Installing Magento with Softaculous in cPanel
PrintSoftaculous Apps Installer in cPanel can set up Magento for you: it copies the files, creates the database and links the two. You only pick the address and the admin login. Before you start, make sure Magento is the right fit for your store and your plan.
Is Magento the right choice?
Magento (sold commercially as Adobe Commerce) shines with large catalogues, many product variants, several store views and complex pricing rules. It also needs far more memory and CPU than lighter platforms. A small shop is often easier to run on OpenCart, PrestaShop or WooCommerce. A big Magento project is better placed on a plan with generous resources or on a VPS.
Preparation
- Point the domain to your hosting and make sure SSL is already issued, so you can choose
https://during the install. See Automatic issuance of SSL. - Use an empty folder. If an old site still sits in
public_html, back it up before you remove it.
Run the installer
- Sign in to cPanel with the details you received when the hosting was activated.
- Under Software, open Softaculous Apps Installer.
- In the left menu, choose E-commerce and then Magento.
- Click Install.
- Under Choose Installation URL, select
https://and your domain. Clear the In Directory field to put the store at the root of the domain, or type a folder name for an address likeexample.md/shop. - Under Admin Account, choose a username other than "admin", a long password and an e-mail address you really read; password resets go there.
- Review the remaining fields, such as the store name and language, and click Install again.
The process takes a few minutes. Keep the page open until Softaculous confirms that the software was installed.
First things to do afterwards
- Save the admin address. It is shown in the final message and in your Softaculous installations list. It is often
example.md/admin, but it can be different. - Open the store in a browser and check that the default Magento page loads.
- Look at Cron Jobs in cPanel. Magento relies on cron for indexing, e-mails and other scheduled tasks.
- Take your own backup before adding extensions or themes. Daily JetBackup copies exist on the hosting, but a fresh copy right before big changes is the quickest way back.
Mistakes that cost time later
- Installing on
http://and switching later. It works, but you have to change the base URLs in the Magento settings. - Extensions from unofficial download sites, which often carry malicious code. Use Adobe Commerce Marketplace or the developer's own site.
- One shared admin login for the whole team. Give each person their own account.
If the installer stops with an error, open a ticket and include the exact message.
