Flarum - Complicated for installation

Petr

Hi, I like Flarum very much, but I'm afraid that if only VPS installations are available, so much community will not get.
That's why I'm asking, is there any other installation option?

For many users, it's better to copy the files to ftp.
In addition, renting a VPS server is relatively expensive compared to classic hosting, is it right?

That's why I ask how to install Flarum normally and not complicated by some composer or what is it?
Is not this style of installation back to the Middle Ages? 😀

Thanks

gurjyot

Petr I can't talk much about installation but you can go for a hosting which provides SSH access. The one hosting I know which provides SSH access is Fastcomet, but might be other such hostings as well. So just find one and you are set.

jordanjay29

Petr That's why I'm asking, is there any other installation option?

No, but there are community-provided resources such as FreeFlarum.com. It's not any official hosting, but it doesn't require you to purchase any.

Petr In addition, renting a VPS server is relatively expensive compared to classic hosting, is it right?

Not anymore. You can get an acceptable VPS for Flarum hosting at places like Digital Ocean, Vultr, Liquid Web for ~ $5 a month. Compared to many shared hosts, that's equivalent or possibly cheaper.

Petr That's why I ask how to install Flarum normally and not complicated by some composer or what is it?
Is not this style of installation back to the Middle Ages? 😀

No, the FTP method is more like the Middle Ages. Composer doesn't require passing files to your home computer and uploading them again, nor does it require every single software to check your server for dependencies. Composer does both of those things, ensuring you have the ability and the files to install the software.

Using composer is new. It's not scary, it's not complicated, it's simply new. I encourage you to give it a try.

010101

Also, if you don’t want to go the VPS route, regular old hosting (shared hosting with cPanel) works great as long as the hosting provider allows you SSH access as gurjyot said.

In short, you Google “shared hosting SSH access composer” or something like that. Pick your provider. Search their knowledgebase for how to use SSH / how to connect to it. You’ll also find and download any free software which allows you to connect. The most popular for Windows is PuTTY. But there are many out there. In the application like PuTTY you will input the connection details which you found in the host’s knowledgebase.

Typically, if the host allows SSH access they are probably pretty hip and with the times and so they probably already have composer installed. Also, as you’ll see in my Google search string example above, I have composer there as a keyword. That’s to try and find a host which does already have it. Saves you a step. So then in your PuTTY like application you are connected and you type cd whatever-folder-you-are-installing-flarum-in and then:
composer create-project flarum/flarum . --stability=beta

Then follow the the rest of the installation instructions jordanjay29 linked to.

Yes, it’s harder than a 1-click install. But, once you get used to it, it’s so fast and easy to keep flarum updated and to add extensions with composer.

If hosting providers were smart, they’d offer free Flarum installations. Hint, hint, shared hosting providers.