Setting Up PrestaShop on a VDS (Virtual Dedicated Server)

Component	Requirement
Operating System	Linux (Ubuntu 20.04/22.04, CentOS 7/8, or Debian 10/11)
Web Server	Apache 2.4+ or Nginx 1.18+
PHP Version	PHP 7.4?8.1 (depending on PrestaShop version)
Database	MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
Disk Space	At least 2 GB free (more for larger stores)
Memory	Minimum 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended for better performance)

Prepare Your VDS

Update System Packages

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y  # For Ubuntu/Debian
sudo yum update -y                      # For CentOS

Install Required Software

1. Install Apache or Nginx:

   sudo apt install apache2 -y      # For Apache
   sudo apt install nginx -y        # For Nginx

2. Install PHP and Extensions:

   sudo apt install php php-cli php-mysql php-curl php-zip php-gd php-xml php-mbstring -y

3. Install MySQL or MariaDB:

   sudo apt install mysql-server -y  # For MySQL
   sudo apt install mariadb-server -y # For MariaDB

4. Secure the Database Server:

   sudo mysql_secure_installation

Download and Configure PrestaShop

1. Navigate to the web server root directory:

   cd /var/www/html

2. Download PrestaShop:

   wget https://download.prestashop.com/releases/prestashop_1.7.8.8.zip

3. Extract the archive:

   sudo apt install unzip -y
   unzip prestashop_1.7.8.8.zip
   mv prestashop /var/www/html/prestashop

Set Permissions

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

Configure Apache or Nginx

Apache Configuration

1. Create a new virtual host:

   sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/prestashop.conf

2. Add the following configuration:

   <VirtualHost *:80>
   
       ServerName yourdomain.com
   
       DocumentRoot /var/www/html/prestashop
   
       <Directory /var/www/html/prestashop/>
   
           AllowOverride All
   
           Require all granted
   
       </Directory>
   
       ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/prestashop_error.log
   
       CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/prestashop_access.log combined
   
   </VirtualHost>

3. Enable the site and restart Apache:

   sudo a2ensite prestashop.conf
   sudo systemctl restart apache2

Nginx Configuration

1. Create a new configuration file:

   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/prestashop

2. Add the following:

   server {
   
       listen 80;
   
       server_name yourdomain.com;
   
       root /var/www/html/prestashop;
   
   
   
       index index.php;
   
   
   
       location / {
   
           try_files $uri /index.php?$query_string;
   
       }
   
   
   
       location ~ \.php$ {
   
           include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
   
           fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
   
           fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
   
           include fastcgi_params;
   
       }
   
   }

3. Enable the configuration and restart Nginx:

   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/prestashop /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   sudo systemctl restart nginx

Create a Database for PrestaShop

1. Log in to MySQL:

   sudo mysql -u root -p

2. Create a database:

   CREATE DATABASE prestashop;
   
   CREATE USER 'prestashop_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strongpassword';
   
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON prestashop.* TO 'prestashop_user'@'localhost';
   
   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
   
   EXIT;

Finalize PrestaShop Installation

1. Open your browser and navigate to:

   http://yourdomain.com

2. Follow the installation wizard:
   • Enter database details (prestashop_user, prestashop, password).
   • Set your admin account and store details.
3. After installation, delete the /install directory:

   rm -rf /var/www/html/prestashop/install

Secure Your Installation

Optimize Performance