Shared Hosting (cPanel)

Installation through a hosting control panel

Step 1: Uploading Files

Download the latest FoxDesk package and extract it. Use the hosting file manager or an FTP client to copy the complete release structure into the document root for the FoxDesk domain or subdomain.

Important: Configure the FTP client to transfer hidden files, including .htaccess.

Step 2: Database Preparation

In the hosting database panel:

1. Create a new blank database (e.g., helpdesk_db).
2. Create a new MySQL user and assign a strong password.
3. Grant the user All Privileges to the newly created database.

Store the database name, username, and password in a password manager. The installer needs these values in the next step.

Step 3: Run the Web Wizard

Navigate to https://yourdomain.com/install.php using your web browser.

Do not create config.php first. On a fresh installation, its presence tells FoxDesk that setup has already completed. The wizard creates the file after it validates the database.

1. In the first step, enter your database host (usually localhost), port (3306), and the database user, password, and database name you just created and saved in Step 2. Click “Connect”.
2. Set up your basic helpdesk settings (Application Name) and create your initial admin account credentials.
3. The wizard writes config.php and creates the database tables and default ticket fields.

If the wizard cannot write the configuration, confirm that PHP can write the FoxDesk root and the uploads/, storage/, and backups/ directories. Do not solve this with world-writable permissions; use the hosting account or web-server ownership recommended by the provider.

After confirming that login works:

1. Remove install.php from the server.
2. Make config.php read-only for the web-server user.
3. Open Settings → System and confirm that backups and background-task timestamps are working.