Offshore-Servers’ shared hosting includes Softaculous, a popular 1-click installer for web applications. Softaculous can quickly install software like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, forums, e-commerce carts and hundreds of other scripts without you having to manually create databases or upload files. This makes setting up a website or blog extremely easy.
To use Softaculous in cPanel, follow these steps:
- Launch Softaculous: Log in to cPanel and look for the Softaculous Apps Installer icon. It might also be found under names like “WordPress installer” or a category like Scripts. Often, cPanel provides quick icons for popular apps (WordPress, Joomla, etc.), all of which will lead into Softaculous. Click on the Softaculous icon.
- Choose an Application: Once Softaculous loads, you’ll see categories of applications on the left (Blogs, Portals/CMS, Forums, E-commerce, etc.) or icons of popular ones on the main page. Click on the application you want to install. For example, to install WordPress, either click WordPress directly or find it under Blogs.
- Start the Install Process: Softaculous will show info about the software (version, description, space required, etc.). Click the “Install” button. This brings up a form where you will specify installation settings.
- Fill Installation Details:
- Choose Domain: If you have multiple domains or subdomains on your account, select the one on which to install the app from the dropdown. For the main site, choose yourdomain.com.
- Directory (optional): By default, Softaculous might propose a subdirectory like “wp” for WordPress (meaning it would install at yourdomain.com/wp). If you want the app at the root of the domain (e.g., WordPress as your main site), clear this field so it’s empty. If you want it in a subfolder (like example.com/blog), you can enter the folder name.
- Database Name: It will auto-generate a database name (you can leave the default or customize). It’s fine to use the default suggestions.
- Site Name & Description: For WordPress, you’ll see fields for “Site Name” and “Site Description.” Enter the title of your site and a tagline (you can change these later in WP settings too).
- Admin Account: Choose an admin username, password, and email. It’s important to use a strong password here and avoid common usernames like “admin” for security (Softaculous might default to “admin”; you can change it). Set an email that you have access to (for password recovery etc.).
- Other Settings: Depending on the script, there could be additional options. For WordPress, you can select a language, and maybe some plugin/theme options or Advanced options like database prefix (usually fine to leave default). Softaculous might offer to install certain plugins like Limit Login Attempts – those can be optionally checked.
- Email installation details to: You can put your email to receive a copy of the installation details for your record.
- Install: Double-check everything then click Install at the bottom of the form. Softaculous will then go ahead and create a database, copy the files, and configure the application. You’ll see a progress bar and within a few seconds (or up to a couple minutes), it should say “Installation completed” (with details).
- Access Your New Application: Softaculous will provide the direct link to your new site (e.g.,
https://yourdomain.com) and the admin URL (e.g.,https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/for WordPress). Click the site link to see the default homepage of the fresh install. Click the admin URL, and log in with the admin username/password you set to start managing the application (e.g., logging into WordPress dashboard).
That’s it – you’ve installed a web application with just a few clicks! The process is similar for other apps: choose, fill trivial details, and Softaculous does the rest (creating MySQL DBs, etc.).
Managing via Softaculous: You can later go back into Softaculous and click on the “Installations” tab to see all apps you installed via Softaculous. From there, you can manage them (upgrade to new version when available, backup, or remove them). Softaculous can even do automated backups of apps on a schedule if you configure it.
Common Softaculous Apps:
- WordPress: for blogs/websites (most popular).
- Joomla, Drupal: for more complex CMS needs.
- Magento, PrestaShop: for ecommerce stores.
- phpBB, SMF: for forums.
- MediaWiki: if you want a wiki site.
- Nextcloud: for a personal cloud file storage solution, etc.
Each of these can be installed similarly. Softaculous ensures it uses the latest stable version of the software and configures it correctly on your cPanel account.
One thing to note: after installing, you should keep your app updated (managed either via Softaculous or the app’s internal updater). Softaculous can auto-update the app or at least notify you. Outdated installations can be security risks.
Softaculous eliminates the need to manually create databases and upload files for these apps, saving time and potential mistakes. It’s a fantastic tool for quickly deploying new websites on your offshore shared hosting.