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Back up and upload the Wongate release

Back up the target account before replacing an existing site. In cPanel File Manager, upload the Wongate archive to a private application directory (for example /home/CPANEL_USER/wongate) and extract it there. Do not upload an archive containing secrets to a public download location.

Confirm that the extracted release includes its expected Laravel folders, such as app/, bootstrap/, public/, resources/, routes/, and storage/.

Point the domain to Laravel's public directory

In cPanel Domains, set the site's document root to the release's public/ folder, for example /home/CPANEL_USER/wongate/public. If the provider forces public_html, follow its supported Laravel deployment method so only the public entry point and public assets are served. Do not expose the project root.

Enable HTTPS for the domain and make sure the certificate covers the exact hostname.

Create a database and database user

Use cPanel's MySQL Databases tool to create a database and a dedicated user. Assign the privileges needed by the release's schema installation. Use a unique password and record the final database name/user exactly as cPanel displays them (cPanel often adds an account prefix).

Use either the SQL import supplied with the release or the documented migration/install process—do not import a schema and then blindly rerun migrations unless the release specifically instructs you to.

Install the supplied database schema

If the Wongate release includes a database dump, import that release's documented SQL file using phpMyAdmin. Check the release instructions for the correct filename and location; do not assume it has a particular name. Otherwise, use the release's official migration or installer procedure.

Confirm the import completed without errors and that the database tables were created before proceeding.

Configure the environment file

In the project root (not the public directory), copy the release's .env.example to .env if that is how the release is packaged. Set the production URL and database settings:

APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=https://your-domain.example

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=CPANEL_DATABASE_NAME
DB_USERNAME=CPANEL_DATABASE_USER
DB_PASSWORD=USE_A_UNIQUE_SECRET

Use the actual keys from the delivered release's environment template. Generate an application key using the release's documented command if one is not already provided. Keep that key stable after installation; changing it can invalidate encrypted data and sessions. Never paste real credentials into documentation or support messages.

Set safe file ownership and permissions

Ensure the PHP-FPM/web-server account can write to storage/ and bootstrap/cache/. Use the narrowest permissions supported by your host, commonly directory mode 775 with correct ownership. Avoid 777; ask hosting support to correct ownership if permission changes alone do not work.

Install dependencies and clear stale caches

If SSH is available and the release includes composer.json and composer.lock, run Composer with the same PHP version used by the website, using the release's deployment instructions. If dependencies are pre-bundled, do not run an unrequested dependency upgrade.

cd /home/CPANEL_USER/wongate
php artisan optimize:clear

Run Artisan from the Laravel project root. Do not run installation commands against a different project directory by mistake.

Configure queues and scheduled tasks

If the enabled features use queued mail, notifications, or jobs, configure a persistent queue worker through a hosting-supported process manager. On cPanel without a process manager, ask the host which queue-worker method it supports and use Wongate's release instructions.

If the release explicitly supports a cron-based worker, use its documented command and the correct PHP CLI path. A short-lived pattern may look like this (replace paths and PHP binary after confirming them with your host):

* * * * * cd /home/CPANEL_USER/wongate && /path/to/php artisan queue:work --stop-when-empty --max-time=55 --tries=3

Do not schedule a worker that stays running every minute; this can create overlapping worker processes. Add Laravel's schedule:run cron only if the release uses scheduled tasks.

Finish first-run configuration

Open the site over HTTPS and follow the release's first-run or administrator setup instructions. Create a unique administrator account; do not rely on example credentials from unrelated scripts or sample documentation. Configure mail, payment providers, SMS, API/webhook settings, and any enabled compliance integrations from the admin area using production-safe secrets.

Test before launch

Verify sign-in, registration, password reset, mail delivery, queue activity, and each enabled payment or wallet flow in the appropriate sandbox. Confirm transaction references and ledger/reconciliation behavior. Check application and PHP logs, then disable debug mode and remove temporary installers, SQL dumps, and backups from all public paths.