Dash SaaS Setup Guide

3.1 Requirement

• PHP: >= 8.3.*
• MySQL: >= 8.0
• Node.js: >= 20.x
• Composer: >= 2.*
• Memory: >= 4GB RAM
• Storage: >= 9GB
• Web Server: Apache/Nginx
• SSL Certificate: Any Valid

3.2 Required PHP Extensions

• BCMath PHP Extension
• Ctype PHP Extension
• Fileinfo PHP Extension
• JSON PHP Extension
• Mbstring PHP Extension
• OpenSSL PHP Extension
• PDO PHP Extension
• Tokenizer PHP Extension
• XML PHP Extension
• GD PHP Extension
• Curl PHP Extension
• Zip PHP Extension

Note: The installer will automatically check if your server meets these requirements.

Note: The stable version of Node & npm must be installed on your server. Additionally, running the command `npm run build` run build is required on your server.

On your server terminal access is significant for the run command.

3.3 Web Server Configuration

Below, you’ll see the two options that you need to follow based on your server requirements.

• 3.3.1 Apache (Default)

  No additional configuration needed if using Apache with `.htaccess` support.

• 3.3.2 Nginx Server Setup

  Switching from an Apache server to an Nginx server for a Laravel project involves a few configuration changes. Here are the key steps:

  • Make sure Nginx is installed on your server. Replace your Apache configuration with Nginx configuration.
  • Create a new Nginx server block configuration file. This is often located in /etc/nginx/sites-available/.

  • server {
        listen 80;
        server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
        root /path/to/your/project;
        index index.php index.html;
                                            
        # Security headers
        add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
        add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;
        add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
        
        location / {
            try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
        }
                                            
        location ~ \.php$ {
            include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
            fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.3-fmp.sock;
            fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
            include fastcgi_params;
        }
                                            
        location ~ /\.ht {
            deny all;
        }
                                            
        # Cache static assets
        location ~* \.(css|js|png|webp|jpg|jpeg|gif|ico|woff|woff2|ttf|svg|pdf|doc|docx|xls|xlsx|xlsm|xlsb|xltx|xltm|xla|xlam|csv|zip|mp4|mp3)$ {
            expires 1y;
            add_header Cache-Control "public, immutable";
            log_not_found off;
            access_log off;
        }
                                            
        # Handle public assets
        location ~* ^/public/(css|assets|storage|installer|js|vendor|build|packages)/(.*)$ {
            try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
        }
                                            
        error_log /var/log/nginx/yourdomain_error.log;
        access_log /var/log/nginx/yourdomain_access.log;
        }
        

  • Be sure to replace your_domain.com with your actual domain and adjust paths accordingly. After making these changes, restart Nginx to apply the new configurations.

  Enable the site:

  • sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
  • sudo nginx -t
  • sudo systemctl reload nginx

4.1 Useful resource

cPanel – MySQL Database Wizard

Plesk – Website databases

Below are the reference screenshots you’ll need to follow in order to set up your database.

Now you need to create a new user. On the same page go to Create a New Database user

Now add the user to the database

Select full database permissions for that user

6.1 Using Let’s Encrypt (Free)

• 6.1.1 Install Certbot

  sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

  6.1.2 Get SSL certificate

  9.2 Get SSL certificate Update nameservers

  6.1.3 Auto-renewal

  sudo crontab -e

  Add: 0 12 * * * /usr/bin/certbot renew –quiet

6.2 Using Cloudflare (Recommended)

1. Add your domain to Cloudflare

2. Update nameservers

3. Enable SSL/TLS encryption

4. Set SSL mode to “Full (strict)”

7.1 Welcometo installation

• To start the installation wizard, please visit:
• yourdomain.com/install
• Now you should see the installer. In the welcome screen. Hit the “start installation” button.

7.2 System Requirements

If your server meets all the required specifications, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, install extensions and proceed to next.

7.3 File Permissions

Below the screenshot you’ll see the some file permissions if your system have that, then click next to proceed.

If your system doesn’t have the permission run below the list command:

• sudo chmod 755 storage
• sudo chmod 755 bootstrap/cache
• sudo chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache

7.4 Environment Configuration

• Fill in your application and database details:
• Application Name – Your application name
• Application URL – Your domain URL
• Timezone – Select your timezone from the dropdown
• Database Connection – MySQL (or your database type)
• Database Host – Usually 127.0.0.1
• Database Port – Usually 3306
• Database Username – Your database username
• Database Password – Your database password
• Database Name – Your database name
• Verify all information is correct and click Next

7.5 Database Setup

• The installer will create database tables and seed initial data. This includes migrations, default roles and permissions, and system settings.
• Click Setup Database and wait for completion.

7.6 Add-on Installation

The installer will install available complimentary Add-Ons:

• Product & Service
• Project
• Accounting
• CMS
• CRM
• HRM
• POS
• Stripe
• Paypal

One click to start installation automatically for all add-ons. The process will show real-time progress for each module.

7.7 Installation Complete

Your application has been successfully installed. Default login credentials are:

• Admin Account:

  Email: superadmin@example.com

  Password: 1234

• Company Account:

  Email: company@example.com

  Password: 1234

• Important: Change these passwords immediately after login and delete the installer files from your server.

• Click Go to Dashboard to access your application.

9.1 Common Issues:

• 9.1.1 Installation wizard not loading

  • Check file permissions
  • Verify web server configuration
  • Check PHP version and extensions

• 9.1.2 Database connection failed

  • Verify database credentials
  • Ensure database exists and is empty
  • Check database user permissions

• 9.1.3 500 Internal Server Error

  • Check server error logs
  • Verify file permissions
  • Ensure all PHP extensions are installed

• 9.1.4 Assets not loading

  • Check web server configuration
  • Verify public directory setup
  • Clear browser cache
  • If images or assets are loading improperly, run the following command: php artisan storage:link

• 9.1.5 Email not sending

  • Verify SMTP credentials
  • Check firewall blocking port 587
  • Test with different email provider

• 9.1.6 Getting Help

  Contact our support team with:

  • Error messages and logs
  • Server configuration details
  • Steps to reproduce the issue
  • Screenshots of error pages

11.1 Installation Complete!

Your Web application is now ready to use. Access the admin panel to configure settings and start creating digital business cards.

Support: For technical assistance, please contact our support team with detailed error information.