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ServerPilot

Create an app on your cloud server

Each website or web application you host on your own server is a separate app. For each app, you can use different settings such as different PHP versions.

Create an app

To create an app using the ServerPilot dashboard:

  1. Go to the Apps page in the dashboard and click Create App.
  2. Choose a Name for the app. You’ll see this name in ServerPilot and file paths.
  3. For the Domain, use your server’s IP address. You can add your real domain later. For now, we’ll use the server’s IP address to preview the app.
  4. If you’re creating a WordPress app, select WordPress and choose a Site Title, Admin User, Password, and Email for the WordPress admin account that will be created.
  5. Select the Server that the app will be created on.
  6. Select the PHP Version the app will use.
  7. Leave the default option Create a new system user selected. ServerPilot will create a system user with the same name as your app.
  8. Choose a System User Password. This will be the password you use to access the app’s files by SSH or SFTP.
  9. Click on Create App.

Preview your app using the server’s IP address

Because you used your server’s IP address as the app’s Domain when you created the app, you can preview the app at http://IP_ADDRESS/.

Use a domain name

To access your app using a domain name, update DNS so your domain resolves to your server’s IP address and then add the domain to your app.

Update DNS

To update your domain’s DNS:

  1. Log in to the service where you manage your domain’s DNS. This is often your domain registrar or cloud provider.
  2. Edit your domain’s DNS A record and set the value to your server’s IP address.

Depending on the DNS TTL value for your domain’s A record, it may take a few minutes to a few hours before your domain begins resolving to your server’s IP address.

Add your domain

To add your domain to an app in ServerPilot:

  1. Go to the Apps page in the dashboard and click on the name of the app.
  2. Click on Domains.
  3. Enter the domain in the Add Domain form.
  4. Click on Add Domain.

When your server receives requests for this domain name, those requests will now be served by this app.

Enable AutoSSL

You can enable AutoSSL as soon as you’ve updated your domain’s DNS and you’ve added the domain to your app.

To enable AutoSSL for your app:

  1. Go to the Apps page in the dashboard and click on the name of the app.
  2. Click on SSL.
  3. Click on Enable AutoSSL.

With AutoSSL enabled, you can now access your app at https://DOMAIN/.

ServerPilot will automatically keep your app’s SSL certificate updated.

Create a database

If you need to create a MySQL database for your app:

  1. Go to the Apps page in the dashboard and click on the name of the app.
  2. Click on Databases.
  3. Click on Create Database.
  4. Enter a Name, Username, and Password for the database.
  5. Click on Create Database.

SSH and SFTP access

You can access your app’s files by SSH or SFTP with the following credentials:

  • Username: the name of the app
  • Password: the system user password you chose when creating the app
  • Web root directory: apps/APPNAME/public