Install Sense CMS

Before you start

Use a separate test environment for the current development build. Prepare PHP 8.5 or later with curl, pdo_mysql, sodium, zip, mbstring, sessions and Argon2id support. Allow at least 128 MB PHP memory. Use MySQL 8.0.29+ or MariaDB 10.11+.

Prepare an empty database

Create a new database and a dedicated database user. Scope permissions to that database only. The installer refuses existing tables and will not erase another application’s data.

Set the document root

Extract the distribution outside the publicly served directory. Point the web server at its public directory. Application source, storage and credentials must not be web-accessible. Configure HTTPS and your canonical hostname before opening the installer.

Bind your domain

Run the preparation command as the PHP runtime user. Only storage should be writable by PHP; use private directory permissions and protect backups.

php scripts/prepare.php https://www.example.com

1. Verify your license

Open /install and enter the key assigned to the canonical domain. The server validates the key with Chivale over HTTPS. Database and account setup are unavailable until validation succeeds.

2. Check the environment

Review the server checks and resolve any missing extensions, memory or write permissions before continuing.

3. Create your workspace

Enter the new database details, site name and owner account. Use a unique owner password of 14–200 characters. On completion, the installer closes and redirects to /login.

If setup is interrupted

Retry with the same database, owner email and original password. Keep the private installing.json file; do not delete tables or recovery state. Back up private storage together with the database.