Requirements.

Reward Loyalty requires PHP 8.4.1 or newer. The installer and Composer enforce the same floor.

Runtime and database

Use MySQL or MariaDB for a production installation. SQLite is useful for evaluation and can suit a low-write installation, but it is not the default production recommendation.

The standard control-panel installation uses the rewrite rules included in the package, so it needs Apache or LiteSpeed with .htaccess support. An nginx-only server can run Reward Loyalty after its owner adds equivalent rewrite rules, but that is an advanced server setup. Ask the server administrator or hosting support to configure it.

Required PHP extensions

The installer checks every item below for the website. Select PHP 8.4.1 or newer in the hosting control panel and enable the listed extensions there. If an extension is unavailable, contact hosting support and ask whether they can enable it for the plan.

• BCMath (ext-bcmath)
• Ctype (ext-ctype)
• cURL (ext-curl)
• DOM (ext-dom)
• Exif (ext-exif)
• Fileinfo (ext-fileinfo)
• Filter (ext-filter)
• GD (ext-gd)
• Hash (ext-hash)
• Iconv (ext-iconv)
• Intl (ext-intl)
• JSON (ext-json)
• Libxml (ext-libxml)
• Mbstring (ext-mbstring)
• OpenSSL (ext-openssl)
• PCRE (ext-pcre)
• PDO (ext-pdo)
• PDO SQLite (ext-pdo_sqlite)
• Session (ext-session)
• Tokenizer (ext-tokenizer)
• XML (ext-xml)
• Zip (ext-zip)
• Zlib (ext-zlib)

Check the website in the hosting control panel

The browser installer checks the PHP version and extensions the website uses. Hosting plans and panel labels can differ or change, even at the same provider. Confirm the settings for the application domain, then open the installer. If the required version or an extension is missing, contact hosting support before changing plans.

Files, permissions, and HTTPS

Install the application at a domain or subdomain root, not a URL subdirectory. The web server must be able to write the .env file during installation and write Laravel's storage and bootstrap/cache directories. Keep application files owned by the deployment user and grant only the web-server access that is needed. Never use 777 permissions.

Production requires HTTPS. It protects sign-in and member traffic, and installable PWA behavior outside localhost also requires it. Plan the hostnames and certificates with Domains, DNS, and HTTPS.

Scheduler and queue

Use the hosting control panel's Cron Jobs or Scheduled Tasks screen to run Reward Loyalty's scheduler every minute when the host allows it. Some shared hosts offer only a longer interval. Use the shortest interval the plan permits, then check Health Center after it runs. Normal dashboard traffic also provides a traffic fallback for due loyalty work, so the installation remains usable between scheduled runs.

The documented traffic fallback keeps core daily loyalty tasks moving when scheduled execution is unavailable, but scheduled execution is more predictable. The sync queue is appropriate for a simple installation. A growing installation may need a database or Redis worker managed by the host or a technical operator. The Health Center reports scheduler and queue state.

Dashboard updater

The dashboard updater depends on writable application paths, enough temporary space, archive support, and the PHP exec function. A host can restrict an updater feature even when the website itself meets the PHP requirements. Installation and normal operation do not depend on exec. Check the dashboard result on staging and contact hosting support if the automated path reports a server restriction.

If the dashboard path is unavailable, use the documented manual update path. Test either path on staging, take a backup, and prove you can restore it before updating production.

Continue

Prepare the server and database before opening the installer:

• Prepare your server
• Installation
• After you install