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Quick Start Guide

Get FeedbackPulse SaaS up and running in 15 minutes. This is the express version โ€” for detailed instructions, see the full Installation Guide.

Before You Beginโ€‹

Make sure you have:

  • A server or VPS (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
  • PHP 8.2 or higher
  • MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.6+
  • Apache or Nginx web server
  • A domain name pointing to your server
  • An SMTP email account (Gmail, Mailgun, etc.)

Step 1: Upload Filesโ€‹

Upload the FeedbackPulse SaaS files to your server's web directory:

# Example for a typical VPS
cd /var/www
unzip feedbackpulse-saas.zip
cd feedbackpulse-saas

Step 2: Set Permissionsโ€‹

# Storage and cache must be writable
chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache
chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache

Step 3: Point Your Web Serverโ€‹

Your web server must point to the public directory โ€” this is critical!

Apache โ€” Create a virtual host:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName yourdomain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/feedbackpulse-saas/public

    <Directory /var/www/feedbackpulse-saas/public>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Nginx โ€” Create a server block:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    root /var/www/feedbackpulse-saas/public;
    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Critical: The web root must be the public folder, NOT the project root. This is a Laravel security requirement.

Step 4: Run the Web Installerโ€‹

Open your browser and navigate to:

https://yourdomain.com/install

The installer will guide you through 5 steps:

  1. License โ€” Enter your Envato purchase code (or skip if not using Envato)
  2. Requirements โ€” Automatic check for PHP version, extensions, and permissions
  3. Database โ€” Enter your MySQL/MariaDB credentials
  4. Admin โ€” Create your superadmin account
  5. Email โ€” Configure SMTP settings

Tip: Have your database credentials and SMTP details ready before starting the installer.

Step 5: Set Up Cron Jobโ€‹

FeedbackPulse needs a cron job to run scheduled tasks (email digests, trial expiry, data retention, etc.).

On VPS / Dedicated:

crontab -e

Add this line:

* * * * * cd /var/www/feedbackpulse-saas && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

On Shared Hosting (URL-based cron):

Use the web cron endpoint with the CRON_TOKEN shown on the installer completion page:

wget -q -O /dev/null "https://yourdomain.com/cron/run?token=YOUR_CRON_TOKEN"

The installer completion page shows both options pre-filled. Just copy and paste!

This makes uploaded files (logos, photos) accessible from the web:

php artisan storage:link

Shared hosting? If symlinks aren't supported, skip this step. FeedbackPulse automatically serves files via a built-in PHP fallback route.

Step 7: Verify It Worksโ€‹

  1. Visit https://yourdomain.com โ€” you should see the landing page
  2. Visit https://yourdomain.com/login โ€” log in with your superadmin credentials
  3. You're in the Superadmin Panel!

What to Do Nextโ€‹

Now that you're installed, here's your quick checklist:

As Superadmin:โ€‹

  1. Go to Admin โ†’ Plans โ€” review the default subscription plans
  2. Go to Admin โ†’ Settings โ€” configure payment gateways (Stripe/PayPal)
  3. Go to Admin โ†’ Landing Page โ€” customize your public landing page
  4. Go to Admin โ†’ Settings โ†’ Email โ€” send a test email to verify SMTP

Create Your First Tenant:โ€‹

  1. Open a new incognito/private browser window
  2. Visit https://yourdomain.com/register
  3. Fill out the registration form (name, email, company, subdomain)
  4. Verify your email
  5. Log in โ€” you're now in the Tenant Dashboard

Set Up Your First Product & Campaign:โ€‹

  1. Go to Products โ†’ Create โ€” add your first product
  2. Go to Campaigns โ†’ Create โ€” create a feedback campaign for that product
  3. Go to Settings โ†’ Branding โ€” set your brand colors and logo
  4. Visit your public pages:
    • https://yourdomain.com/p/{your-tenant-slug} โ€” Product Hub
    • https://yourdomain.com/wall/{your-tenant-slug} โ€” Feedback Wall
    • https://yourdomain.com/feedback/{campaign-slug} โ€” Feedback Form
    • https://yourdomain.com/roadmap/{your-tenant-slug} โ€” Roadmap
    • https://yourdomain.com/changelog/{your-tenant-slug} โ€” Changelog

You're Live!โ€‹

Congratulations! FeedbackPulse SaaS is now running on your server. Head to the detailed documentation sections to learn about all the features: