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Hosting FormFarm on Hostinger

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for hosting the FormFarm application on Hostinger.

Prerequisites

  • Active Hostinger account with hosting plan
  • SSH access enabled (available on most Hostinger plans)
  • Git installed locally (optional but recommended)
  • FileZilla or similar FTP client

Steps to Deploy

1. Prepare Your Hostinger Account

  1. Log in to your Hostinger dashboard
  2. Navigate to Hosting → Select your hosting account
  3. Go to Advanced → SSH Access and ensure it's enabled
  4. Note your SSH credentials:
    • Host: Your server address (usually shown in hPanel)
    • Username: SSH username (from hPanel)
    • Password: SSH password (from hPanel)

2. Upload Files via FTP/SFTP

Option A: Using File Manager (Easiest)

  1. In hPanel, go to File Manager
  2. Navigate to the public_html directory
  3. Upload all FormFarm files to this directory
  4. Ensure the folder structure matches the project layout

Option B: Using FileZilla (FTP)

  1. Open FileZilla
  2. Create a new site with Hostinger's FTP credentials:
    • Host: Your FTP server address
    • Username: FTP username
    • Password: FTP password
    • Port: 21 (standard FTP) or 22 (SFTP)
  3. Connect and upload all FormFarm files to public_html/

3. Database Setup

  1. In hPanel, go to Databases → MySQL

  2. Create a new database:

    • Database name: formfarm_db
    • Username: Create new user or use automatic
    • Password: Generate a strong password

  3. Note the database credentials

  4. Import the database schema:

    • Go to Database Manager → phpMyAdmin
    • Select your newly created database
    • Go to Import tab
    • Upload database/migrations/schema.sql
    • Click Import

4. Configure Environment Variables

  1. Update config/database.php with Hostinger database credentials:
define('DB_HOST', 'your-hostinger-mysql-host');
define('DB_USER', 'your_db_username');
define('DB_PASS', 'your_db_password');
define('DB_NAME', 'formfarm_db');
  1. Update public/index.php if needed to match your environment

5. Configure .htaccess (For Clean URLs)

Create a .htaccess file in the public/ directory:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteBase /
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ index.php?/$1 [QSA,L]
</IfModule>

6. Set File Permissions

SSH into your server:

ssh your_username@your_hostinger_host

Set proper permissions:

chmod 755 /home/your_username/public_html/
chmod -R 755 /home/your_username/public_html/storage/
chmod -R 755 /home/your_username/public_html/storage/logs/
chmod -R 755 /home/your_username/public_html/storage/cache/

7. Verify Installation

  1. Navigate to your domain in a browser: https://yourdomain.com
  2. If you see the home page, congratulations! Your site is live
  3. Test the login/register functionality
  4. Check the logs in storage/logs/ for any errors

Troubleshooting

500 Internal Server Error

  • Check storage/logs/ for error messages
  • Verify config/database.php credentials
  • Ensure .htaccess is in the correct location
  • Verify extensions are enabled in PHP settings

Database Connection Failed

  • Verify database host, username, and password in config/database.php
  • Ensure database user has proper privileges
  • Check if MySQL is running in hPanel

File Permissions Issues

  • SSH into the server and verify permissions with ls -la
  • Re-run the chmod commands from Step 6

Email Not Sending

  • Configure SMTP in app/helpers/MailHelper.php
  • Update with Hostinger's SMTP credentials (usually found in hPanel)
  • Enable "Less secure app access" if using Gmail as provider

Performance Optimization

  1. Enable caching in Hostinger (hPanel → Performance)
  2. Enable Gzip compression
  3. Set up SSL/TLS certificate (Hostinger provides free Let's Encrypt)
  4. Use Hostinger's CDN if available on your plan

SSL/HTTPS Certificate

  1. In hPanel, go to Security → SSL Certificates
  2. Select your domain
  3. Click Manage → Install (for free Let's Encrypt)
  4. Wait for installation to complete
  5. Update your site URL in config files if necessary

Regular Maintenance

  • Backups: Set up automatic backups in hPanel
  • Updates: Keep PHP version updated
  • Monitor: Check logs regularly for issues
  • Security: Regularly update permission settings

Support

  • Hostinger Support: Available 24/7 in hPanel
  • FormFarm Issues: Check README.md for project documentation
  • Database Questions: Visit Hostinger's knowledge base

Last Updated: March 2026