads, Joomla is one of the most popular platforms for website development and management. In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to install Joomla via the Softaculous Auto Installer integrated into cPanel. Within a few simple steps, you will have your new website empowered by Joomla up and running.

 

Getting Started

 

For a start, we will need you to access your cPanel account. In case you are not sure how to achieve that, please find detailed instructions in our guide based on How to access the cPanel service.

Once you are logged in to your cPanel account, please navigate to the “Software” directory where you will be able to locate the “Softaculous Apps Installer”.

 

Softacuous Apps Installer

 

After you access the Softaculous Dashboard you will notice that Joomla is displayed under the “Top Scripts” section. You can directly click on it in order to access the Installation page. Alternatively, you can use the search bar available in the left-hand sidebar.

 

Selecting Joomla

 

Once this is done you will be redirected to the application overview page and you will be ready to start with the installation.

 

Installing Joomla

Now that you have accessed the Joomla overview page, please click on the “Install Now” button to initiate the installation process.

 

Install Now button

 

Afterward, you will be redirected to the “Install” page where you will need to specify the required configuration information. As you will notice the page is split into few sections. In order to keep it consistent, we will review each of the sections one by one starting with the first “Software Setup” section.

 

Software Setup section

 

The first thing you need to select is the installation version. At this point, Softaculous supports Joomla 2.5.28 and 3.9.14. We strongly recommend you to choose the latest available version unless you strickly require another one.

Next, you will need to determine the application URL settings:

  • Choose Protocol - From this dropdown menu you will need to select the protocol for your Joomla website. Please note that in order for the secure HTTPS protocol to function properly it requires a valid SSL certificate installed on your domain name.
  • Choose Domain - From this dropdown menu you will need to select the domain or subdomain you would like the installation to be performed onto.
  • In Directory - In this field, you can define a specific directory where the installation to take place. If you would like the installation to be performed directly under the root folder ( i.e. https://yourdomain.com), please make sure to leave this field blank. Alternatively, if you wish Joomla to be installed under a subdirectory (e.g. https://yourdomain.com/blog), please make sure to specify the subdirectory under this field.

Next are the “Site Settings” and “Database Settings” sections.

 

Site and Database settings

 

The “Site Settings” section includes the following two fields. Note that the information specified in here, can be changed anytime in the future:

  • Site Name - In this field, you will need to enter the title of your website which will be used in several places, such as the admin area browser title bar, offline pages, etc.
  • Site Description - This is the global meta description of your website. It will be applied to all site pages and it will be used by search engines to determine what your website is about. Therefore, it is recommended to include all the keywords applicable to your web content in order to get better ranking results.

Within the “Database Settings” section you will be able to import sample data by selecting the desired option from the dropdown menu.

Next - the “Admin Account” and “Choose Language” sections.

 

Admin account and Language settings

 

Intuitively, from the “Admin Account” section you will be able to configure your Admin details:

  • Admin Username - In this field, you will need to specify the admin username for your Joomla Admin Dashboard.
  • Admin Password - In this field, you will need to enter the password for your Admin account. Please make sure to select a strong password as using insecure login credentials may affect your website security and make it vulnerable to various attacks. You can use the password generator (“Key” icon) to create a strong password
  • Real Name - In this field, you can enter your names, the site admin, or the site manager's names. It truly depends on your preferences.
  • Admin Email - In this field, you will need to enter the desired administrative email address which will be used for all update notifications, password reset requests, etc.

Within the “Choose Language” section you will have to select the default language for your Joomla website and Administrative area.

Following is the “Advanced Options” section which you may expand by clicking on the “+” sign.

 

Advanced Options section

 

From this section, you can customize the database assigned to your Joomla website. Note that these settings are optional, therefore you may just skip them.

You will be able to give your database a custom “Database Name” and change the database “Table Prefix”. You can disable the update notifications sent via email by ticking the checkbox. You can configure your preferences for the automated update functionality of your Joomla version. You can control the “Backup Location”, the frequency of the Softaculous “Automated Backups” and the “Backup Rotation”. Please note that these backups will be stored under your hosting account and they will demand available space. If you are using one of our shared hosting solutions HostArmada is already backing up your data and storing it on remote servers for enhanced security.

When you are ready, please click on the “Install” button to initiate the process and allow it with a few moments to be successfully completed.

Voalá! Joomla was successfully installed! In this final step, you will be provided with your website URL and your Joomla Administrative URL. Now you are ready to go ahead and explore them both.

 

Successful Installation screen

 

Well, it was as simple as that. As we promised within a few mouse clicks you have a brand new Joomla-powered website. Now, most of it is in your hands. Put your creative thinking into work and develop a beautiful and successful website. We hope you have found our guide useful and easy to follow and we would like to welcome you to contact our Support Team in case you have run into any difficulties.

 

 

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Sebahat
Content Marketing Specialist

Sebahat is a young and bright woman who has become an invaluable part of our team. She started as a Customer Care Representative, mastering that role and, along the way, growing into a tech-savvy individual who is well acquainted with every support layer of the company. Driven by her aim to improve our customers’ experience constantly, she is committed to enhancing the extraordinary support we deliver.

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