Part 2: Build an eCommerce Site Using The PrestaShop Framework

Mont,   Mar, 07, 2022
Build an ecommerce site using PrestaShop framework

Hello ladies and gentlemen, 1Byte is back. As always, to be able to build a website using a certain framework. You need to do the following steps:

Table of Contents
  • Step 1: Install PrestaShop framework, necessary packages, and set up customizations on the BackEnd side to the Server (You’ve done this in Part 1)
  • Step 2: Based on the components in step 1, install PrestaShop site through your browser (You are here, Part 2!)
  • Step 3: Install SSL Certificate on your website
  • Step 4: Customize the interface and manage PrestaShop to your liking ^^

Prerequisites

To do this Step 2, you need to read through and finished Part 1. This is a must and you have to have the following components:

  • Domain Name
  • Cloud Server
  • PrestaShop framework is already installed on your Server
  • A spirit of eagerness to learn new things

No More Small Talk, Let’s Hands On

In Part 1, you will be stopping here

(After choosing your language, click Next)
(To use PrestaShop framework, you need to agree to some terms and conditions. Check on the box and click Next)
(Ooopps…! Warning alert = =!)

But don’t worry too much because 1Byte is already here, I am always with you when you are in trouble

According to PrestaShop’s instructions, there are several things you need to fix.

→ Let’s go back to the Server side and use the Terminal Interface to fix it

(I already ssh into the server, how about you?)

1) Instal “Mbstring” PHP extension by running this command

sudo yum install php-mbstring -y

sudo systemctl restart httpd

2) Next is install “PHP Accelerator” to boost up your site

But hold on!!!…

I also read the document of PHP accelerator and this only works with PHP versions 4 and 5. While our PHP is version 7

→ Will skip this step. You see, I save you time again

(For more information, you can access to PHP eaccelerator material)

Ok now, we just need to refresh our page, to check whether the Warning Message remains or not? 

(Bravo!, we no longer see the Warning Message, instead, PrestaShop requires us to provide some information to setup your website. Once you have finished,  just click Next to move on) 

IMPORTANT NOTE 1:

  • Please remember not to check Enable SSL with option YES
  • Please check with options NO
  • This is because If you choose the YES option, this will make your website inoperable for two reasons:

1) On the server side, we haven’t told the firewallcmd allowe https service yet, we just allowed http service

2) Up to now, our website has not installed SSL certificates  

IMPORTANT NOTE 2:

PrestaShop requests database information (which I already created in Part 1) in this phase.

(This image was retrieved from Part 1 at the section create MariaDB database. If you don’t remember, please refer to Part 1 my friend)

Once everything is OK, move to the next section

After provding the info to PrestaShop, check the connection to your database

  • If everything goes well, a message like the one above will be shown.
  • Then just click on Next button
  • If PrestaShop cannot connect to the database, you need to check the information such as db_name, db_user and db_pass which was created at Part 1

(And now you just enjoy a cup of tea while the system automatically installs for you)

If you see this picture like me, congratulations, you have successfully installed PrestaShop framework using your browser

(PrestaShop encourages us to delete “install” folder – which highlighing in box 2)

NOTE:

  • The info of box (1) will be your credential to login in Admin Dashboard
  • Ok la, let’s back to our terminal and do the following commands
#Navigate to prestashop directory and list all files
cd /var/www/html/prestashop/
ls
(The directory that I have highlighted is the “install” folder. Just remove them for the best practices)

Why am I highlighting the whole directory named “admin”? I’ll leave it open for now, but in a bit, I’ll explain it to you below

#Remove the install directory
rm -rfv install/

IMPORTANT NOTE:

  • Once the directory named “install” was completely deleted, the system will automatically change the folder name “admin” to “adminxxx“
  • Why is that? because PrestaShop doesn’t want bad guys (hackers) to know the path to the admin dashboard page. Therefore, to prevent curious people from coming to the admin page, PrestaShop will rename this “admin” folder to “adminxxx“

To verify this, use this command again

#Verify the directory named "admin"
ls

As you can see, the directory “admin” has been renamed to “admin233ymehbz“

This name will be completely different from yours.

So please check it:

→ I have already helped you get the answer to the question above

→ To connect to your admin dashboard you have to type in your URL as follow: http://<your-server-ip>/admin233ymehbz

(As you can see, I have access to login-page admin)

But with a name like that, it would be difficult to remember, right?

Therefore, we often rename this directory “adminxxx“ to a name that is easy to remember, but it’s hard to guess

#Rename "adminxxx" directory to a new name
mv admin233ymehbz/ secret_page/
ls
(In here, I change to “secret_page”. You can change it to the name you like, easy to remember)

Let’s test again by navigating to http://<your-ip-server>/secret_page 

(voilà, everything is going as expected) 

Summarize

Up to the present time:

  • You have successfully installed the PrestaShop framework on both Server and Browsers
  • Your customers can connect to the homepage (FrontEnd)
  • You can connect to the admin page

However, there is still an important factor that has not been implemented yet is to be able to install the SSL Certificate on your site. Because the article is too long, I will guide you to install SSL Certificate in Part 3 SEE YAAAA!