epic-download/cpanel_php/package/README.md

Epic Travel & Expeditions - cPanel PHP Installation Guide

📋 Overview

This guide will help you install Epic Travel & Expeditions on standard cPanel hosting using only FTP or File Manager - no SSH, Python, or root access required!

✅ Requirements

• cPanel hosting account
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
• At least 100MB disk space
• FTP client (FileZilla, WinSCP) OR cPanel File Manager access

📦 Package Contents

epic-travel-php/
├── frontend/              # React production build
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── .htaccess
│   └── static/
├── api/                   # PHP backend
│   ├── index.php         # Main API router
│   ├── config.php        # Configuration file
│   ├── .htaccess
│   ├── setup_password.php
│   ├── includes/
│   └── api/
├── database_schema.sql    # MySQL database structure
└── INSTALLATION.md        # This file

🚀 Installation Steps

Step 1: Create MySQL Database

1. Log into cPanel

2. Go to "MySQL® Databases"

3. Create New Database:

   • Database name: epictravel (or your choice)
   • Click "Create Database"

4. Create Database User:

   • Username: Choose a username
   • Password: Generate a strong password
   • Click "Create User"

5. Add User to Database:

   • Select your user
   • Select your database
   • Grant ALL PRIVILEGES
   • Click "Make Changes"

6. Note Down:

   • Database name: username_epictravel
   • Username: username_dbuser
   • Password: your_password
   • Host: localhost

Step 2: Import Database Schema

Option A: Using phpMyAdmin

1. Go to cPanel → phpMyAdmin
2. Select your database from the left sidebar
3. Click "Import" tab
4. Click "Choose File" and select database_schema.sql
5. Click "Go" at the bottom
6. Wait for "Import has been successfully finished" message

Option B: Using MySQL Databases Tool

1. Go to cPanel → MySQL Databases
2. Find "Run SQL on Database" section (if available)
3. Copy contents of database_schema.sql
4. Paste and execute

Step 3: Upload Files via FTP

Using FTP Client (FileZilla, WinSCP, etc.):

1. Connect to your server:

   • Host: ftp.yourdomain.com (or your server IP)
   • Username: Your cPanel username
   • Password: Your cPanel password
   • Port: 21 (or 22 for SFTP if available)

2. Upload Frontend:

   • Navigate to public_html/ (or your domain's folder)
   • Upload all files from frontend/ folder
   • Make sure .htaccess is uploaded

3. Upload Backend:

   • Create folder: public_html/api/
   • Upload all files from api/ folder to public_html/api/
   • Make sure .htaccess is uploaded
   • Create folder: public_html/api/uploads/ (empty folder for image uploads)

Step 3 (Alternative): Upload via File Manager

Using cPanel File Manager:

1. Open File Manager in cPanel
2. Navigate to public_html/
3. Upload Frontend:
   • Click "Upload" button
   • Select all files from frontend/ folder
   • Wait for upload to complete
4. Create API Folder:
   • Click "New Folder"
   • Name it api
5. Navigate to public_html/api/
6. Upload Backend:
   • Click "Upload"
   • Select all files from api/ folder
7. Create Uploads Folder:
   • Inside /api/, click "New Folder"
   • Name it uploads
   • Right-click → "Change Permissions" → Set to 755

Step 4: Configure Database Connection

1. Navigate to public_html/api/

2. Edit config.php (right-click → Edit or Code Editor)

3. Update these lines:

   define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');
   define('DB_NAME', 'username_epictravel');  // Your database name
   define('DB_USER', 'username_dbuser');      // Your database user
   define('DB_PASS', 'your_password');        // Your database password
   

4. Generate JWT Secret Key:

   • Visit: https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm
   • Copy the "63 random alpha-numeric characters" key
   • Update in config.php:

   define('JWT_SECRET_KEY', 'paste_your_generated_key_here');
   

5. Update CORS Origin:

   define('ALLOWED_ORIGINS', 'https://yourdomain.com');
   

6. Save the file

Step 5: Setup Admin Password

Method A: Using Browser (Recommended)

1. Visit: https://yourdomain.com/api/setup_password.php
2. Enter your desired admin password (e.g., Joker1974!!!)
3. Check "Update password in database"
4. Click "Generate Hash"
5. Verify success message
6. IMPORTANT: Delete setup_password.php file immediately

Method B: Manual Database Update

1. Go to phpMyAdmin
2. Select your database
3. Find admin_users table
4. Click "Edit" (pencil icon) for the admin row
5. In password_hash field, paste the generated hash
6. Click "Go"

Step 6: Set Folder Permissions

Via File Manager:

1. Right-click api/uploads/ folder
2. Select "Change Permissions"
3. Set to 755 (or 775 if needed)
4. Click "Change Permissions"

Via FTP Client:

1. Right-click api/uploads/ folder
2. File Permissions → 755
3. Apply

Step 7: Test Installation

1. Test Backend API:

   • Visit: https://yourdomain.com/api/
   • Should see: {"message":"Epic Travel API is running","status":"healthy"}

2. Test Frontend:

   • Visit: https://yourdomain.com
   • Should see the Epic Travel homepage

3. Test Admin Login:

   • Visit: https://yourdomain.com/admin
   • Email: admin@epictravel.com
   • Password: Joker1974!!! (or your chosen password)

🔧 Troubleshooting

"Internal Server Error" (500)

Check PHP Version:

1. cPanel → MultiPHP Manager
2. Ensure PHP 7.4 or higher is selected
3. Apply changes

Check .htaccess:

1. Ensure .htaccess files are uploaded
2. Check if they're hidden (Show Hidden Files in File Manager)

Check Permissions:

• Folders: 755
• Files: 644
• uploads/ folder: 755 or 775

Database Connection Failed

1. Verify credentials in config.php
2. Check user privileges in cPanel → MySQL Databases
3. Try localhost vs 127.0.0.1 in DB_HOST
4. Contact hosting support if issue persists

Frontend Shows Blank Page

1. Check browser console (F12) for errors
2. Verify API is working (/api/ endpoint)
3. Check .htaccess in public_html
4. Clear browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+Del)

CORS Errors

1. Update ALLOWED_ORIGINS in config.php
2. Use your actual domain (with https://)
3. Restart by saving config.php again

Can't Upload Images

1. Check uploads/ folder exists
2. Set permissions to 755 or 775
3. Check PHP upload_max_filesize:
   • cPanel → MultiPHP INI Editor
   • Increase upload_max_filesize to 10M
   • Increase post_max_size to 10M

Admin Login Not Working

1. Verify password was set correctly
2. Run setup_password.php again
3. Check admin_users table in database
4. Clear browser cookies

📁 File Structure After Installation

public_html/
├── index.html              # Frontend entry point
├── .htaccess              # Frontend routing
├── static/                # CSS, JS files
│   ├── css/
│   └── js/
├── api/                   # Backend
│   ├── index.php         # API router
│   ├── config.php        # Configuration
│   ├── .htaccess         # API routing
│   ├── includes/         # Core files
│   │   ├── database.php
│   │   ├── jwt.php
│   │   └── functions.php
│   ├── api/              # Endpoints
│   │   ├── auth.php
│   │   ├── destinations.php
│   │   ├── specials.php
│   │   ├── contact.php
│   │   ├── newsletter.php
│   │   └── upload.php
│   └── uploads/          # Image uploads (empty)
└── favicon.ico

🔐 Security Checklist

After installation:

• Changed admin password from default
• Updated JWT_SECRET_KEY in config.php
• Deleted setup_password.php
• Set correct folder permissions
• Enabled SSL certificate (HTTPS)
• Updated ALLOWED_ORIGINS to your domain
• Verified config.php is not web-accessible
• Regular backups scheduled

🔄 Updating the Application

1. Backup first!

   • Download current files via FTP
   • Export database via phpMyAdmin

2. Upload new files:

   • Don't overwrite config.php
   • Upload updated files only

3. Run database migrations (if any)

4. Test thoroughly

📞 Support

Application: Epic Travel & Expeditions Contact: advisor@epictravelexpeditions.com Phone: +1 (817) 266-2022

For Hosting Issues:

• Contact your hosting provider's support
• Share error logs from cPanel → Error Logs

Common Hosting Providers with cPanel:

• Bluehost, HostGator, SiteGround, A2 Hosting, InMotion
• GoDaddy, Namecheap, DreamHost

✨ Success!

If everything is working:

1. Visit your website
2. Browse destinations
3. Try the contact form
4. Subscribe to newsletter
5. Login to admin panel
6. Add/edit destinations

Congratulations! Your Epic Travel website is now live! 🎉

---

Next Steps:

• Customize destination content
• Add your own images
• Update contact information
• Set up email forwarding for contact forms
• Enable SSL certificate for HTTPS
• Submit to search engines

Need help? Email us at advisor@epictravelexpeditions.com