Introduction

Building a website from scratch is often a challenging and time-consuming task. Fortunately, there is an alternative to the typical development approach of building a website, which is related to writing code and designing layouts. These alternatives are called Opensource Web Applications. These types of scripts are created to provide the owners of websites with an easy-to-use web platform for creating and managing their websites. At the same time, it is typically developed and maintained by a large community that provides critical security updates and new features, improvements, and integrations that people using the application request. 

To use an Opensource Web Application as the foundation of your website is quite a straightforward task - you install the application, and there you have it - it is ready to be used. However, the installation process can sometimes be a confusing and overwhelming process, especially for people who are new to the entire concept of building a website. 

To alleviate this confusion and make our customers' lives easier, we at HostArmada provide an intuitive solution that allows installation for Open Source Applications with a few clicks. Our clients can take advantage of this Auto Installer called "Softaculous", from the convenience of their cPanel web hosting account.

In the following lines of this tutorial, we will introduce the "Softaculous" auto-installer cPanel feature for swift and effortless installation of Open Source Applications. Without further ado, let us begin!

Accessing the Softaculous feature in cPanel

Before you can access the "Softaculous" feature, you will need to login to the cPanel service. Once you are logged in, you will be presented with a complete list of all the features cPanel has to offer, conveniently separated into feature groups.

To access the "Softaculous" auto-installer you will need to either use the search tool provided at the top of the page, or you can look for the "Software" features group, since in it you will find "Softaculous".

When you find the feature, using any of the methods described above, please click on it. Upon doing so you click on the feature, cPanel will redirect you to a brand new page in which you will be able to perform further actions with the "Softaculous" feature.

Overview of the Softaculous Interface

The "Softaculous" feature is relatively easy to use, but before you can start doing so, you will need to get a general introduction and familiarize yourself with how Softaculous is structured. Immediately after accessing the "Softaculous" feature, you will be presented with the auto-installer's default page.

The page is using a typical administrative interface design with the main menu displayed on the left side of the page. In that menu, you will find a list of categories for all of the applications you can install. At the same time, in the center of the page, you will see a brief summary of your installed scripts along with new script suggestions based on the Top installed scripts. 

At the top right corner of the page, you will find some additional useful links which will help you with the administrative tasks you can take with "Softaculous". 

Installing a new Opensource Application with Softaculous

To install a new application, you will need to find it first. For that purpose, you will need to use the Search tool provided at the top of the left vertical menu. Let's install a new application called "OpenCart". First, you will need to search for the application, using the method we have mentioned above:

After typing the script's name in the search bar, Softaculous will provide you with the result immediately. Once the application presents itself under the search bar, please click on it to begin the installation process.

By clicking on the link, you will be redirected to a new page dedicated to the application. On this page, you will find more information about the installed application and the option to install it. To do so, please either click on the "Install" tab located at the top of the application page or click on the "Install Now" button. 

No matter which button you click, the result will be the same and Softaculous will display the installation configuration page for the application you selected. On that page, you will need to configure different settings related to the application's installation.

Please note that depending on the installed application the settings will be different. However, the most common ones you will need to fill are:

• Choose the version you want to install - Please use this drop down menu to choose the OpenCart versions that will be installed from all the available supported versions. 
• Choose Installation URL - Please use the two drop down menus to select the protocol, URL, and installation directory where your application will be installed and eventually accessed by your visitors. Sometimes, depending on the application, Softaculous may fill in the installation directory automatically. If you would like to have the Opensource Application installed directly on a certain domain, please make sure that you will delete the content of the "In folder"  field. 
• Admin Email Address - Please use this text field to type in the admin email address for your new Open Source Application.
• Admin Username - Please use this text field to type in the admin user name for the Open Source Application you are about to install. Open Source Applications are typically managed from an administrative area from where you can add content and manage every aspect of the app.
• Admin Password - Please use this text field to type in the password for the admin area you have set a username for specified earlier. 
• Admin Language - Please use this drop down menu to set up the language for your administrative area.

Additionally, no matter the application, at the bottom of the configuration page, you will be presented with a section called "Advanced Options".

The section will be already preconfigured the same as any other on the page. However, if you would like to set the options manually on your own, please feel free to do so:

• Database Name - The name of the database that will be created especially for this application. Please note that Softaculous has already selected a name that does not exist as a database on your account. 
• Table Prefix - The prefix of the tables in the database.
• Disable Update Notifications Emails - Each time an update is available for your application Softaculous will send you an email.
• Backup Location - The location of the automated backups that Softaculous will generate for your application.
• Automated backups - The frequency Softaculous will use to generate backups for the installed application. 
• Backup Rotation - The amount of backups Softaculous will preserve for the installed application.

Once you are done configuring the installation settings, please scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the "Install" button so the installation process can be started. 

Assuming that the hosting account configuration is correct, you should see a completion screen at the end of the progress bar that will appear in the middle of your page when you click "Install." If you encounter any errors during the installation process, please don't hesitate to contact our support team via live chat or the ticketing area in your Client Area.

When the installation procedure is complete, you will be provided with a summary of the installation, which will include additional information on how to access the installed application. 

That's it! The installation is finished and you can now enjoy using the newly installed Opensource Application. 

Managing already installed applications in Softaculous

To manage your already installed Opensource Applications in Opencart, please click on the "Installations" box located at the center of the default page for the "Softaculous" feature, or you can also click on the "All Installations" link presented as a box in the top horizontal menu. 

Once you perform the action above, you will be redirected to a new page where you will see a detailed table representing all of the currently installed Opensource Applications via Softaculous. For each of the applications, you will get information such as:

• Link - In this column, you will find links to the frontend of the installed application. 
• Admin - In this column, you will find a link to the administrative area of the installed application. 
• Installation Time - In this column, you will find more information on the exact date and time of the installation.  
• Version - In this column, you will find the version of the installed application. 
• Options - In this column, you will find some additional actions you can take with the application. 

Let's review the available options for each installed application. 

Create Staging

Staging or also known as a "Staging Environment" is an option that will allow you to have an exact copy of your website in the state it is currently in under a different domain, sub-domain, or sub-directory.

By clicking on the "Create Staging" link, you will be redirected to a brand new page on which you will be able to configure the staging environment. The settings you will need to configure here depend entirely on the installed application, however here are the most common ones. 

• Choose Installation URL - Please use the drop down menu and two text fields here to configure the URL of the Staging version for your website. It is recommended to deploy the staging version in a subdirectory outside the installation location of the main application and also you might want to include the word "staging" in the name of the new directory. 
• Database Name - Please use the text fields to set the name of the database that will be used for the staging version of your website. 

When you are done configuring the staging version, please click on the "Create Staging" button. 

Sopftaculous will take its time to create the staging version of your website, and once it is completed, you will be provided with a message indicating the successful operation. 

The main advantage of having a staging environment for your website is that you will be able to perform changes on it and once you are ready with those you will be able to push the changes into the production version of your website.

Please note that pushing changes from the staging version of the website to the production will revert the database of the website back to the time when the staging copy was created. 

Clone

The clone option is similar to the staging option, however, you will not have the option to push changes into production. Immediately after you click on the Clone button you will be redirected to a new page where you will need to configure the location where the cloning process will deploy the cloned website.

Of course, once you are done with that, please click on the "Clone Installation" button at the bottom of the page. 

Softaculous will then create the clone and once it is done you will be provided with a message indicating if the cloning process was successful or not.

Backup

The Bacup option will help you create a backup for the chosen website. Please bear in mind that if your website is big this might take a while and also it might use all the space you have available for your Web Hosting Account. Therefore, before you create the backup for your website, please check how is the disk space usage.

The backing up process is relatively simple to configure and once you are done with the configuration, please click on the "Backup Installation" button located at the bottom of the page.

Softaculous will then generate a complete backup for your website and once it is completed you will be provided with additional information on how to access the backup in case, for example, you would like to restore it. 

Remove

As the name of the option suggests, by using this option you will be able to remove an application. This means that the whole application along with its database will be completely removed from your Web Hosting Account.

Although we are providing backups for your account it is always recommended to download the whole application and to export its database on your local computer before you delete it completely. 

Edit

By using this option you will be able to edit the details for your application. Clicking on the pencil-like icon will redirect you to a brand new page in which you will be presented with the available edits you can perform on the installed application.

Let's review those.

• Directory - Here you can change the directory in which the application is installed. 
• URL - In this field, you can change the URL on which the application is accessible.
• Database Name - In this field, you can change the name of the database used by the application. 
• Database User - In this field, you will be able to set a new database username.
• Database Password - In this field, you will be able to set a new password for the used database username.
• Database Host - Here you will be able to specify a new database hostname in case the database of the application is hosted elsewhere.
• Disable Update Notifications Emails - By disabling this option you will prevent Softaculous of sending you emails related to updates for the installed application. 
• Backup Location - With this option, you will be able to configure the backup location for the backups generated by Softaculous.
• Automated backups - In this field, you will be able to configure the frequency when Softaculous will backup the application. 
• Backup Rotation - In this field, you will be able to configure the number of backups Softaculous will keep for the installed application.
• Admin Username - Here you will have to specify the current admin username for which you would like to change the admin password.
• Admin Password - In this field you will be able to specify a new admin password.

Once you are ready with all the settings, please click on the "Save Installation Details" button at the bottom of the page.

As you can see, Softaculous provides quite a lot of options when it comes to installing and managing open-source applications on your website. Being aware of Softaculous's complete functionality will allow you to have a smooth and pleasant experience when performing different management actions with the already installed applications. Still, if you face any issues, please do not hesitate to contact our Technical Support Crew for further information and guidance on the matter.