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Here is a quick list of what you need to get started with the installation of PrestaShop 1.5. Should you not feel comfortable with the lack of details, you will find detailed instructions in the sections following this one.
- A web-host providing the following:
- PHP 5.2 or later.
- MySQL 5.0 or later.
- Better if: Unix hosting, Apache Web Server 1.3 or later, at least 64 Mb of RAM.
- Access codes to your FTP server and your MySQL database (provided by your web-host).
- A text editor.
- A FTP client.
- A Web browser.
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Installing PrestaShop on the Web
PrestaShop is a web application: it needs to be installed on a web server in order to run, and it needs a domain name that your visitor will use to access your store.
Finding a host
Before downloading or installing anything, you need to provide a home for your PrestaShop online store. This means its files need to reside on a Web web server. You might have a Web web server of your own, but it is more likely that you have or will have your store hosted by an Internet hosting service (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_hosting_service), which provides you with an online home for a monthly or yearly fee.
If you've never had a web host, here are some that you can trust:
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There are many more. Ask your friends!
When choosing your host, remember one crucial requirement: it must provide you with support for PHP 5.2 (or more recent), the programming language with which PrestaShop is written, and MySQL 5 (or more recent), the database system where PrestaShop stores all its data. There are more requirements: see the "Technical requirements" section below.
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PrestaShop can host your online business on its in-house Web servers; please web servers: PrestaBox was built in order to free from any technical hassle, such as installing or updating PrestaShop. Pplease consult our PrestaBox website for details on our low-priced, secure Website website hosting service. This is highly recommended for businesses with little to no experience with the Internet or computers. Naturally, we install and update PrestaShop for you. You can reach PrestaBox at this address: http://www.prestabox.com/ |
Registering a domain name
You will also need to buy a domain name for your store (meaning: . A domain is the online identifier for your website, such as mydomainname.com or myonlineshop.net).
Many web hosts offer a free domain with every new account. They might be free for a year, or for as long as you keep that account on their server. This makes it easy to get the full package (hosting+domain name) in one go.
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There can be an issue with host-provided domain names: if you find yourself not satisfied with the host's service, you will want to switch to a better host. This means moving your files, data and domain name to that other host. The files and data are easy to move, but depending on the host, you might have a hard time getting your domain name back. Since they bought the domain name for you, technically the domain belongs to them, and they can either forbid you to transfer it to another host, or they can make you pay for it. And since the domain name is your brand and your address on the web, you must obey the web host's rules. That is why it is often recommended to get your domain name from an independent domain name registrar (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name_registrar). Technically, a you can never buy a domain name, ; you can only rent it (, most of the time for a yearly fee), but at least you will be . This gives you the right to use that domain name, but as soon as you stop paying for it, it is not yours anymore and anyone can grab it for himself. So you pay for the registration of the domain name, but at least you are free to move to a better host at any time, for no supplementary fee: just change the domain name's DNS addresses, and within 24 hours the move is propagated to the world. |
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Technical requirements
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PrestaShop is a software an application which runs on a web server, and is written using the PHP programming language. It stores its data in a MySQL server. PHP is an open-source programming language, mainly used for web applications. Created in 1995, it has since become the most used programming language by web developers. It uses a C-like syntax, making it easy for developers to learn it. |
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You will need two tools: a text editor, in order to edit text files, and a FTP client, in order to transfer files from your machine to your server and vice-versa.
Text editor
Here are a few well-known text editors:
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Do NOT use a word processor when editing text files, such as Microsoft Word or OpenOffice.org Write when editing text files. |
FTP client
FTP is short for "File Transfer Protocol", meaning the standard way used to transfer files from a computer to a web-host.
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Once FileZilla is installed, you will need to configure it with your site's log-in parametersthe connection parameters for your web server, which should have been sent to you by your host. If not, ask for them to your host – or check your spam folder 
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Basically, the needed parameters are:
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Open FileZilla, and open its Site Manager tool. You can do this in three different ways:
- Press Ctrl-S,
- Click the "Open the Site Manager" icon, at the top left,
- Open the "File" menu, and select the "Site Manager..." option.
A window opens.
To add your hosting space to the Site Manager:
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Note that thanks to the multistore feature, you can have as many stores as necessary with a single installation of PrestaShop 1.5, each with its own specific URL. Take domain name if necessary. You should take that into account when deciding what goes where.
Whatever your plan, the default store will always reside where PrestaShop itself is located.
Installing PrestaShop on your computer
You may wish to install PrestaShop on your local machine, either in order to test PrestaShop it before investing money in a server and domain name, or to customize your store locally before you push your modifications to the PrestaShop installation that would already you have online.
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- The web server should be up and running. You should be able to access it through your browser, by typing "127.0.0.1" in the address bar.
http://127.0.0.1is the "localhost", meaning "your computer": it is a loopback address which directs the browser to any local server. In effect, http://127.0.0.1andhttp://localhostare synonymous: you can use one or the other interchangeably. - The database server should be up and running. MySQL is where all your data is stored. The AMP package should provide you with a clear indicator whether MySQL is running or not.
- The phpMyAdmin tool should be accessible. This is the web application that helps you handle data stored in MySQL. Its location depends on which AMP packaging you chose: it can be found at
http://127.0.0.1/phpmyadmin(XAMPP, WampServer, MAMP),http://127.0.0.1/mysql(EasyPHP), or maybe at another location. Check your package's documentation – it might even provide a phpMyAdmin button of sort that would open the correct URL in your browser.
Once you have checked that the package is correctly installed and that all of its parts are running, you need to find the root folder. That's the local folder where you will place your files, and can be compared to the root folder of your online server, only its content is accessed with http://127.0.0.1. The actual local location of the folder depends greatly on the AMP package, and can be customized:
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