How to install Magento using Softaculous

This article describes how to install the Magento e-commerce platform using the Softaculous installer in cPanel. Using Softaculous, you can install Magento 2 as well as older versions of Magento.

Installing Magento

You can have Magento up and running on your web site in minutes by using the Softaculous application installer in cPanel.

To install Magento using Softaculous, follow these steps:

1. Log in to cPanel.
   If you do not know how to log in to your cPanel account, please see this article.
2. Open Softaculous:
   • If you are using the Jupiter theme, on the Tools page, in the Softaculous Apps Installer section, click Softaculous Apps Installer (or any of the icons under Scripts or Categories).
   • If you are using the Paper Lantern theme, in the SOFTACULOUS APPS INSTALLER section of the cPanel home screen, click Softaculous Apps Installer (or any of the icons under Scripts or Categories).
3. In the Search text box, type magento and then press Enter.
   Alternatively, you can use the navigation pane on the left side. To do this, click E-Commerce, and then click Magento.
4. Click Install. The installation page appears.
5. In the Choose the version you want to install list box, select the version that you want to install.
6. In the Choose Protocol list box, select the protocol.
   If you have an SSL certificate installed on your site, select https:// or https://www. If you do not have an SSL certificate installed on your site, select http:// or http://www.
7. In the Choose Domain list box, select the domain for installation, or accept the default value.
8. In the In Directory text box, type the directory where you want to install the application, or accept the default value.
   If you want your domain name to go directly to the application, make sure the In Directory text box is blank.
9. In the CRON Job text boxes, type the cron job intervals, or accept the default values.
   Cron jobs are tasks that are scheduled to run automatically. If you are unsure of the values you should use, accept the default values.
10. In the Admin Path text box, type the URL you want to use for the management interface.
11. To install sample data for the application, select the Sample Data check box.
12. In the Admin Username text box, type the administrator username.
13. In the Admin Password text box, type the administrator password.
    Make sure that you choose a strong password! The Softaculous installer provides a ranking for your password's strength, and turns green when the password is strong. Alternatively, you can click the  icon next to the Admin Password text box, and Softaculous generates a strong, random password for you.
14. In the First Name text box, type the administrator's first name, or accept the default value.
15. In the Last Name text box, type the administrator's last name, or accept the default value.
16. In the Admin Email text box, type the site administrator e-mail address.
17. Click the  icon to expand Advanced Options.
18. In the Database Name text box, type the name of the database to create for the application, or accept the default value.
19. In the Table Prefix text box, type the database table prefix, or accept the default value.
20. If you do not want to receive e-mail notifications when application updates are available, select the Disable Update Notifications Emails check box.
    A2 Hosting strongly recommends that you receive e-mail notifications when application updates are available. Keeping your site updated helps prevent unauthorized access attempts and data loss.
21. In the Backup Location list box, you can select a location to store application backups.
22. In the Automated backups list box, you can select whether or not Softaculous makes periodic backups of your application.
23. In the Backup Rotation list box, you can select how often Softaculous overwrites the oldest backup file with a new backup file.
24. To receive site configuration information after the installation is complete, type an e-mail address in the Email installation details to text box.
25. Review the installation options and settings, and then click Install. When installation is complete, Softaculous provides information about the application's configuration.

Configuring Magento's cron job

The default cron job settings that Softaculous configures is not optimized for A2 Hosting's servers (and in the case of Magento 2, incomplete). For detailed information about how to configure Magento's cron job on A2 Hosting servers correctly, please see this article.

Fixing display problems in Magento 2

If you use Softaculous to install Magento 2, CSS and image files may not load correctly. As a result, the site only displays plain text. To work around this problem, follow these steps:

1. In the directory where you installed Magento 2, navigate to the pub/static directory.
2. Open the .htaccess file in your preferred text editor.
3. At the top of the file, comment out the following lines as shown:

   #<IfModule mod_php5.c>
   #php_flag engine 0
   #</IfModule>
   
   #<IfModule mod_php7.c>
   #php_flag engine 0
   #</IfModule>
   

4. Save your changes to the .htaccess file.
5. Reload the Magento site in your web browser. The pages should now be properly formatted and display the correct styles.

More Information

For more information about Magento, please visit http://www.magentocommerce.com.