PolyCMS Installation Guide: From Zero to Live

Welcome to PolyCMS – the modern content management and e-commerce platform engineered to help everyone from individual bloggers and creators, to freelance web designers, agencies, and large-scale businesses build fast, secure, and SEO-optimized websites.

Whether you are launching a personal blog, building a client's portfolio as a freelancer, or deploying a complex e-commerce store for an enterprise, this guide will walk you through setting up PolyCMS on your server in just a few minutes.

For Non-Technical Users: If you are not familiar with servers or source code, don't worry! You can simply send this guide's link directly to your web hosting provider or IT support team. They will be able to handle the installation for you.

System Requirements

To ensure PolyCMS runs smoothly, your server (Hosting or VPS) must meet these basic requirements:

PHP: Version 8.3 or higher.

Node.js: Version 20.19+ or 22.12+ (required for compiling the high-speed frontend assets).

Database: PostgreSQL (Recommended for maximum performance) or MySQL.

Package Managers: Composer and NPM.

3 Simple Installation Steps

PolyCMS features a beginner-friendly Web Installer. You do not need to touch any code or use a terminal to get your website running.

Step 1: Upload the Source Code

To get the PolyCMS source code, you have two options depending on your technical preference:

• Download Pre-packaged Releases (Recommended): You can download the latest, ready-to-install package (polycms-ce.zip) directly from the GitHub Releases page. This zip package contains all pre-compiled assets and is ready to deploy immediately.

• Clone & Rebuild from Source: Developers and advanced users can clone the repository from github.com/PolyXGO/polycms to customize the code and manually build/compile the assets.

Once you have your package ready:

Log in to your web hosting control panel (like cPanel or DirectAdmin) or connect via FTP.

Upload the .zip file to your public web directory (usually public_html or www).

Extract the contents of the zip file directly into that directory.

Step 2: Create a Database

Before running the installer, your website needs a place to store its data.

Option A: Via Hosting Control Panel (Recommended)

In your hosting control panel, find the Databases section (e.g., MySQL Databases).

Create a new database (e.g., polycms).

Create a new database user (e.g., polycms_user) and assign a strong password.

Add the user to the database with All Privileges.

Option B: Via SQL (phpMyAdmin or command line)

If you prefer using SQL or your hosting panel doesn't have a wizard:

CREATE DATABASE polycms CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'polycms_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password_here';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON polycms.* TO 'polycms_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Important: MySQL Host Matching

When creating the database user, pay attention to the host part:

Use 'polycms_user'@'localhost' if your web server and database are on the same machine (most shared hosting).

Use 'polycms_user'@'%' only if your database is on a separate server.

If you created the user with @'%' but the installer shows "Access denied for user@localhost", you need to also create the user for localhost:

CREATE USER 'polycms_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password_here';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON polycms.* TO 'polycms_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

This is because MySQL treats localhost (Unix socket) and % (TCP wildcard) as different hosts. The % wildcard does not match localhost connections.

Keep your database name, username, and password handy for the next step.

Step 3: Run the Web Setup Wizard

Open your favorite web browser and navigate to your website's domain name (e.g., https://<a href="//polycms.org" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">polycms.org</a>).

The PolyCMS Setup Wizard will automatically appear and greet you.

Follow the on-screen instructions:

System Check: The installer will verify that your server meets all requirements. * Database Configuration: Enter the database name, username, and password you created in Step 2. * Site Information: Provide your site title and create your Administrator account (Email and Password).

Click Install PolyCMS.

The system will automatically set up the database, configure the environment, and finalize the installation in the background.

Welcome to Your Dashboard

Once the setup is complete, you will be redirected to the login page. Use the Administrator email and password you just created to access the Admin Panel.

Need More Help?

Are you an Agency? Check out the Theme & Module Development section to deeply customize the system for your clients.

Want to start selling? Head over to E-commerce Store Configuration to begin listing your products.