PrestaShop 1.6
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What you need to get started

Quick

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set-up instructions

Here is a quick list of what you need to get started with the installation of PrestaShop 1.6. 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 followingSystem requirements:
    • PHP 5.2 or later.
      • Useful settings: allow_url_fopen set to On, register_globals set to Off, magic_quotes_* set to Off, safe_mode set to Off (all in the php.ini file), file_max_upload_size set to "16M".
      • Useful PHP extensions: cURL, SimpleXML, mcrypt, GD, OpenSSL, DOM, SOAP (all in the php.ini file).
      • Useful server tools: cron/crontab, Memcached.
    • MySQL 5.0 or later.
    • Better if:
      • Unix/Linux hosting
      ,
      • .
      • Apache Web Server 1.3 or later
      , at
      • or nginx Web Server.
        • Apache module settings: mod_rewrite enabled, mod_security disabled, mod_auth_basic disabled.
      • At least 64 Mb of RAM dedicated to PHP.
  • Access codes to your FTP server and , your MySQL database (and
    • These should be provided by your web-host
    )
    • if you are not doing a local installation.
  • A Any text editor.
  • A Any FTP client.A
  • Any modern Web browser (if using Internet Explorer: at least IE8).

You also need to know which URL on your domain you want your store(s) to be accessible from.

Check the official system requirements page: http://www.prestashop.com/en/system-requirements

Quick installation instructions

Here's the quick set of instructions for those who are already comfortable with performing such installations. For detailed instructions, see the next section of this chapter.

  1. Download and unzip the PrestaShop package if you haven't already.
  2. Create a database for PrestaShop stop on your web server if it is possible. In case there is no MySQL user who has all privileges for accessing and modifying this database, create it as well.
  3. Upload the PrestaShop files and folders to the chosen location on your web server. Do not upload the root /prestashop folder directly: only the files and folders that it contains.
  4. Run the PrestaShop installation script by accessing the public URL for the chosen location in a web browser. This should be the URL where you uploaded the PrestaShop files.
  5. Follow the instructions on each screen of the installer.
  6. Once the installation is done, delete the /install folder and give a custom name to the /admin folder, for security reasons.

PrestaShop should now be installed and ready to be configured! Continue to the First steps with PrestaShop 1.6 chapter of the User Guide.

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 visitors will use to access your store.

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Before downloading or installing anything, you need to provide a home for your PrestaShop online store. That is made of two components: a domain name, and a web server. A domain is the online identifier for your website, such as mydomainnameexample.com or myonlineshop.net. It is the public face of your web server, and therefore of your store.

You need to buy a domain name for your store. You can might be able to get one at the same time as you get your web hosting in place: many web hosts offer a free domain with every new account. They might be free for a year, or for as long as you are a client of that web host. This makes it easy to get the full package (hosting+domain name) in one go.

Tip

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, you can never buy a domain name; you can only rent it, most of the time for a yearly fee. 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 while you pay for the registration of the domain name in addition of your web hosting, 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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Tip
titlePrestaBox

PrestaShop can host your online business on its in-house web servers: our PrestaBox service was built in order to free merchants from any technical hassle, such as installing or updating PrestaShop.

Please consult our PrestaBox website for details on our low-priced, secure website hosting service. This is highly recommended for businesses with little to no experience with the Internet or computers.

You can reach PrestaBox at this address: http://www.prestabox.com/

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Info

PrestaShop is 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.

MySQL is an open-source database management system. Also created in 1995, it has since become the most used database system by web developers. It is based on the SQL language, the most widely used database language.

Whichever hosting service you use choose, it must have the following components installed on your web server:

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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 1.6, each with its own specific 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.

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