Skip to main content
Submit a request

Installing other apps (Joomla, Drupal and more)

Maxim Tsitsejev
Updated

Applies to: All plans.

Before you start: You need access to your cPanel (open your service in the client area -> Services -> My Services, then click Log in to cPanel), a domain or subdomain to install onto, and the installation package downloaded from the app's own website.

WordPress is not the only app you can run here — but it is the only one we install for you in a few clicks, through WP Toolkit. Joomla, Drupal, wikis, forums, e-commerce platforms and anything else that runs on PHP and MySQL install the same way they do on any cPanel host: upload the files, create a database, run the app's own installer. We do not provide a one-click installer for those apps, and the manual route below takes about ten minutes.

1. Download the app

  1. Get the current release from the app's official site (for example joomla.org or drupal.org) — usually a .zip archive.
  2. Keep the archive on your computer. You do not need to unzip it yet; it is much faster to upload the single file and extract it on the server.

2. Create a MySQL database and user

Nearly every app needs its own database. In cPanel:

  1. Open cPanel -> Databases -> MySQL Database Wizard (or MySQL Databases).
  2. Create a database — note the full name (cPanel prefixes it with your account username, e.g. user_joomla).
  3. Create a database user with a strong password — note the full username and the password.
  4. Add the user to the database and grant it All Privileges.

Write the database name, username and password down exactly — you will type them into the app's installer. For more detail see How to create and manage a MySQL database.

3. Upload and extract the files

  1. Open cPanel -> Files -> File Manager.
  2. Go to the folder for this site — public_html for your main domain, or the document root you chose when you created the addon domain or subdomain.
  3. Use Upload to add the .zip, then select it in File Manager and choose Extract.
  4. If the files land inside a sub-folder (such as joomla_5-x or drupal-11.x), move the contents up so the app's index.php sits directly in the document root, not one level down.

Prefer FTP? You can upload the unzipped files instead — see How to connect over FTP or SFTP. File Manager is usually faster because it extracts the archive server-side.

4. Run the app's own installer

  1. Open your domain (for example https://yourdomain.ie) in a browser. The app's setup wizard appears.
  2. Enter the database name, username and password from step 2. Leave the database host as localhost unless the app asks for something different.
  3. Set the site name and your administrator account, then finish the wizard.
  4. Follow any post-install instruction the app gives you — several ask you to delete an installation folder or tighten permissions on a config file.

Result: The app is live on your domain and you can sign in to its admin area. Free SSL (AutoSSL) covers the domain automatically, so it loads over HTTPS.

Mind your plan limits

Each install needs a MySQL database, and your plan caps how many databases you can have:

  • Self-Managed Lite: 2 databases
  • Self-Managed Plus / Managed Starter: 10 databases
  • Managed Growth: 25 databases
  • Self-Managed Pro / Managed Business: unlimited databases

If you want to run several apps on separate domains, check your addon domain allowance too — Self-Managed Lite and Managed Starter do not include addon domains (Self-Managed Plus and Managed Growth include 4; Self-Managed Pro and Managed Business are unlimited). If you hit a limit, the path is to upgrade your plan. See Understanding your hosting account's limits.

A few Maxinodes-specific notes

  • DNS lives in your client area, not cPanel. Your hosting DNS zone is managed by us, on our own nameservers. If you point a new domain at your site, manage the records in the client area, not the cPanel zone editor. See How to manage DNS records in your client area.
  • Email is separate. Apps that send mail (order confirmations, password resets) should use an SMTP plugin pointed at your Professional Email mailbox (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace). We do not host mailboxes on the hosting server, so do not rely on the app's built-in "local mail" function.
  • Keep apps updated. On Self-Managed you are responsible for app, plugin and theme updates — for a manually installed app that means applying the vendor's own updates. On Managed, core platform updates are handled for you. Outdated apps are the most common cause of hacked sites.
  • Use a modern PHP version. Most apps run faster on PHP 8.x, and some refuse to install on older versions. Set the version per-domain in cPanel -> Software -> MultiPHP Manager, and enable any extension the app asks for in Select PHP Version.

Troubleshooting this task

  • The setup wizard reports a database connection error: the name, user or password does not match, or the user was never added to the database with All Privileges. Re-check step 2.
  • You see a file list or "Index of /" instead of the wizard: the app's files are one level too deep. Move the contents of the extracted folder up into the document root.
  • You cannot create another database: you have reached your plan's database limit. Delete one you no longer use, or upgrade your plan.
  • The installer complains about a missing PHP extension or an unsupported PHP version: switch the domain's version in MultiPHP Manager and enable the extension in Select PHP Version, then reload the wizard.
  • Site loads but shows a 508 / "Resource limit reached": your account briefly hit its CloudLinux limits. It clears when usage drops; see "Resource limit reached" and 508 errors explained.

Related articles

Comments

0 comments

Please sign in to leave a comment.