Introduction

PrestaShop is a free, open-source e-commerce platform empowering thousands of Online Stores over the Web. Flexiblе and easily manageable - its vast popularity is no surprise. In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to install PrestaShop 1.7 and take the very first step into starting your own online business. We will introduce the easiest way to achieve that - by using the “Softaculous” one-click app installer integrated into cPanel.

Getting Started

Before we start, we would like to make a note. To install PrestaShop via Softaculous, you will need to ensure that your domain name is already pointed to your current hosting provider. Either way, you will not be able to install the application. Therefore, if this is not yet done, please go ahead and do it.

In order to being, we will need you to log into your cPanel account. You can do that by clicking on the purple “cP” button available under the Home Page of your Client Area with HostArmada.

Once you are logged into your cPanel account, please navigate to the “Software” section where you will locate the “Softaculous Apps Installer” icon.

After clicking on it, you will be redirected to the Softaculous Dashboard. Please use the search bar positioned on the left-hand side to locate the PrestaShop application.

Once it is listed in the search results, please click on it and then you will be redirected to the OpenCart Overview page where you will start the installation process.

Installation

Now that you have accessed the application page, please click on the “Install Now” button to start the process.

Once this is done, you will be presented with the “PrestaShop” installation screen where you will need to specify the required configuration details. We will start with the “Software Setup” section and review each of the fields separately.

The first thing you need to do is to select the desired installation version. At this point, Softaculous supports PrestaShop 1.4.11.1, 1.6.1.24, and 1.7.6.1. We strongly recommend you to choose the latest available version unless you strickly require another one.

Next, you will need to configure your website URL settings:

• Choose Protocol - From this dropdown menu you will need to determine the protocol for the installation. 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 name you would like the installation to be performed onto.
• In Directory - In this field, you can specify the directory path where the installation to be performed. If you would like the installation to be performed directly under the domain name’s root folder ( i.e. https://yourdomain.com), please make sure to leave this field blank. Alternatively, if you wish PrestaShop to be installed under a subdirectory (e.g.. https://yourdomain.com/onlinestore), please make sure to specify it under this field.

In the following two “Site Settings” and “Admin Account” sections you will need to specify the store and admin details.

In the fields under “Site Settings”, you will need to specify the following:

• Store Name - Here you will need to enter the name of your store as it will be displayed in the browser title bar.
• Admin Folder - This field determines the name of the folder under which the PrestaShop admin files will be stored. Please note that the admin login URL address will be based on the value you enter here, i.e. if you leave it set to “admin123” you will need to access your Admin Dashboard by typing your domain name followed by it (i.e. https://yourdomain.com/admin123/).

Under the “Admin Account” section, you will need to enter the following information:

• 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. Please note that the email address specified here will be considered as the login username for your PrestaShop 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 influence your website security and make it vulnerable for various attacks. You can use the password generator (“Key” icon) to create a strong password.
• First Name / Last Name -  These last two fields determine the store owner.

The last “Advanced Options” section is optional, it will allow you to customize the database assigned to your PrestaShop store. If needed, please click on the “+” button to expand it.

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 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 free 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.

Once you are ready, please click on the “Install” button to initiate the process. Please allow it with a few moments to be successfully completed. After it is finalized, you will be provided with your store and admin dashboard URL addresses.

Well done! You are all set now - Installing PrestaShop via Softaculous is as simple as that. We would like to congratulate you on your brand new Online Store and wish you good luck with your project. You are always welcome to contact our Support Team in case you have experienced any difficulties or you ended up with any error messages.