How to Install October CMS on Windows

October CMS is a popular free and open-source CMS built on the Laravel framework. It is known for its flexibility ease of use with powerful features. If you are a Windows user, October CMS is a great choice for building your website projects.

In this article, we will cover the installation process of the October content management system on a Windows machine so you can easily create flexible user-friendly websites or applications.

Prerequisites

Before starting October CMS setup Windows ensure you have the following:

1. A Windows operating system preferably Windows 10 or later.
2. Administrative access to the Windows machine.
3. Knowledge of basic web development concepts.

Installing October CMS on Windows

Installing October CMS on a Windows machine can be done effortlessly by following these comprehensive steps.

Step 1: Install Web Server

October CMS runs on a web server typically Apache or Nginx and requires PHP. For simplicity, we will use XAMPP a popular choice that bundles Apache, PHP, and MySQL in one package.

Visit the official XAMPP website and download the installer for Windows. Run the installer, choose your preferred installation directory the default is usually C:\xampp and follow our guide on how to install XAMPP on Windows to complete the installation.

After installing, open the XAMPP Control Panel and start the Apache and MySQL services. This will set up your local web server environment.

Step 2: Install October CMS

You can download the latest installer from the official October CMS website. Extract the contents of the downloaded ZIP file to an XAMPP folder for example C:\xampp\htdocs on your computer. This will create a new folder named “October”.

Step 3: Install Composer (Optional)

October CMS Windows installation can be done in two ways using Composer or downloading the installer directly. Composer is a dependency manager for PHP essential for installing October CMS.

After installing Composer on Windows system, Open the Command Prompt as an administrator. In Command Prompt, type the directory where you installed XAMPP.

cd C:\xampp\htdocs

Type the following commands to create and navigate into the directory.

mkdir october_cms

cd october_cms

Run the following command which tells Composer to download and set up October CMS in the current directory.

composer create-project october/october

Step 4: Set Up Database

October CMS requires a MySQL database to store its data. In your web browser, go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin. This is the web interface for managing MySQL databases.

Click on “New” in the sidebar enter a database name for example octobercms then click “Create.”

Step 5: Configure October CMS

In your browser go to http://localhost/october_cms/install.php. Follow the installation wizard:

Database Configuration

• Database Type: MySQL
• Database Host: localhost
• Database Name: octobercms
• Username: root or your MySQL username
• Password: leave it blank if you haven’t set one or enter your MySQL password
• Table Prefix: leave empty

Administrator Account

• Username: admin
• Password: your chosen password
• Email: your email address

Click the “Finish Installation” button to complete the process.

Step 6: Access October CMS Backend

Go to http://localhost/october_cms/backend in your browser. Enter the admin username and password you set during the installation. You can access the October CMS dashboard.

Important Consideration

The following are some important considerations after installing October CMS on the Windows operating system:

• For optimal performance ensure that the October CMS installation directory and its subdirectories have the correct permissions.
• If you are experiencing issues with URLs ensure that URL rewriting is enabled in your Apache configuration.

Conclusion

You now have October CMS successfully installed on your Windows machine. From here, you can start building your website or application using October CMS’s powerful features and interactive interface. Explore the vast array of plugins and themes available for October CMS to enhance your project further.

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