Installing Web Applications

So this is where the magic happens. The "sandbox" of the Domain of One's Own is where you get to experiment or even play with any of the applications that are available. You will find that there are several "Featured" applications in the Web Applications area of your control panel home screen.

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Clicking on a featured application, or clicking the "view more-->" link will start the ominous sounding Installatron.

The application you install first will most likely be WordPress, but there are well over 100 that you can experiment with. You can even install multiple instances of an application. You just need to make sure you create new Subdomains or new Subfolders to install it. We've got some help for you regarding Subdomains versus Subfolders.

Taking WordPress as the example, you would click on the WordPress icon to begin the installation.

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Once on the Installatron page, take note of the Requirements on the left sidebar of the page. Specifically whether the application requires a MySQL Database. Don't worry, the Installatron will take care of setting things up for you (though you do have the option of more manual control). Just be aware that WordPress and some of the other applications will work hand in hand with a database. The application is separate from the content and is installed in a folder on the server. The content will be stored in a database and that is where all of your posts, comments, and user information is located. It is even more important than the application installation itself.

As a comparison, you probably use Microsoft Word and maybe Excel. Those are the applications, but the documents are kept in a separate area (like a documents folder) and are obviously the more important thing to backup. So Wordpress is an application that you install (on a server), but the important part is the content that is stored in the database separate from the application.

Speaking of backup, when it comes to WordPress anyway, there is a "plugin" that can be used to backup your WordPress database.

Clicking on the Install this application button will begin the process. We have the full step-by-step process of Installing WordPress.