Deploying Prestashop on a VPS with DeployHQ: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

Setting up and deploying a Prestashop project can seem daunting, but with the right tools and approach, it becomes a streamlined process. In this guide, I'll walk you through each step of deploying Prestashop on a VPS using DeployHQ, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow.

Why Prestashop and DeployHQ?

Before we dive in, let's understand why this combination works so well:

• Prestashop: A powerful, open-source e-commerce solution
• DeployHQ: Simplifies deployment with automated workflows
• VPS: Provides full control and scalability

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• A VPS account
• Git repository for your Prestashop project
• DeployHQ account
• Basic command-line knowledge

Step 1: Preparing Your VPS Environment

Server Setup

First, create your VPS instance. I recommend providers like DigitalOcean or Linode. Choose Ubuntu LTS for reliability and support.

# Update system packages
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Installing Core Dependencies

# Web server and PHP
sudo apt install apache2 php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-curl php-gd php-intl php-xml php-zip php-mbstring -y

# Database
sudo apt install mysql-server -y
sudo mysql_secure_installation

# Composer for dependency management
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

Step 2: Configuring the Web Server

Apache Configuration

Create a virtual host configuration for Prestashop:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName yourdomain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/prestashop

    <Directory /var/www/prestashop>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Enable the configuration:

sudo a2ensite prestashop.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 3: Database Preparation

# Create Prestashop database
sudo mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE prestashop;
CREATE USER 'prestashopuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON prestashop.* TO 'prestashopuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 4: Configuring DeployHQ

Repository Connection

1. Create a new project in DeployHQ
2. Connect your Git repository
3. Set deployment path to /var/www/prestashop

Deployment Hooks

# Pre-deployment script
composer install
php bin/console cache:clear

# Post-deployment script
chmod -R 755 var/cache
chmod -R 755 var/logs
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/prestashop

Step 5: SSL and Security

Let's Encrypt SSL

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y
sudo certbot --apache -d yourdomain.com

Firewall and Fail2Ban

sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'
sudo ufw enable
sudo apt install fail2ban -y

Deployment Workflow

1. Push changes to your Git repository
2. Trigger deployment in DeployHQ
3. Automated deployment begins

Pro Tips

• Use environment variables for sensitive configurations
• Implement regular backups
• Monitor server performance
• Keep Prestashop and dependencies updated

Common Challenges and Solutions

Potential Deployment Issues

• Incorrect file permissions
• Database connection problems
• Caching conflicts

Debugging Strategies

• Check Apache error logs
• Verify DeployHQ deployment logs
• Test configurations locally first

Conclusion

Deploying Prestashop with DeployHQ transforms a complex process into a manageable, repeatable workflow. By following these steps, you'll have a robust e-commerce platform with seamless deployment.