Installation is the part buyers worry about most and it is usually the fastest. Almost every failed install comes down to one of five things: the wrong PHP version, a missing extension, file permissions, an SSL certificate that is not active yet, or a domain that does not resolve to the server. Fix those before you upload anything.
Before you start
- A VPS or shared host with PHP and MySQL. 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM is comfortable for launch.
- PHP 8.x with the standard MySQL extensions, plus whatever the documentation lists.
- A MySQL database and user with full privileges on that database.
- A domain pointed at the server's IP, with an A record for the root and, ideally, www.
- SSL issued and active before you open the installer — many installers fail on mixed content otherwise.
- Email sending configured — SMTP credentials or a transactional provider, so order and password emails do not land in spam.
Install order
- Create the database and user, and note the credentials.
- Upload the package to the web root and extract it.
- Set the storage and upload directories writable by the web user.
- Open the domain in a browser and follow the installer: database, admin account, site name.
- Log into the admin panel and set the site URL, timezone and currency.
- Add one test vendor, one menu item and one delivery zone.
- Place a real order end to end with a real payment in test mode.
- Only then invite vendors.
Settings to change first
- Timezone and currency — every report and receipt inherits them.
- Delivery zones — draw the polygon or radius before you add restaurants, so you can test coverage.
- Commission and fees — set the rate, the delivery charge and the minimum basket together.
- Payment gateway — start in sandbox, switch to live only after a successful end-to-end order.
- Email and SMS — send a test of each; OTP failures look like a broken app to customers.
- Branding — logo, colours, splash and app icons.
After the install
Take a database backup before you invite a single vendor, and schedule daily backups. Put the site behind Cloudflare or a similar proxy for TLS and caching, but keep the origin reachable only through it where you can. Then place ten orders yourself, including one cancellation and one refund, before anyone else sees the app.
If you get stuck
Installation on your VPS is included with the $299 licence — send the server credentials and the domain, and we will install, brand and hand back the admin login. If you are self-installing, the online installation guide covers the same steps in more detail. The docs also cover server setup, payments, Android builds and iOS builds.
Server sizing for 1,000 orders a month
A small launch does not need an expensive server, but it does need the right shape. For roughly 1,000 orders a month, a 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM Linux VPS with SSD storage is a reasonable starting point. Add more RAM before adding more CPU; PHP, MySQL and the queue workers are usually memory-bound first. Keep the database and the application on the same server only for the pilot; move the database to a managed service when order volume grows.
Check the PHP version, MySQL version, required extensions, cron access, queue workers and SSL. Shared hosting often fails on cron control, queue workers or extension availability. A $10–$20 VPS is usually a better foundation than a cheap shared plan that cannot run the scheduler reliably.
| Stage | Suggested server | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot / one zone | 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD | Backups, PHP extensions, cron |
| 1,000–5,000 orders/month | 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, managed database | Queue workers, image storage |
| Multi-city | Separate app and database servers | Redis, object storage, monitoring |
The settings that break checkout
Most failed launches are configuration problems, not code problems. Check these before inviting customers:
- Timezone and currency match the market; otherwise order times and prices look wrong.
- Delivery zones include the actual customer addresses, not just the restaurant pin.
- Payment gateway keys are live, not sandbox, and the callback URL is reachable over HTTPS.
- SMS and email credentials work; a failed OTP looks like a broken app.
- Tax rules and delivery fees are applied consistently in the app and admin.
- The queue worker and cron are running; without them, order statuses and notifications stall.
A backup and rollback plan
Take a database and file backup before every update. Store backups outside the server, not in the same folder. Test a restore on a staging copy; an untested backup is a hope, not a plan. Keep the previous release archive so you can roll back if an update breaks checkout. Document the rollback steps and who is allowed to run them.
For payments, keep a record of the gateway configuration and the exact callback URLs. If you rotate keys, update the app and the admin together. A mismatch between the two is a common cause of “payment succeeded but order failed”.
When to hire an installer
If you are comfortable with Linux, PHP, MySQL, SSL and DNS, the standard installation is a few hours. If you are not, hire an installer rather than learning on a live checkout. The cost of a professional install is usually less than the cost of a failed launch weekend. Ask the installer to document what they changed, hand over credentials and run a test order with you.
Do not hand over the only copy of the server credentials. Use a password manager, enable two-factor authentication on the host and app-store accounts, and remove temporary access after the handover.