Install OwnPay on Shared Hosting, VPS, or Docker

Latest: v0.2.0

OwnPay features a built-in web installer that checks server configurations, sets up the database schema, and bootstraps your master administrator account. Visit your domain once files are uploaded to complete the setup - no command-line experience required.

Choose your environment below. Shared Hosting is for users with a cPanel or Plesk plan. VPS is for users comfortable with the Linux command line. Docker is for developers who prefer containerized deployment.

Select Your Environment

Choose your target environment to begin the deployment guide:

Shared Hosting

Standard hosting plans running control panels like cPanel, Plesk, or DirectAdmin.

VPS / Cloud Server

Dedicated virtual private server running Ubuntu or Debian with full root access.

Docker Container

Containerized stack using Docker Compose for local environments or cloud scaling.

System Requirements Checklist

Ensure your hosting node satisfies the following specifications before installing:

Component	Minimum Specification	Recommended Specification
PHP Runtime	8.3	8.3+
MySQL Database	5.7	8.0+ (or MariaDB 10.4+)
System Memory	512MB RAM	2GB+ RAM
Disk Storage	1GB Free Space	10GB+ Solid-State Storage

Required PHP Extensions

OwnPay requires the following extensions to be active: mbstring, pdo_mysql, gd, curl, zip, json, openssl, bcmath, intl

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is the most common deployment method. Hosts like Hostinger, Namecheap, SiteGround, Bluehost, and others fully support OwnPay.

Download the Release Package

Download the latest stable release package directly:

Download OwnPay 0.2.0

Alternatively, you can manually select a version:

Visit the official OwnPay GitHub Releases page.
Identify the top Latest Release tag (e.g. v0.2.0).
Under the Assets section, download the .zip archive (e.g. ownpay-0.2.0.zip).

Upload files to your server

Upload the downloaded zip archive to your domain’s root folder (usually public_html or a custom subfolder).

cPanel File Manager
Plesk Files
DirectAdmin Manager
FTP Client (FileZilla)

Access your cPanel account dashboard.
Open the File Manager utility.
Navigate to your target web folder (e.g., public_html or public_html/pay).
Click Upload at the top, select the .zip archive, and wait for completion.

Log in to the Plesk control panel.
Select Files in the sidebar navigation.
Go into the website root directory (usually httpdocs).
Click the + button, select Upload File, and select the .zip file.

Access the DirectAdmin console.
Click File Manager under System Info & Files.
Open the target directory (e.g., domains/yourdomain.com/public_html).
Click Upload Files, drag in the .zip archive, and upload.

Launch FileZilla and connect to your host via FTP/SFTP.
In the remote pane, navigate to your public web directory (public_html).
Drag the .zip package from your local folder and release it into the remote pane.

Extract the Archive

Unpack the uploaded file on the server. Ensure files are extracted directly into the domain’s root folder.

cPanel
Plesk
DirectAdmin

Right-click the uploaded .zip archive inside the File Manager.
Choose Extract from the action menu.
Verify the directory path is correct and click Extract Files.

Hover over the .zip file inside Plesk File Manager.
Click the menu button on the right and select Extract File.
Approve the extraction dialog.

Select the checkbox next to the .zip file in DirectAdmin File Manager.
Click the Extract button on the top menu.
Confirm and extract.

[!WARNING] Verify the extraction did not create a double-nested folder layout like public_html/ownpay-vX.Y.Z/. If it did, enter that directory, select all contents, move them up one level directly into public_html/, and delete the empty folder.

Create a MySQL Database

Create an empty database and database user. Record the credentials.

cPanel Databases
Plesk Databases
DirectAdmin Databases

Search for MySQL Databases on the cPanel home page.
Under Create New Database, enter a name (e.g., ownpay_db) and click Create.
Under Add New User, enter a username (e.g., ownpay_user) and a secure password. Click Create User.
Under Add User To Database, select the user and database you just created, click Add, check ALL PRIVILEGES, and confirm changes.

[!TIP] Write down your credentials. The installer wizard will prompt you for:

Database Name

Database User

Database Password

Database Host (typically localhost or 127.0.0.1)

Select PHP 8.3

Make sure your domain is configured to use PHP version 8.3.

cPanel Selector
Plesk PHP Settings
DirectAdmin Selector

Open Select PHP Version (or MultiPHP Manager) in cPanel.
Check the box for your target domain.
Select PHP 8.3 from the dropdown menu and click Apply.

Launch the Web Installer

Open your web browser and visit:

https://yourdomain.com/install

The setup wizard will guide you through the remaining steps:

Environment Verification: Checks folder permissions (storage/ and public/assets/uploads/ must be writable) and PHP extensions.
Database Configuration: Provide the database credentials from Step 4.
System Initialization: Automatically runs database migrations, creates the ledger, and sets up settings tables.
Administrator Onboarding: Register your master administrator credentials and first brand name.

VPS / Cloud Server

For dedicated cloud servers (Ubuntu or Debian), you can perform a custom command-line installation.

Install System Dependencies

Update packages and install Nginx, MySQL, PHP 8.3 with required extensions, Composer, and Node.js.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y php8.3 php8.3-fpm php8.3-mysql php8.3-mbstring php8.3-xml php8.3-curl php8.3-zip php8.3-gd php8.3-bcmath php8.3-intl mysql-server nginx composer nodejs npm

Clone the Codebase

Clone the repository directly into your web server’s directory.

cd /var/www
sudo git clone https://github.com/own-pay/OwnPay.git ownpay
cd ownpay

Install Library Dependencies

Run composer and npm installs to pull library dependencies and compile UI assets.

composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader
npm install && npm run build

Initialize Environment Configuration

Copy the sample environment template and generate your app secret key.

cp .env.example .env
php bin/key:generate

Open .env using your editor (e.g., nano .env) to input your database credentials, system URL, and email transport configs.

Set Folder Permissions

Grant Nginx access to modify files within the storage and assets directories.

sudo chmod -R 755 storage
sudo chmod -R 755 public/assets/uploads
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data storage public/assets/uploads

Build Database Schema

Initialize the database structures and seed mandatory platform roles, base currencies, and records.

php bin/migrate
php bin/seed

Configure Nginx Virtual Host

Create a server block config pointing to /var/www/ownpay/public.

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    root /var/www/ownpay/public;
    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Complete Administrative Setup

Navigate to https://yourdomain.com/install in your browser to run the web onboarding and create your administrative account.

Docker

Deploy OwnPay using Docker Compose.

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/own-pay/OwnPay.git
cd OwnPay

Prepare Environment

Create your environment config file:

cp .env.example .env

Open .env and fill in custom database variables, secret keys, and passwords.

Start Containers

Launch the containers in detached (background) mode.

docker-compose up -d

Bootstrap Database Schema

Build database tables and seed required setup records.

docker-compose exec app php bin/migrate
docker-compose exec app php bin/seed

Run Setup Wizard

Access http://localhost:8080/install in your browser to configure your dashboard.

Post-Installation Recommendations

Once your installation completes, perform these two configuration steps to ensure platform reliability:

SMTP Configuration: Go to System > Settings > Mail Settings and configure your email gateway so invoice notifications, receipts, and OTP messages dispatch successfully.
Setup System Cron: Map a cron job to trigger every minute targeting the command scheduler:
* * * * * cd /path-to-ownpay && php bin/schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1
This handles background tasks such as plugin update checks, device heartbeats, and webhook retry dispatches.

Troubleshooting Guide

500 Internal Server Error

A 500 error typically indicates a script runtime crash.

Fix: Check APP_DEBUG=true in .env to output error messages directly to the browser.
Check Logs: Review file entries under storage/logs/ on your server for stack traces.
File Permissions: Ensure Nginx or Apache has permission to read and write to storage/ and public/assets/uploads/.

Blank Page / White Screen

A completely blank page with no HTTP response details typically indicates a fatal compilation or startup error before the logger boots.

Fix: Verify all mandatory PHP extensions are active by executing php -m in terminal or checking the PHP Info page in cPanel.
Memory Limit: Confirm your PHP runtime has at least 512M memory allocated (memory_limit directive in php.ini).

Database Connection Failed

This error indicates OwnPay cannot establish a link to the MySQL instance.

Fix: Double-check host parameters inside .env. If database and application are on the same machine, use 127.0.0.1 instead of localhost.
User Rights: Verify the user has been granted ALL PRIVILEGES on the database schema.
Port Check: Check that MySQL is active and listening on port 3306.

Permission Denied / Writable Errors

Folder permission issues block OwnPay from writing log tracks or storing session cache files.

Fix: On shared hosting, use File Manager to change permissions of the storage/ directory and its children to 755 or 775.
Server Owner: On a VPS, ensure directories are owned by the web worker user: sudo chown -R www-data:www-data storage/.

What’s next?

Quickstart guide

Follow the 5-minute quickstart to configure your first gateway and accept a test payment.

Create a brand

Set up your first brand with a custom domain, logo, and payment gateways.

Developer integration

Integrate OwnPay into your application using the REST API or SDKs.

Production hardening

Secure your deployment with SSL, Redis caching, and firewall rules.

​Select Your Environment

Shared Hosting

VPS / Cloud Server

Docker Container

​Required PHP Extensions

​Shared Hosting

​VPS / Cloud Server

​Docker

​Post-Installation Recommendations

​Troubleshooting Guide

​What’s next?

Quickstart guide

Create a brand

Developer integration

Production hardening

Select Your Environment

Required PHP Extensions

Shared Hosting

VPS / Cloud Server

Docker

Post-Installation Recommendations

Troubleshooting Guide

What’s next?