ExpressionEngine

2.5.5 User Guide

Installing ExpressionEngine

Important

If you need to update your copy of ExpressionEngine from an earlier version, use the Update Instructions instead.

1. Get Your Settings

Have the following pieces of information ready before you install ExpressionEngine. If you do not know what they are, please contact your host.

  1. MySQL Database Name
  2. MySQL Server Address (often “localhost” or the server IP address)
  3. MySQL Username
  4. MySQL Password

Note

You will need to either create your database or have an existing, empty database ready before running the installer. This is typically done with phpMyAdmin or through your hosting account’s control panel.

2. Upload the Files

Using an FTP program such as WS_FTP, SmartFTP, Transmit or Fetch, upload the ExpressionEngine files to a publicly accessible folder on your server.

3. Set File Permissions

The following permissions are typical for UNIX-based hosts. You may want to check with your host to see if more restrictive permissions can be used to allow PHP to write to files (666) and folders (777). On Windows servers the following will not apply, but you will need to ensure that the files and folders are writable by ExpressionEngine. You may need to contact your host for this.

  • Set the following files to 666:
    • system/expressionengine/config/config.php
    • system/expressionengine/config/database.php
  • Set the following folders to 777:
    • system/expressionengine/cache/
    • images/avatars/uploads/
    • images/captchas/
    • images/member_photos/
    • images/pm_attachments/
    • images/signature_attachments/
    • images/uploads/

4. Run The Installation Wizard

  • Point your browser to the URL of the admin.php file you uploaded. For example: http://example.com/admin.php
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to install ExpressionEngine. Note that if you choose the “None - Empty Installation” Site Theme during this step, your site’s homepage will appear blank since no templates will be created automatically for you.
  • Once the Installation Wizard is finished, you must remove the following folder from your server:
    • system/installer/

Welcome to ExpressionEngine!

You can now log in to your Control Panel using admin.php or follow the links provided in the Installation Wizard confirmation screen.

Tip

If you chose the “None - Empty Installation” Site Theme in Step 4, your site’s homepage will appear blank because no templates or data have been created yet.

If you’re new to ExpressionEngine, begin the learning process by reading through the User Guide.

Post-Installation Best Practices

Once you are confident that ExpressionEngine is working normally on your server, there are recommended best practices for protecting your installation against common security risks.