Reinstalling.

Sometimes you need to reinstall Reward Loyalty—for database changes, fresh starts, or troubleshooting. This guide covers both scenarios.

Prefer Updates: For normal updates, use the Updating feature instead of reinstalling. It's safer and preserves all your data automatically.

Fresh Installation (Reset Everything)

To start completely fresh and remove all data:

1. Open your .env file
2. Find this line:

   APP_IS_INSTALLED=true
   

3. Change it to:

   APP_IS_INSTALLED=false
   

4. Save the file
5. Visit your domain

The installation wizard will appear. Completing it will replace all previous data.

⚠️ Warning: A fresh installation deletes all existing data including members, partners, cards, rewards, and transactions. Make sure you have backups if needed.

Reinstall While Preserving Data

To reinstall the application code while keeping your existing data intact:

Step 1: Back Up Critical Files

Before doing anything, preserve these items:

MySQL/PostgreSQL Users: Your database is stored externally, so you only need to preserve the .env file (which contains your connection settings).

Step 2: Delete Application Files

Delete all files and folders except the ones you backed up.

Step 3: Upload Fresh Files

Upload the latest version of Reward Loyalty from the current purchase store (see /buy).

Step 4: Restore Your Files

Copy your preserved files back to their original locations:

• .env → root directory
• database.sqlite → database/ folder
• public/files/ contents → public/files/
• Custom translations → lang/ folder

Step 5: Run Migrations

Run any pending database migrations:

php artisan migrate

Or log in as admin—if updates are needed, you'll be prompted to run them.

Step 6: Clear Caches

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan view:clear

When to Reinstall

Fresh Install (Delete Everything)

Use when:

• Starting over from scratch
• Testing the installation process
• Creating a new demo environment
• Switching databases completely

Preserve Data Reinstall

Use when:

• Manually updating core files
• Troubleshooting file corruption
• Applying hotfixes
• Recovering from a failed update

Common Issues

"The encryption key is missing"

This happens when your .env file is missing or the APP_KEY is empty.

Solution: Restore your original .env file. If you don't have it, you'll need to do a fresh installation (existing encrypted data will be unrecoverable).

"Database connection refused"

Your database settings in .env are incorrect.

Solution: Verify DB_HOST, DB_DATABASE, DB_USERNAME, and DB_PASSWORD are correct.

"Page shows error after reinstall"

Cached files may be causing issues.

Solution: Clear all caches:

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan view:clear
php artisan route:clear

Related Topics

• Updating — One-click updates (preferred method)
• Manual Update — Step-by-step manual update process
• Installation — First-time installation guide