adminYou’ve heard WentoCart is free, open source and built on Laravel and React. Now you want to see it running. This guide takes you from an empty folder to a store that’s ready for its first customer: download, install, configure, add products and launch.
You can follow along on your own computer to try WentoCart risk-free, or on a web server to go live. Both paths are covered.
Key takeaways
- Check the requirements and download the v1.0 package.
- Install WentoCart with the setup wizard, or with php artisan wento:install from the command line.
- Explore the bundled demo data, then configure your own store.
- Add products, customise the look and run through a launch checklist.
Before You Start: Requirements
Component Requirement
PHP 8.3 or newer
Database MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.4+
Web server Apache or Nginx with PHP and HTTPS
Operating system Windows, Linux or macOS with a supported PHP version
PHP extensions PDO MySQL, mbstring, OpenSSL, tokenizer, XML, ctype, JSON, fileinfo, cURL, GD, ZIP
Node.js Not needed for the prebuilt download package
Disk space Room for application files, uploads and backups (the download is about 186 MB)
From the WentoCart download page for v1.0.0 Community. Always check the latest release notes.
To check your PHP version and installed extensions from a terminal:
php -v php -m
Step-by-Step Installation
Step 1: Download and verify the package Download wentocart-install.zip from wentocart.com/download. The page lists a SHA-256 checksum, so you can confirm the file arrived intact and unmodified:
# Linux / macOS sha256sum wentocart-install.zip # or: shasum -a 256 wentocart-install.zip
# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-FileHash .wentocart-install.zip -Algorithm SHA256
Compare the result with the checksum published on the download page. If it doesn’t match, download the file again.
Step 2: Choose where to install
On your computer (to try it): extract the ZIP and run install.sh on Linux or macOS, or Install.vbs on Windows. This starts the browser-based setup wizard locally on port 8099. You’ll need PHP 8.3 or newer installed.
On a server (to go live): extract the ZIP and upload the application to your hosting account or VPS. If you need an affordable server, see our guide to hosting WentoCart on a cloud VPS.
Step 3: Create an empty database
Create a new, empty MySQL or MariaDB database and a user with access to it. On shared hosting, use your control panel’s database tool. On a VPS, you can use the command line:
mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE wentocart CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER ‘wento’@’localhost’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘STRONG_PASSWORD’;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON wentocart.* TO ‘wento’@’localhost’;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
Keep the database name, username and password handy for the next step.
Step 4: Point your domain at the public folder Set your domain’s document root to the application’s public folder, and keep every other file outside the web root. This is important for security: it stops visitors from accessing configuration and source files directly.
# Nginx example (key line) root /var/www/wentocart/public;
# Apache example (key line)
DocumentRoot /var/www/wentocart/public
Step 5: Run the installer
Open your store’s URL in a browser and follow the setup wizard. Developers who prefer the terminal can run the installer from the application folder instead:
cd /var/www/wentocart php artisan wento:install
✓ Checking requirements… ✓ Preparing your store… ✓ WentoCart installed successfully!
Either way, the installer checks your server meets the requirements, connects to your database and prepares the store. If a requirement is missing, it tells you what to fix.
Step 6: Explore the demo data
The v1.0 package includes bundled merchant demo data, so you can click around a realistic store straight away. Browse the storefront, place a test order and explore the admin dashboard to see how products, orders, customers and coupons fit together.
Before you launch, replace the demo products, customers and orders with your own.
Set Up Your Store
With WentoCart installed, work through the admin dashboard in this order:
Area What to set up
Store settings Store name, logo, contact details, address and email settings
Regional settings Languages, translations, default currency and any extra currencies
Taxes Tax rates for the regions you sell to, and whether prices include tax
Shipping Shipping methods, zones and rates
Payments The offline payment methods you’ll accept, with clear instructions for customers
Catalog Categories, attributes (such as size and colour), products, images and stock levels
Marketing Launch coupons and promotions, for example a welcome discount
Appearance Theme settings, colours, homepage content and navigation
Tip: set up categories and attributes before adding products. It makes adding products faster and keeps your catalog consistent for filters and search.
Your Launch Checklist
☐ HTTPS is working on every page, with no browser security warnings.
☐ Demo data is removed and replaced with your real products and content.
☐ Policies are published: shipping, returns and refunds, terms, privacy and contact details.
☐ A full test order works from cart to confirmation email, for each payment method you offer.
☐ Taxes and shipping calculate correctly for a few sample addresses.
☐ The store looks right on mobile, where most of your shoppers will browse.
☐ Backups are scheduled for both files and the database, and you know how to restore them.
☐ Analytics and Search Console are connected so you can measure traffic from day one.
☐ Admin accounts use strong, unique passwords.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
What you see Likely cause How to fix it
Installer reports a A PHP extension isn’t installed Install the missing extension or upgrade to missing requirement or PHP is too old PHP 8.3+, then restart PHP and your web server
A file listing or 404 errors Document root isn’t set to the Point the domain at the application’s public instead of the store public folder folder
Database connection Wrong database name, user, Re-check the credentials and that the user error password or host has access to the database
Permission or “cannot The web server can’t write to Give the web server user write access to those write” errors storage or cache folders folders
Broken styles after The store URL is still set to Update the store URL setting to https:// and enabling HTTPS http:// clear caches
Still stuck? The WentoCart documentation includes a troubleshooting section, and the support page explains how to get help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Node.js or to build anything? No. The prebuilt download package doesn’t require Node.js. You only need build tools if you plan to modify the front-end source code.
Can I install WentoCart on shared hosting? Yes, if your host offers PHP 8.3 or newer, the required extensions, a MySQL or MariaDB database, and lets you point your domain at the public folder.
How long does it take to launch? Installation itself takes minutes. Setting up your catalog, policies, shipping and design usually takes longer, depending on how many products you have.
The Bottom Line
Getting started with WentoCart is straightforward: check the requirements, download and verify the package, run the installer, explore the demo, then make the store your own. Follow the launch checklist and you’ll be ready to welcome your first customer on a store you fully own.
Ready to build your store? Download WentoCart v1.0 free, follow the installation guide in the documentation, and launch a store you own today.