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Installation guide

Install Drupal

Step-by-step explanation of how to install Drupal on your hosting. For beginners and advanced users. Choose the method that suits you.

Before you start

  • Make sure your hosting meets the Drupal system requirements
  • Have FTP/SFTP access and database credentials ready
  • Install Drupal 10 (latest stable version) for best support

Choose your installation method

There are different ways to install Drupal

One-click installer

Simplest method, via hosting control panel

Beginners

Manual installation

Download and upload via FTP/cPanel

Intermediate

Via Composer (recommended)

Professional method via command line

Advanced
Method 1

One-click installation via control panel

The easiest way for beginners. Works with Softaculous, Installatron or cPanel Auto Installers.

1

Log in to your hosting control panel

Go to cPanel, DirectAdmin or your hosting provider's control panel.

2

Find the app installer

Look for "Softaculous", "Installatron" or "Website Software" in your control panel.

3

Select Drupal

Click on the Drupal icon and choose "Install". Select the latest version (Drupal 10).

4

Configure the installation

Fill in the following details:

  • Domain: Choose your domain name
  • Directory: Leave empty for root, or choose a subdirectory
  • Admin credentials: Choose a secure username and password
5

Install and done!

Click "Install" and wait 1-2 minutes. You'll receive a confirmation with your login URL.

Tip: Store your admin credentials in a safe place!

Method 2

Manual installation via FTP

For when your hosting doesn't have an auto-installer, or when you want more control.

1

Download Drupal

Go to drupal.org/download and download the latest version (ZIP or TAR.GZ).

2

Extract the archive

Unzip the file on your computer. You'll get a folder with all Drupal files.

3

Create a database

Log in to cPanel and go to MySQL Databases:

  • Create a new database (e.g., "mysite_drupal")
  • Create a database user with a strong password
  • Link the user to the database with all privileges
4

Upload via FTP

Use FileZilla or another FTP client to upload all Drupal files to your public_html folder (or subdirectory).

Note: Upload the contents of the drupal folder, not the folder itself!

5

Installation wizard

Go to your-domain.com in your browser. The Drupal installation wizard starts automatically.

  • Choose your language (Dutch or English)
  • Choose installation profile (Standard is fine for most sites)
  • Enter your database details (step 3)
  • Configure site name, admin email and password
Method 3 - Recommended

Installation via Composer (professional)

The best method for developers. Makes updates and module management much easier.

Requirements: SSH access to your server and Composer installed. Check with composer --version

1

Create a Drupal project

Log in via SSH and navigate to your desired folder. Run this command:

composer create-project drupal/recommended-project mysite

This creates a new folder "mysite" with a complete Drupal installation.

2

Configure your web server

Point your document root to the web/ folder within your project:

/home/user/mysite/web
3

Create database

Via cPanel or command line:

mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE drupal_db;
GRANT ALL ON drupal_db.* TO 'drupal_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'secure_password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
4

Install via browser or Drush

Option A: Go to your domain in the browser and follow the installation wizard.

Option B (faster): Install via Drush command line:

cd mysite
composer require drush/drush
vendor/bin/drush site:install --db-url=mysql://user:pass@localhost/drupal_db

Why Composer?

  • • Install updates with one command: composer update
  • • Dependency management: Drupal automatically installs required libraries
  • • Install modules: composer require drupal/modulename
  • • Professional workflow that aligns with modern development practices

After installation

Do these steps to make your Drupal site secure and ready for use

Security

  • • Change the admin password to something strong
  • • Remove /install.php file
  • • Install security updates regularly
  • • Read our Drupal security tips

Configuration

  • • Go to Configuration > Performance and enable caching
  • • Set your timezone (Amsterdam)
  • • Configure automatic cron runs
  • • Install a free SSL certificate

Essential modules

  • • Pathauto (clean URLs)
  • • Metatag (SEO)
  • • Admin Toolbar (better UX)
  • • See our recommended modules list

Backup

  • • Make a backup of your clean installation immediately
  • • Check if your hosting has automatic backups
  • • Install Backup and Migrate module
  • • Test if you can restore a backup

Common installation problems

Stuck? These are the most common problems and solutions

Database connection error

Problem: "Failed to connect to your database server"

Solution: Check your database name, username and password. Database host is usually "localhost", but can be different with some hosts.

Write permission errors

Problem: "The directory sites/default is not writable"

Solution: Set file permissions to 755 for directories and 644 for files. The sites/default/files folder must be writable (755 or 775).

PHP memory limit

Problem: "Allowed memory size exhausted"

Solution: Increase PHP memory_limit to at least 256MB in php.ini or .htaccess. Contact your hosting if you don't have access.

White page after installation

Problem: Empty white page, no error

Solution: Enable PHP error reporting. Check your error logs. Usually a memory or permission problem.

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