Documentation

Installing Astra Lab

Most people finish in under half an hour. You do not need to use a terminal, and you do not need to know how to administer a server.

Before you start

Check these with your hosting provider — it takes one support message, and it saves buying something that will not run.

Required

  • PHP 8.3 or newer
  • MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.3+
  • 256 MB PHP memory limit
  • Outgoing HTTPS allowed

Strongly recommended

  • An SSL certificate (most hosts give one free)
  • Daily backups from your host
  • A domain already pointed at the hosting

The one that catches people out

Some cheap hosting blocks outgoing connections. Astra Lab needs them to verify your licence and fetch updates. Ask your host: “Are outgoing HTTPS requests from PHP allowed?” If the answer is no, choose a different plan before buying.

Installing

1

Download the installer

After paying you get a licence key by email and a small installer file from your account page. The installer is only a few hundred kilobytes — the rest downloads later, so you are not uploading a large file over a slow line.

2

Upload and extract

In cPanel, open File Manager, go to public_html, upload the zip and choose Extract.

3

Create a database

In cPanel, use MySQL Database Wizard to make a database and a user, and give that user all privileges. Write down the four values: database name, username, password and host (usually localhost).

4

Open your domain and enter your key

Visit your site in a browser. The installer checks your server, asks for your licence key, verifies it with us and then downloads the application. Keep the tab open while it works.

5

Create your admin account

Set your shop name, currency and the first admin login. Then delete the installer file when prompted, and you are live.

Afterwards

Moving to a different domain

In your admin panel go to Licence and choose Deactivate. That frees the key. Install on the new domain and enter the same key. No charge, no waiting.

Applying an update

Updates appear in your admin with release notes. Your site takes a backup first, applies the update, and restores the backup automatically if anything goes wrong. Security updates are marked clearly — apply those promptly.

Reporting a problem

Use Report Issue inside your admin panel rather than email. It sends your version and server details with the report, which usually saves a day of back-and-forth.

If the installer stops partway

Reload the page. The installer resumes from where it stopped rather than starting over — shared hosting often cuts off long requests, and it is built to expect that.

Still stuck?

Send us your hosting details and the step you reached, and we will walk you through it in Bangla or English.

Contact support