How to Install OpenCart on Elementary OS

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing OpenCart on your Elementary OS.

OpenCart is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms, and it is an open-source software that you can use to create an online store.

Prerequisites

Before you start with the installation, make sure that you have the following prerequisites:

  • A VPS or Dedicated Server running the latest Elementary OS version.
  • Superuser Access to your server.
  • Apache Web Server installed.
  • MySQL Database installed.
  • PHP installed.

Step 1 - Download and Install

Open your terminal and download the latest stable OpenCart version:

sudo wget https://github.com/opencart/opencart/releases/download/3.0.3.7/opencart-3.0.3.7.zip

Next, Unzip the open cart archive using the following command:

sudo unzip opencart-3.0.3.7.zip -d /var/www/html/

The above command will unzip the OpenCart archive and place the installation files into the /var/www/html/ directory.

Now, give proper permissions to OpenCart directories using the following command:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/opencart/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/opencart/

Step 2 - Create a MySQL Database

Create a new MySQL database and user for your OpenCart store using the following commands:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Now, create a new database with the following command:

mysql> CREATE DATABASE opencartdb;

After that, create a new user for accessing the database:

mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON opencartdb.* TO 'opencartuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

Make sure to replace opencartuser with a desired username and password with a secure password for your database.

Exit from the MySQL prompt using the following command:

mysql> exit

Step 3 - Configure OpenCart

Open your web browser and navigate to http://<your-server-IP-address>/opencart/. You will see the OpenCart installation page.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation, including:

  • Agreeing to the license agreement.
  • Configuring database settings.
  • Creating an administrative account.

Make sure to select the previously created database and user while configuring the database settings and remember the username and password you set for the administrative account.

Once you have completed the installation, remove the installation directory from your server using the following command:

sudo rm -rf /var/www/html/opencart/install/

Step 4 - Secure your OpenCart Installation

To secure your OpenCart installation, make sure to do the following:

  • Change the default administrative username and password.
  • Configure SSL certificate for securing the data transmission between the browser and the server.
  • Regularly update your OpenCart installation to the latest version with security patches.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed OpenCart on your Elementary OS.