# HostTiller — cPanel Deployment Guide ====================================== ## You need: 1. All project files (this folder) 2. database/hosttiller.sql 3. .env.cpanel (rename to .env after upload) --- ## Steps: ### 1. Create MySQL Database in cPanel - Go to "MySQL Databases" in cPanel - Create a new database (e.g., hosttiller_db) - Create a database user with a password - Add the user to the database with ALL PRIVILEGES - Note down: database name, username, password ### 2. Import the Database - Go to "phpMyAdmin" in cPanel - Select your new database - Click "Import" tab - Choose file: database/hosttiller.sql - Click "Go" / "Import" ### 3. Upload All Files - Upload the ENTIRE project folder via File Manager or FTP - Make sure these folders exist with correct structure: hosttiller.com/ ├── app/ ├── bootstrap/ ├── config/ ├── database/ ├── public/ │ ├── build/ (compiled frontend assets) │ ├── index.php │ └── .htaccess ├── resources/ ├── routes/ ├── storage/ ├── vendor/ (PHP dependencies) ├── .env ├── artisan └── .htaccess (root redirect) ### 4. Setup .env - Delete or rename .env.cpanel to .env - Edit .env and update these 3 values: DB_DATABASE=your_database_name DB_USERNAME=your_database_user DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password - Also update APP_URL to your domain ### 5. Set Document Root in cPanel - Go to "Domains" in cPanel - Set your domain's document root to: /home/yourusername/hosttiller.com/public OR public_html/hosttiller.com/public - IMPORTANT: Point to the "public" folder! ### 6. Set Folder Permissions Via File Manager or SSH, set these permissions: - storage/ → 775 (recursive) - bootstrap/cache/ → 775 (recursive) If no SSH, do this in File Manager: - Right-click folder → Permissions → set 775 → check "Recurse into subdirectories" ### 7. Run Laravel Setup (SSH required) If your cPanel has Terminal/SSH access: cd /home/yourusername/hosttiller.com php artisan config:cache php artisan route:cache php artisan view:cache php artisan migrate --force If NO SSH access, the site may still work but slower on first load. ### 8. Cron Job (Optional, for queue/scheduler) In cPanel → Cron Jobs, add: * * * * * cd /home/yourusername/hosttiller.com && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1 --- ## IMPORTANT — Server-Side Rendering (SSR) for SEO HostTiller is a React app (Inertia). Without SSR the page ships empty, so Google and SEO crawlers that don't run JavaScript report: "0 words on this page", "No paragraphs detected", "title words not used in content". -> After deploy, the SSR node server MUST be running on 127.0.0.1:13714 (config/inertia.php `ssr.url`). Do ONE of the following: Option A (recommended, cPanel Node.js App): - cPanel → Setup Node.js App (Application Manager/Passenger) - App root: /home/yourusername/hosttiller.com - Startup file: node bootstrap/ssr/ssr.js - Passenger keeps it alive and restarts it automatically. - If you set a different port, update INERTIA_SSR_URL in .env too: INERTIA_SSR_URL=http://127.0.0.1:PORT (default 13714) Option B (cron keep-alive, if no Node.js App available): - Upload start-ssr.sh (in project root) to the server. - cPanel → Cron Jobs, run every minute: * * * * * /bin/bash /home/yourusername/hosttiller.com/start-ssr.sh >/dev/null 2>&1 - The script starts `node bootstrap/ssr/ssr.js` if it isn't already running. Verify it works (SSH): curl -s https://www.hosttiller.com/ | grep -c "Welcome to Hosttiller" > 2+ lines means the page body is server-rendered and crawlers see words. Note: resources/views/app.blade.php also ships a