PrestaShop - Getting Started Guide

Step 1 - Verify PrestaShop Works

Your server's IP address and root password are shown on the Server Details page in your client panel. Your store is already accessible by IP address:

• Front store: http://your.server.ip
• Admin panel: http://your.server.ip/admin

Log in to the admin panel with the email and password you entered during the order. If the store page loads and you can sign in, PrestaShop is working correctly.

If you placed the server behind a VyOS router on a private network, set up port forwarding for ports 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS). PrestaShop is a public-facing store that must be reachable from the internet for customers to buy.

Step 2 - Point Your Domain to the Server

Go to your domain registrar's DNS settings and create A records pointing to your server's IP address:

Type	Name	Value
A	@	your.server.ip
A	www	your.server.ip

DNS changes usually take a few minutes, but can take up to 24 hours. You can check the status at dnschecker.org.

Step 3 - Enable SSL (Recommended)

Once DNS has propagated, enable HTTPS with a free Let's Encrypt certificate. Connect via SSH and run:

ssh root@your.server.ip

/opt/setup/get-ssl.sh

The script will verify DNS, obtain a certificate and switch your store to HTTPS automatically. Automatic renewal is already configured. SSL is strongly recommended for e-commerce stores to protect customer data and payment information.

Fail2Ban - Brute-Force Protection

Your server comes with Fail2Ban pre-configured to protect SSH from brute-force attacks.

Rule	Max Attempts	Ban Duration
SSH	5 failed logins	10 minutes

Useful commands:

# Check banned IPs
fail2ban-client status sshd

# Unban an IP
fail2ban-client set sshd unbanip 1.2.3.4

If you accidentally lock yourself out, connect via VNC console in your client panel and unban your IP.

Service Management

# Check service status
systemctl status apache2
systemctl status mysql

# Restart services
systemctl restart apache2
systemctl restart mysql

# Apache error log
tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log

Adding Products

In the admin panel, go to Catalog > Products and click New product. Add a name, description, price, images and inventory settings. The store comes with a default theme and sample data ready to customize.

Theme Customization

Go to Design > Theme & Logo in the admin panel to customize your store's appearance. Upload a new theme or adjust the current one. Additional themes are available at addons.prestashop.com.

Modules

Extend your store with modules for payment gateways, shipping, analytics and more. Go to Modules > Module Manager to browse and install. The official marketplace is at addons.prestashop.com.

Backups

PrestaShop stores data in MySQL and files (/var/www/html). You can export backups from the admin panel under Advanced Parameters > DB Backup, or via SSH:

mysqldump -u root prestashop > /root/prestashop-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Updates

Check your version in Advanced Parameters > Information. PrestaShop provides a 1-Click Upgrade module for updating. Always create a backup before updating.

# Update OS packages
apt update && apt upgrade -y

Server Credentials

MySQL credentials are stored in /root/.ps_credentials. PrestaShop is pre-configured to use them.

Software Included

Component	Version
Ubuntu	24.04 LTS
PrestaShop	8.2
Apache	2.4
MySQL	8.0
PHP	8.3
Certbot	Latest
Fail2Ban	1.0.2

• PrestaShop Documentation: docs.prestashop-project.org
• PrestaShop Addons Marketplace: addons.prestashop.com
• PrestaShop Community Forums: prestashop-project.org/forums