OpenCart is a free and open-source e-commerce platform that allows you to create, scale and run your online store. It has a rich set of features, easy to use interface, SEO optimization and a large community of extensions and themes. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install OpenCart on your server using SSH.
SSH (Secure Shell) is a protocol that enables secure remote access to a server. It encrypts the data exchanged between the client and the server, preventing anyone from eavesdropping or tampering with the communication. SSH also allows you to execute commands on the server, transfer files and create tunnels for other protocols.
To install OpenCart using SSH, you will need the following:
- A web server that supports PHP and MySQL
- A domain name or a subdomain that points to your web server
- An SSH client such as PuTTY for Windows or Terminal for Mac/Linux
- An FTP client such as FileZilla for uploading files
- The latest version of OpenCart downloaded from https://www.opencart.com/index.php?route=cms/download
Step 1: Connect to your server via SSH
The first step is to connect to your server via SSH using your SSH client. You will need to enter your server’s IP address or hostname, your username and your password. If you are using PuTTY, you can enter these details in the Session category and click on Open. If you are using Terminal, you can type the following command:
ssh username@server_ip_or_hostname
You may see a warning message about the authenticity of the host. You can type yes to accept it and continue. Once you are connected, you should see a prompt like this:
username@server:~$
Step 2: Create a database and a user for OpenCart
The next step is to create a database and a user for OpenCart. You can use any database management system that supports MySQL, such as phpMyAdmin or MySQL Workbench. In this tutorial, we will use the command-line interface of MySQL.
To access MySQL, you need to type the following command and enter your MySQL root password:
mysql -u root -p
You should see a prompt like this:
mysql>
To create a database for OpenCart, you can use the following command:
CREATE DATABASE opencart;
To create a user for OpenCart and grant it all privileges on the database, you can use the following commands:
CREATE USER 'opencart'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON opencart.* TO 'opencart'@'localhost';FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
Make sure to replace password with a strong password of your choice.
To exit MySQL, you can type:
exit
Step 3: Upload OpenCart files to your web server
The next step is to upload OpenCart files to your web server using your FTP client. You need to extract the downloaded zip file of OpenCart and upload the contents of the upload folder to your web server’s root directory or a subdirectory of your choice.
For example, if you want to install OpenCart in the root directory of your domain name (e.g. https://example.com), you need to upload the files to /var/www/html or /public_html depending on your web server configuration. If you want to install OpenCart in a subdirectory (e.g. https://example.com/store), you need to create a folder named store in your web server’s root directory and upload the files there.
You also need to rename two files in the upload folder: config-dist.php and admin/config-dist.php. You need to remove the -dist part from their names so they become config.php and admin/config.php respectively.
Step 4: Run the OpenCart installation wizard
The final step is to run the OpenCart installation wizard by accessing your domain name or subdomain in your web browser. You should see a welcome page like this:
Click on Continue to proceed.
On the next page, you will see a list of requirements and pre-installation checks. Make sure that all the requirements are met and all the checks are passed. If not, you may need to adjust your web server settings or contact your hosting provider for assistance.
Click on Continue to proceed.
On the next page, you will need to enter your database details and an admin username and password for your OpenCart store. Make sure to use the same database name, user and password that you created in step 2.
Click on Continue to proceed.
On the next page, you will see a confirmation message that OpenCart has been successfully installed.
Click on Login To Your Administration or Go To Your Online Shop to access your OpenCart store.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed OpenCart using SSH.
We hope that this article has helped you learn how to install OpenCart using SSH. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below or contact us at tutosquad.com.
