Install OpenCart in the right order: confirm requirements, upload the correct files, finish the browser installer, and harden the store right after the first login.
The OpenCart package has a specific layout. A quick visual check before upload helps you avoid wrong-folder uploads and partial file transfers.
Use the correct file layout before you start uploading to the server.
What should already be in place
System Requirements
Before the installer opens, confirm that your hosting and stack cover the core OpenCart requirements and that no required PHP extension is missing.
Web server
Apache 2.4+ or Nginx 1.18+
mod_rewrite enabled
PHP environment
PHP 7.4 or higher
Extensions: curl, zip, gd, bstring
Database
MySQL 5.6+ or MariaDB 10.0+
UTF-8 character set
Before the installer runs
Preparation
Preparation stays simple when you keep the order intact: download the official package, extract it locally, then upload the files carefully into the correct server directory.
Upload sanity check
If the structure looks right before upload, the installer will start without unnecessary file hunting.
The install process needs three clean steps: correct permissions, a fresh database, and a complete browser installer pass with all credentials ready.
01
Server writes
Files Rights
Apply the required permissions before you run the installer so it can write cache, logs, and the core config files.
Grant temporary write permissions only where the installer needs them instead of opening the whole store unnecessarily.
chmod 755 / 777
system/storage/cache and logs
system/storage/download and upload
image/cache and image/catalog
image/ and the related media folders
config.php when write access is required
admin/config.php for the initial setup
02
Credentials
Create Database
Create a new MySQL base and keep the following elements:
Database name
User name
Password
Hostname (usually localhost)
If these details are ready before the installer opens, the setup finishes without jumping back into the hosting panel.
03
Browser installer
Run Installation
The browser installer walks through the license, system check, database details, and admin account in one continuous flow.
Visit your domain to start the installation guide
Accept license
Check that all system requirements are met
Enter database data
Create the administrator account
Complete installation
If the flow stops on the system check, go back to PHP extensions and permissions first instead of pushing ahead to the next steps.
Right after the first login
After Installation
Do not leave the guide the moment the admin opens. Final hardening is what turns a successful install into a safe production baseline.
Remove the installer folder
Delete the installer folder as soon as setup completes so the installation endpoint is not left exposed.
install/
Lock down the config files
Return the config files to safer permissions so they are not left writable without a reason.
644
Do a quick admin review
Confirm login, core settings, and media paths are working normally before you move on to deeper configuration work.
OpenCart Greece assistance
Want the store set up correctly from the first pass?
If hosting, permissions, or the first setup are slowing you down, we can handle the installation and a basic review so the store starts from a clean baseline instead of a rushed workaround.
