How to install an app with Softaculous

This guide shows how to put a ready-made web app on your hosting with Softaculous Apps Installer in cPanel, and how to update or remove it later.

Installing WordPress?

Use WP Toolkit instead. It’s built for WordPress and gives you staging, updates and security tools in one place. See how to install WordPress. Softaculous is the better choice for everything else, such as Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, a forum or a wiki.

Before you start

• Make sure your domain is added to your hosting. For an extra domain, see how to add another domain to your hosting.
• Decide where the app should live. It can be the main site (yourdomain.co.uk), a folder (yourdomain.co.uk/shop) or a subdomain (shop.yourdomain.co.uk). For a subdomain, create it first. See how to create a subdomain.
• If something is already at that address, back it up. An install into a folder that has files in it can overwrite them.

Install the app

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. In the Software section, open Softaculous Apps Installer.
3. Use the search box or the categories on the left to find your app, then click it.
4. Read the overview, check the version and requirements, and click Install (sometimes shown as Install Now).
5. Under Choose Installation URL, pick https:// from the protocol list if your site has an SSL certificate, then pick the domain.
6. In In Directory, either leave it empty to install at the top level of the domain, or type a folder name such as shop. Softaculous often fills in a default folder name, so clear it if you want the app on the main address.
7. Fill in the site name and description, if asked.
8. Under Admin Account, choose an admin username (avoid “admin”), a strong password and a real email address you check. Password reset emails go to that address.
9. Pick the language and any plugins or options offered.
10. Open Advanced Options if you want to set the database name or choose automatic backups and updates.
11. Click Install at the bottom and wait for the success message.

Softaculous creates the database, copies the files and sets up the config for you. The success page shows the site address and the admin login address. Keep a note of both.

Updates

Out of date apps are one of the most common ways sites get hacked, so don’t leave them.

1. Open Softaculous Apps Installer in cPanel.
2. Click the Installations icon (it looks like a box) at the top.
3. Any install with a newer version available shows an update notice. Click the update icon next to it.
4. Tick the option to back up first, then click Update.

You can also ask Softaculous to update an install for you. Click the pencil icon to edit the install and look at the Auto Upgrade setting. Minor updates are usually safe to run automatically. For major version jumps, it’s safer to upgrade by hand after a backup, as themes and add-ons sometimes break.

Back up before an upgrade

Softaculous can take its own backup when you upgrade, which is quick and easy to restore from the Backups page in Softaculous. Our server backups through JetBackup run every six hours as well, so if an upgrade goes wrong you have a second way back. See how to restore a backup with JetBackup.

If the app is important to you, check whether anything changed in the last few hours before upgrading, so the most recent backup isn’t missing it.

Remove an app

1. Open Softaculous Apps Installer and click Installations.
2. Find the install and click the red cross (remove) icon next to it.
3. Choose whether to remove the directory, the database and the database user. Leave these ticked unless you need to keep something.
4. Click Remove Installation and confirm.

This deletes the app’s files and data. Take a backup first if there is any chance you’ll want it back.

If it doesn’t work

• “The directory already contains files”. Something is already in that folder, often a default index.html. Remove it with File Manager, or choose a different folder.
• The domain shows a holding page or an old site. The domain may not point at our servers yet. See how long until my website is live.
• The app needs a newer PHP version. Change it in cPanel first. See how to change your PHP version.
• An install you added by hand doesn’t appear in Installations. Softaculous only tracks apps it installed, or ones you import using its Import option.
• The site breaks after an update. Restore the Softaculous backup from before the update, or use JetBackup.

Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we’ll help.