Installation Guide

How to install HireBoard, on your own machine for evaluation or on a live server for production. The recommended path is the built-in web installer, which walks you through the whole process in your browser — no command line required. A manual method is also documented for advanced users.

1. Overview

HireBoard is a self-hosted PHP application built on the Laravel 13 framework. It runs on any standard PHP hosting that meets the requirements below — including most shared hosting, VPS, and dedicated servers. Installation has three parts:

1. Upload the files and serve the application from its public/ folder.
2. Make a few folders writable.
3. Open the application in your browser and complete the web installer.

2. Server Requirements

PHP & Laravel

PHP 8.3.0 or higher, on the Laravel 13 framework (bundled — nothing to install). Most control panels let you select the PHP version per website; make sure yours is set to 8.3 or newer. If your host is on an older version, read Running on PHP below 8.3 before you continue.

Required PHP extensions

The web installer checks all of these for you on its first screen:

Database

MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+. You will need a database, a database user, and that user's password. The installer can create the database for you if your database user has permission to do so.

Web server

Apache (with mod_rewrite) or Nginx. The application must be served from its public/ directory — see Document Root & the public/ Folder.

Running on PHP below 8.3

If your server's PHP is older than 8.3 and you control it, the cleanest fix is simply to raise the PHP version in your control panel. If you cannot raise the account-wide version, you have two further options.

Option 1 — Set a higher PHP version for just this site/folder. Many LiteSpeed / CloudLinux shared hosts let you run a different PHP version for a single domain, subdomain, or folder by adding a handler line to that folder's .htaccess. For example, to force PHP 8.3 for the HireBoard folder only:

<FilesMatch "\.(php|phtml)$">
    SetHandler application/x-httpd-alt-php83___lsphp
</FilesMatch>

Option 2 — Downgrade HireBoard to PHP 8.2 / Laravel 12. If you cannot obtain PHP 8.3 at all, HireBoard can be re-resolved to run on PHP 8.2 by lowering the framework to Laravel 12. In broad terms this means setting "php": "^8.2" and laravel/framework: "^12" in composer.json, pinning the build platform to 8.2, running composer update on a machine with PHP 8.2, and re-testing the whole application. It normally works, but it is a non-trivial change you perform at your own discretion.

3. Installation Types

HireBoard can be installed in two scenarios. The application and the web installer are identical in both; only the environment around them differs. In both cases the version pre-requirements above are mandatory — confirm PHP 8.3+ before you begin.

Local installation (your own machine)

Use this to evaluate, test, or develop against HireBoard on your computer before going live.

Pre-requirements (local):

• A local PHP 8.3+ environment — for example Laragon, XAMPP configured with PHP 8.3, Herd, or any setup where php -v reports 8.3 or higher.
• A local MySQL or MariaDB server (e.g. the one bundled with Laragon/XAMPP).
• The required PHP extensions listed in Section 2 (most local stacks enable them by default).

1. Unzip the package into your local web directory (for example C:\laragon\www\hireboard or ~/Sites/hireboard).
2. Confirm your local PHP is 8.3+ with php -v.
3. Create an empty local database and a database user.
4. From the project root, start Laravel's built-in server: php artisan serve. This serves the public/ folder for you at http://127.0.0.1:8000 with clean URLs — no .htaccess or document-root setup needed locally.
5. Open http://127.0.0.1:8000/install and complete the web installer (Section 7).

Live installation (online server)

Use this for production — shared hosting, a VPS, or a dedicated server reachable on your domain.

Pre-requirements (live):

• Hosting with PHP 8.3+ selectable for your domain or subdomain, and the extensions from Section 2.
• MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+, with a database and user you can create from your panel.
• The ability to point your domain's document root at the public/ folder — or, if your host won't allow that, the ability to use the included .htaccess rewrite (Section 6, Method B).
• An SSL certificate so the site is served over https:// (most hosts offer free Let's Encrypt).

1. Upload and unzip the package on your server (see Before You Begin).
2. Serve the app from public/ using Method A or Method B in Section 6.
3. Set the writable folder permissions in Section 5.
4. Open your domain in a browser and complete the web installer (Section 7).

4. Before You Begin

1. Download the HireBoard package and unzip it.
2. Upload its contents to your server — typically into your hosting account's web directory (for example public_html) or a folder above it.
3. Serve the application from its public/ folder (see Document Root & the public/ Folder).

5. Folder Permissions

Before running the installer, make sure the following directories are writable by the web server. The installer verifies these on its first screen and shows you any that need attention.

• storage/ (and everything inside it)
• storage/app/
• storage/app/public/
• storage/framework/ (cache, sessions, views)
• storage/logs/
• bootstrap/cache/

On most shared hosting a permission of 755 is sufficient. If your host runs PHP under a different user, you may need 775. Your hosting control panel's file manager can set these, or via SSH:

chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache

6. Document Root & the public/ Folder

HireBoard — like every Laravel application — must be served from its public/ folder, never from the project root. The project root holds .env, vendor/, and storage/, which must never be reachable from the web. There are two supported ways to achieve this; choose the one your host allows.

Method A — Point the document root at public/ (recommended)

This is the cleanest and most secure layout: the web server's document root resolves directly to .../hireboard/public, and the rest of the application sits outside the web root.

Apache — point the virtual host's DocumentRoot at public/. HireBoard ships the necessary public/.htaccess, so with mod_rewrite enabled and AllowOverride All set, clean URLs work out of the box.

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName your-domain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/hireboard/public

    <Directory /var/www/hireboard/public>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Nginx:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;
    root /var/www/hireboard/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;
    }
}

Shared hosting (cPanel, hPanel, and similar) — most panels let you set the document root per domain or subdomain. When adding or editing the domain/subdomain, set its document root (or folder) to the application's public directory, e.g. .../hireboard/public. This is the cleaner option whenever your host offers it.

Method B — Rewrite into public/ (when you can't change the document root)

Some shared hosts fix the document root to a folder you cannot repoint (such as public_html). In that case, upload the entire application into that folder and add a small .htaccess at the project root that forwards every request into public/.

File: <project root>/.htaccess — at the top level, next to app/ and public/ (this is not the .htaccess inside public/, which you leave untouched).

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
    RewriteEngine On

    # Don't re-enter public/ (prevents a redirect loop on LiteSpeed)
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/public/ [NC]

    # Internal rewrite into public/ — no R flag, so the URL stays clean
    RewriteRule ^(.*)$ public/$1 [L]
</IfModule>

This forwards requests into public/ internally, so visitors never see /public and your application files are protected by the bundled rules. Method A remains more secure when available, because it keeps the application files outside the web root entirely.

Keeping URLs clean

HireBoard generates every link from your application URL, so as long as that value is correct your links stay clean under either method. The web installer writes it for you on the Company step.

7. The Web Installer (Recommended)

With the files uploaded and the application served from public/, open your domain (or http://127.0.0.1:8000 locally) in a browser. HireBoard automatically redirects you to the installer at /install and guides you through six steps.

Step 1 — Requirements

The installer checks your PHP version, the required extensions, and folder permissions. Everything must show a green check before you can continue. Fix anything marked red (raise your PHP version, enable the extension with your host, or correct a folder permission) and refresh.

Step 2 — Database

Enter your database host, port, name, username, and password, then click Test Connection. HireBoard verifies the credentials and tells you whether the database already exists, is empty, or already contains tables. If it does not exist yet, the installer will create it for you during setup (provided your user has permission).

Step 3 — Setup

Click to run setup. HireBoard creates the database if needed, builds all the tables, installs every module, and generates a unique application security key for your installation. This step is automatic — just wait for it to finish.

Step 4 — Admin Account

Create your administrator account by entering a name, email, and password. This is the account you will use to sign in and manage the system.

Step 5 — Company

Enter your company name, choose your timezone, and confirm your application URL (your live domain). Enter it exactly — for example https://your-domain.com, with no /public and no trailing slash. This value is saved as APP_URL and is what keeps every generated link clean.

Step 6 — Finish

The installer locks itself (so it cannot be run again), clears caches, and shows a success screen. Click through to the sign-in page and log in with the admin account you created.

8. After Installation

• Use HTTPS. Install an SSL certificate (most hosts offer free Let's Encrypt) and serve the site over https://.
• Debug stays off. The shipped configuration runs in production mode with debugging disabled — leave it that way on a live site.
• Configure email so notifications can be sent (next section).
• Turn on automatic backups under Backups → Schedule & retention.

9. Email (SMTP) Setup

To let HireBoard send email, sign in as the administrator and go to Settings → Mail. Enter your SMTP server, port, username, password, and encryption, then send a test email to confirm it works. These settings apply to the whole application, so all notifications use your account.

10. Automatic Backups

HireBoard's scheduled backups are controlled entirely from the admin panel — there is no cron job to configure. Under Backups → Schedule & retention, set automatic backups to Daily or Weekly and choose how many to keep. Backups run automatically while the site is in use.

11. Updating HireBoard

1. Back up first — create and download a backup from the Backups area.
2. Replace the application files with the new version, keeping your .env file and your storage/ contents.
3. Clear caches (your host's control panel or, via SSH, the standard Laravel cache-clear commands).

Always read the release notes (CHANGELOG.md) included with each update for any version-specific steps.

12. Troubleshooting

A Composer / PHP version error on start-up

A message such as "Composer detected issues in your platform: Your Composer dependencies require a PHP version >= 8.3.0" means the site is running on an older PHP version. Raise your site's PHP to 8.3+ in your control panel, or apply one of the options in Running on PHP below 8.3. Remember the web PHP version and the SSH command-line php can differ.

"/public" appears in my page links

This happens when the app is served via the Method B rewrite but APP_URL is not set to your clean domain. Set APP_URL in .env to your real domain with no /public and no trailing slash, then run php artisan optimize:clear (or clear the cache from your panel). See Keeping URLs clean.

A "500 Server Error" or blank page

Almost always a permissions issue. Confirm the folders in Section 5 are writable. Check storage/logs/laravel.log for the specific error.

Uploaded files (logos, résumés) don't display

The link that serves uploaded files is missing. The installer creates it automatically; if files were uploaded out of order, recreate it by running php artisan storage:link, or ask your host to create a symbolic link from public/storage to storage/app/public.

"Could not connect to the database"

Re-check the host, port, database name, username, and password. On many shared hosts the database host is localhost rather than 127.0.0.1, and database/user names are prefixed by your account name.

Pages other than the homepage return 404

URL rewriting is not active. On Apache, enable mod_rewrite and ensure AllowOverride All. On Nginx, confirm the try_files directive shown above.

The installer keeps reappearing or won't start

The installer runs until an install-lock file exists. If setup was interrupted, complete all six steps. If you need to re-run it deliberately, remove the file storage/installed and reload.

13. Manual Installation (Advanced)

If you have command-line access and prefer to install manually:

1. Upload the files and serve the application from public/ (Section 6).
2. If you removed the bundled dependencies, run composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader on PHP 8.3+.
3. Copy .env.example to .env and run php artisan key:generate.
4. Set your database credentials and your APP_URL in .env.
5. Visit /install and complete the wizard, or run the migrations and seeders manually if you know the framework.
6. Run php artisan storage:link.

14. Support & Contact

We're here to help. Please use the channel that matches your request so we can respond quickly:

• Product support (for purchased items) — support@mes-dev.com. Include your CodeCanyon purchase code and your HireBoard version so we can assist you faster.
• General inquiries, customizations, or a new application — contact@mes-dev.com.

Product support covers installation help, bug fixes, and questions about documented features, in line with the item's support policy on CodeCanyon. Environment changes you make yourself — such as the PHP 8.2 / Laravel 12 downgrade described in Section 2 — fall outside support, but are available as a paid customization.