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Installation

Updated Oct 18, 2026

This chapter walks through the web installer at /install. Follow the screens in order. When finished, Matterly creates a lock file so the installer cannot run again.

System Requirements

Before you start, make sure your server has:

Requirement Notes
PHP 8.2+ With extensions: BCMath, Ctype, JSON, Mbstring, OpenSSL, PDO, PDO MySQL, Tokenizer, cURL
MySQL 8+ (or MariaDB 10.6+) Empty database recommended
Web server Document root must point to the public/ folder
Writable folders storage/ and bootstrap/cache/ must be writable by the web server
HTTPS (production) Strongly recommended for live firms

You also need a domain or URL (for example https://matterly.example.com or http://127.0.0.1:8000 for local testing).

Running the Installer

  1. Upload the Matterly files to your server (or clone the project locally).

  2. Point the domain to the public directory.

  3. Open:

    https://your-domain.com/install

  4. Complete each step below. Do not close the browser until you see Installation Complete.

Step 1: Welcome Screen

Installer: Welcome screen

What you see: A short introduction explaining that Matterly will guide you through setup.

What to do: Click Start installation (or equivalent Continue button).

No form fields on this screen.

Step 2: Requirements Check

Installer: System requirements

Purpose: Confirm your server can run Matterly.

What is checked:

  • PHP version
  • Required PHP extensions
  • Folder permissions (storage, bootstrap/cache, and related paths)

What to do:

Result Action
All items pass (green) Click Continue
Something fails (red) Fix the issue on the server, then click Re-check

Folder Permissions

If permissions fail:

  1. On Linux, ensure the web user owns or can write to:

    chmod -R ug+rwx storage bootstrap/cache

  2. Recheck in the installer until everything passes.

Step 3: Environment Configuration

Installer: Environment configuration

Purpose: Set basic application identity and mode.

Fields to enter:

Field What to enter
App Name Display name, e.g. Matterly
App URL Full URL with no trailing slash, e.g. https://firms.example.com or http://127.0.0.1:8000
Environment production for live; local for development; staging optional
Debug Leave off (false) on production. Only enable for debugging

APP_KEY: Matterly generates a secure application key automatically during install. You do not paste an APP_KEY manually on this screen.

Click Continue / Save when done.

Step 4: Database Configuration

Installer: Database configuration

Purpose: Connect Matterly to MySQL and create tables.

Fields to enter:

Field What to enter
Host Usually 127.0.0.1 or localhost
Port Usually 3306
Database name Empty database you created, e.g. matterly
Username MySQL user with rights on that database
Password That user’s password
Seed demo data Yes: installs the sample firm (Sterling & Whitfield LLP) and demo logins. No: clean install with only your Super Admin

Recommended buttons:

  1. Click Test connection first. Fix host/user/password if it fails.

  2. Click Install / Continue to:

    • Write database settings to .env
    • Generate / confirm APP_KEY
    • Run migrations (create all tables)
    • Run seeders (demo data if you chose that option)
    • Prepare storage links and caches as needed

Wait until the step finishes. A long pause is normal on first migrate.

Step 5: Create Super Admin

Installer: Create super admin

Purpose: Create the first platform administrator account.

Fields to enter:

Field What to enter
Name Your full name
Email Login email (must be unique)
Password Strong password
Confirm password Same password again
License code (optional) Envato / purchase code if you use license verification

Submit the form. Matterly creates the Super Admin user and locks the installer (storage/installed).

Step 6: Installation Complete

Installer: Installation complete

What you see: A success message.

What happens next:

  • You are redirected to Login (/login)
  • /install is no longer available for setup

Log in with the Super Admin email and password you just created.

After Installation Checklist

  1. Open Super Admin → Settings and configure SMTP (so emails work).
  2. Configure OpenAI if you plan to use AI features.
  3. Create or review Plans, then add your first Firm.
  4. Optionally open http://your-domain.com/docs for this user guide.

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