cPanel, How to install Drupal on cPanel
Overview
Drupal is a powerful website content management that can be used for highly customized or large and complicated websites. It also allows you to create web-based interfaces for customized databases.
Installing Drupal using Softaculous
Softaculous is a one click installation utility that makes it easy to install Drupal.
- Login to your cPanel account at https://web.illinois.edu
- Find “Drupal” in the Softaculous section of your cPanel dashboard and click it.
- Click on Install.
Software Setup
- Choose the version you want to install
- Choose Protocol - Leave the https as the default protocol.
- Choose Domain - Keep the default domain unless you have already requested and configured a custom domain.
In Directory - If you want your website to display at yourcPanelAccount.web.illinois.edu, and you haven't installed anything else there previously, remove anything in this field and leave this field empty.
- If you want it to be yourcPanelAccount.web.illinois.edu/something, this location is where you would enter 'something'.
(If you've installed something at the same location previously, check the cPanel, "An installation already exists" error page for guidance on what to do next.) - CRON Job - Use the default setting.
Site Settings
- Site Name - Enter the name you want for your site.
Admin Account
- Admin Username - Enter the username you will use to manage your Drupal website. We recommend you NOT use "admin" or your NetID for this administrative user name.
- Admin Password - Enter a strong password for the admin user.
- Admin Email - Enter a valid email address.
(Optional) Advanced Options
You can accept the default options in the Advanced Options section. You won't need to change anything unless you have more experience with Drupal.
- Database Name - You can choose a different name for the local database that will store your Drupal website.
- Table Prefix - Leave this as the default unless you have experience with MariaDB databases.
- Disable Update Notifications Emails - Do NOT disable update notifications.
- Backup Location - Choose the default if you would like website backups done by Softaculous. Softaculous must be used to restore these backups.
- Automated Backups - Choose the frequency of backups. Keep in mind these backups will take up your cPanel disk space.
- Backup Rotation - Choose how many backups you would like to keep online for restores.
Next, click Install.
The installation will take several minutes. Once the software is done installing, you will get a message with a link to the administrative login for your new website.
Log in there with the admin username and password you chose during the installation. (For security, this should NOT be the same as your NetID and NetID password.)
Optional Drush installation
If you use Drush to manage Drupal from the command line, see cPanel, Advanced Drupal topics for installation instructions.
Manual installation alternatives
The web hosting team strongly encourages Drupal users to use Softaculous for Drupal installations, because the file permissions will be set appropriately by default and Softaculous will manage updates and patching for you. However, it is also possible to install Drupal via the command line.
The default permissions assigned by SCP clients (including WinSCP) may or may not be the exact permissions each file and folder needs in order to run safely and security. We recommend reading the documentation for any software you upload.
For more information:
- How to customize the permissions WinSCP assigns upon transfer: https://winscp.net/eng/docs/ui_transfer_custom
- Recommended Drupal permissions: https://www.drupal.org/node/244924