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A Checklist for Any New Application What to do every time.BEFORE INSTALLINGCheck PHP version and extension requirements against your... A Realistic Assessment of Self-Hosting When to install software and when not to.WHAT SELF-HOSTING GIVES YOUControl over your data No... A Summary: Running Software on Your Hosting Everything that matters, briefly.BEFORE INSTALLINGCheck requirements against your plan Check the... After Installing: The First Ten Minutes What to do before building anything.SECURITYChange any default administrator credentials Delete... Analytics and Tracking Scripts Adding third-party code to your pages.WHAT THEY COSTEvery tracking script is a request, a... Application Maintenance Routine What to do, and how often.WEEKLYApply available updates, having backed up Check the site loads... Application Requirements Reference What to check before installing anything.PHP VERSIONEach application states a minimum and a... Application Update Failed An update that did not complete.WHAT USUALLY HAPPENSThe update downloads, begins, and fails... Backup and Maintenance Scripts Automating housekeeping.WHAT TO AUTOMATEDatabase dumps File archives Transferring backups off the... Backup Applications and Tools Software specifically for protecting your site.WHAT TO LOOK FORScheduled automatic backupsRemote... Blocking Execution in Upload Directories A single measure that prevents a class of attack.THE ATTACKAn attacker finds a way to upload a... Booking and Appointment Scripts Taking appointments online.WHAT THEY NEEDAvailability management Time zone handling, if you serve... Broken Layout or Missing Styles The site loads without its design.THE USUAL CAUSEThe site URL setting is wrong, so stylesheets... Caching Plugins and Performance Tools Making applications fast.ON OUR SERVERSWe run LiteSpeed, so the LiteSpeed Cache plugin uses... Cannot Log In to the Administrator Area Locked out of your own application.FIRST CHECKSIs the password correct? Reset it rather than... Chat Widgets and Support Tools Live chat on your site.THE BENEFITVisitors who would not fill in a form will start a chat. For... Checking Whether an Application Will Run on Your Plan Before you commit time to something.WHAT TO CHECKPHP version required, against what your plan... Choosing Between a Plugin and a Separate Application When to extend and when to install.USE A PLUGIN WHENThe requirement is secondary to your main... Choosing the Right Application for Your Project WordPress is not the answer to everything.WHAT TO ASK FIRSTWhat does the site actually need to do... Church, School and Organisation Websites Common requirements for community organisations.WHAT THEY USUALLY NEEDInformation: about,... Cleaning a Compromised Application Removing an infection properly.THE ORDEROpen a ticket so we can check the account... Common Mistakes With Installed Applications The ones that cause real problems.NULLED SOFTWAREThe most common cause of compromised sites we... Comparing Content Management Systems An honest comparison.WORDPRESSLargest ecosystem, most plugins, most developers, easiest to find... Contact Forms and Form Handlers The most common custom script on any site.WHAT A FORM HANDLER MUST DOValidate input Protect... CRM and Business Applications Customer records and business management.THE OPTIONSSelf-hosted CRM applications, which you... Cron Scripts and Scheduled Tasks Running things automatically.CREATING ONEcPanel > Cron Jobs. Set the interval and the command,... Database Errors in Applications Connection and query failures.ERROR ESTABLISHING A DATABASE CONNECTIONThe credentials in the... Decommissioning an Old Application Retiring something you no longer use.BEFORE REMOVING ITExport anything you may need: content,... Directory and Listing Applications Sites where the content is entries.WHAT THEY AREBusiness directories, classified listings,... Documenting What You Have Installed The record that makes maintenance possible.WHAT TO RECORDApplication name and versionWhere it is... Drupal: Common Problems Frequent issues and their causes.WHITE SCREENEnable error display temporarily in settings.php, or... Drupal: Installation and First Steps Powerful, and more demanding than most alternatives.WHO IT SUITSComplex content structures, many... Email Not Sending from an Application Messages that never arrive.THE MOST COMMON CAUSEThe application uses PHP's mail function by... Evaluating an Application Before You Commit Questions to ask.MAINTENANCEWhen was the last release? Is there active development? How quickly... Event and Ticketing Applications Selling tickets or managing bookings.WHAT IT REQUIRESEvent listings with dates and capacity... File Permissions for Applications Getting them right.THE VALUESDirectories: 755Files: 644Configuration containing credentials:... File Sharing and Collaboration Tools Self-hosted alternatives to commercial services.NEXTCLOUDFile storage, sharing, calendars and... File Upload Problems in Applications Uploads failing or rejected.FILE TOO LARGERaise upload_max_filesize and post_max_size in cPanel... Form Builder Plugins Collecting information from visitors.WHAT TO LOOK FORReliable email delivery Spam protection... Forums and Community Software Running a discussion community.THE OPTIONSphpBB: free, mature, widely used, straightforward to... Getting Help Choosing an Application Asking before you commit.WHAT TO ASK USWill this run on my plan Does it need extensions you do... Getting Support for Third-Party Applications Who helps with what.WHAT WE COVERServer configuration: PHP versions, extensions, limitsDatabase... Helpdesk and Ticket Systems Managing customer support.WHEN YOU NEED ONEWhen a shared mailbox stops working: several people... Hiding Configuration and Sensitive Files Files that must never be publicly reachable.WHAT MUST NOT BE PUBLICConfiguration files containing... Image Galleries and Media Libraries Publishing collections of images.THE OPTIONSA gallery plugin for your content system, which suits... Installing a Third-Party PHP Script Small utilities and custom tools.BEFORE INSTALLING ANYTHINGWhere did it come from? Only install... Installing an Application in a Subdirectory Running software alongside your main site.WHEN THIS APPLIESA forum at yourdomain.com/forum A shop... Installing Applications Manually When Softaculous does not have it, or you want control.THE GENERAL PROCEDUREDownload the... Inventory and Stock Management Tools Tracking what you hold.WHEN YOU NEED ONEWhen a spreadsheet stops working: several people... Invoicing and Accounting Applications Self-hosted business finance tools.WHAT THEY DOCreate and send invoices Track payments and... Job Boards and Application Systems Receiving applications online.WHAT IT INVOLVESPosting positions Receiving applications, usually... Joomla: Common Problems What goes wrong and how to fix it.BLANK PAGE OR 500 ERROREnable error reporting in... Joomla: Installation and First Steps A capable alternative to WordPress.INSTALLINGAvailable in Softaculous, or download from the... Keeping Applications Updated The single most important ongoing task.WHYOut-of-date software is the leading cause of... Keeping Track of Multiple Applications Managing several installations.THE PROBLEMThree applications across two domains, installed at... Learning Management Systems Running courses online.MOODLEThe established open source option. Capable, widely used in... Managing Extensions and Plugins Safely Third-party code running on your site.BEFORE INSTALLINGWhen was it last updated? Anything... Matomo and Self-Hosted Analytics Analytics you control.WHY SELF-HOSTData stays on your own hosting rather than with a third party,... Membership and Subscription Applications Restricted content and recurring access.WHAT THEY REQUIREUser accounts and access control... Migrating an Application to New Hosting Moving installed software.THE GENERAL PROCEDUREArchive the application files and download... Migrating Between Platforms Moving from one application to another.WHEN THIS ARISESOutgrowing a platform Consolidating onto... Migrating Content Between Applications Moving content when changing platform.WHAT USUALLY TRANSFERSArticles and pages, through an export... Moodle: Setup and Requirements The established learning platform.BEFORE INSTALLINGCheck requirements carefully. Moodle needs... Multilingual Plugins and Tools Serving more than one language.WHAT THEY DOLet you maintain content in several languages, with a... Newsletter and Mailing List Scripts Self-hosted email sending.THE TEMPTATIONA self-hosted newsletter script appears to avoid the cost... Nextcloud: Setup and Practical Limits Self-hosted file storage.BEFORE INSTALLINGNextcloud is demanding. It needs substantial memory,... Nulled and Pirated Software: Why Not To The most common cause of compromised sites we clean.WHAT IT ISPremium themes, plugins or... OpenCart: Setup Notes A lighter shop platform.WHO IT SUITSShops wanting something simpler than PrestaShop or Magento,... Page Builders and Design Tools Visual editing for non-developers.WHAT THEY GIVE YOUBuilding layouts without code, which for many... phpBB: Setup and Running a Forum The established free forum platform.INSTALLINGAvailable in Softaculous, or manually from the... Planning for Long-Term Maintenance What you are committing to.WHAT EVERY INSTALLED APPLICATION REQUIRESRegular updates, indefinitely... Portfolio and Creative Sites Showing work.WHAT MATTERSImage quality, balanced against page weight Fast loading, since visitors... PrestaShop and Other Shop Platforms Alternatives to WooCommerce.PRESTASHOPA dedicated ecommerce platform rather than a plugin on a... PrestaShop: Setup Notes A dedicated ecommerce platform.INSTALLINGSoftaculous or manually. Requires a supported PHP... Preventing Reinfection Why cleaned sites get compromised again.THE FOUR CAUSESA backdoor was missed. Attackers plant... Project Management and Team Tools Self-hosted collaboration.THE OPTIONSSelf-hosted project management applications Hosted services... Protecting Admin Areas The page attacked most on any site.WHY IT MATTERSLogin pages are attacked continuously by... Real Estate and Property Listing Sites A common Nigerian use case.WHAT IT INVOLVESProperty listings with many images Search and... Recovering an Application from Backup Restoring after something went wrong.BEFORE RESTORINGTake a copy of the current state. It may... Redirect and URL Shortener Scripts Small tools with specific risks.LEGITIMATE USESTracking campaign links Shortening long URLs for... Reducing the Number of Applications You Run Consolidation as maintenance.WHY IT HELPSEvery application is updates to apply, backups to... Removing an Application Safely Uninstalling properly.WHY IT MATTERSAn abandoned installation is unpatched software sitting on... Restaurant and Food Ordering Sites Taking orders online.WHAT IT INVOLVESA menu, with prices and availability Order taking, with... Running Custom PHP Code Safely Code you or a developer wrote.THE ESSENTIALSParameterise every database query. Never concatenate... Running Multiple Applications on One Account Several pieces of software, one hosting plan.WHAT TO PLANEach application needs its own database... Scanning Applications for Malware Finding what should not be there.IMUNIFYAVcPanel > ImunifyAV. Scan the full home directory... Securing Any Web Application Principles that apply regardless of platform.THE ESSENTIALSKeep everything updated: core, themes,... Security Plugins and Tools Application-level protection.WHAT THEY TYPICALLY PROVIDELogin attempt limiting File integrity... SEO Plugins and Tools What they do and what they do not.WHAT THEY PROVIDETitle and meta description fields per page... Static Site Generators and Static Hosting Sites with no application at all.WHAT THEY ARETools that build plain HTML files from templates... Testing an Application Before Committing Trying before you build on it.WHYDocumentation and screenshots do not tell you whether an... The Application Installed but Will Not Load Setup completed, site does not work.BLANK PAGEEnable error logging and reproduce. The log names... The Application Is Slow Diagnosing performance.MEASURE FIRSTLoad a static file. If that is fast while pages are slow, the... The Application Will Not Install Failures during setup.DATABASE CONNECTION FAILSThe most common cause. Check the database name and... Understanding Application Licences What you are agreeing to.OPEN SOURCEMost common platforms are open source and free to use, modify... Using Softaculous to Install Applications Hundreds of applications in a few clicks.WHAT IT DOESCreates the files, the database and the... When an Application Is No Longer Maintained The project has been abandoned.HOW TO TELLNo release in a year or more The project site is... When to Use an Application Versus Custom Code Build or install.USE AN EXISTING APPLICATION WHENThe requirement is common: a blog, a shop, a... Wikis and Documentation Platforms Software for structured knowledge.THE OPTIONSMediaWiki: powerful, the software behind the largest...
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