PrestaShop sits between OpenCart and Magento: it arrives with catalogue, promotions, carriers and tax rules already built, without Magento weight. For most shops starting out, it is the most balanced choice.
The installer lists three series: 8, which is current, 1.7, and 1.6, which is only there for rescuing an old shop. Take series 8.
What to prepare first
| Requirement |
What to do |
| PHP extensions |
PrestaShop needs two that arrive switched off on a new account: intl and fileinfo. Turn them on in Select PHP Version, on the extensions tab, before opening the installer. Without them the installer either blocks you, or the shop installs and then fails at formatting prices and dates. |
| PHP version |
Series 8 runs across a wide range of PHP versions. Even so, use a supported one: see changing your PHP version without breaking the site. |
| Where to install |
If the shop will share the account with another site, create the domain or subdomain first: adding another domain or a subdomain. |
| Space and files |
Lighter than Magento, but still many thousands of files. See the limits of your account. |
Installing, step by step
| 1 |
In cPanel, open Select PHP Version and enable intl and fileinfo.
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| 2 |
Open the Softaculous Apps Installer, search for PrestaShop and pick series 8.
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| 3 |
Address: protocol https, the shop domain, empty directory field to install at the root.
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| 4 |
Shop name, currency and country. Pick the currency you will actually sell in. Changing the base currency after orders exist is painful.
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| 5 |
Administrator account: an e-mail address you read, and a long password from the password generator.
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| 6 |
Look at the admin directory field. The installer proposes a name; change it and write it down. That is how you reach the panel, and PrestaShop has no alternative entrance.
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| 7 |
Under Advanced Options, switch on automatic backups, then click Install.
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The admin directory is half the security of the shop. Leave it with the name the installer proposes and anyone will find it. A name of your own, noted wherever you keep passwords, fixes that.
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Setting the shop up to sell
| 1 |
Currency and tax. Confirm the base currency, the tax rule that applies to your sales, and whether the prices you type already include tax. This decision colours everything else.
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| 2 |
Carriers and shipping. PrestaShop works out shipping by weight or by price, per zone. Worth getting right before the first order.
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| 3 |
Payment methods. They arrive as modules, and it is the modules of the services you use that decide, not the shop. Start with bank transfer, which PrestaShop ships with, and add the rest as you sign them up. For the wider picture, see an online shop with local payment methods.
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Create the scheduled task if you use modules that depend on one: cron jobs.
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Place a real order with yourself before opening to the public. Basket to confirmation e-mail. It is the only way to find out that the shop cannot send mail before a customer finds out for you.
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Keeping it
In the Softaculous installations list, PrestaShop offers clone, backup and change admin password. Use the clone to try themes and modules: a test site.
Still choosing a shop platform? Compare with OpenCart, which is lighter, and with Magento, which is much heavier.
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Installer complaining about an extension you cannot find? Tell us and we will switch it on.
Open a support ticket
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