Install, configure, and maintain LaraSocial with confidence.

What this documentation covers

LaraSocial is a full social networking platform with feeds, profiles, stories, reels, chat, calls, live streaming, groups, pages, events, marketplace, wallet, points, gifts, blogs, forums, games, music, AI tools, and an admin workspace.

What comes in the Laravex download

After purchase, Laravex provides script.zip. Extract it on your computer first, then upload only the production web app files from the script/ directory to your hosting web root.

script.zip
|-- script/             # Production LaraSocial web app
|   |-- htaccess.example # Rename to .htaccess after upload
|   +-- ...             # Upload these contents to hosting
|-- Frontent/           # Frontend source for design and UI customization
+-- Mobile App/         # Mobile app source for Android/iOS builds

Server requirements

Use a modern PHP hosting environment with SSL, MySQL, writable Laravel directories, and enough resources for media uploads and background jobs.

Recommended PHP limits

memory_limit = 512M
upload_max_filesize = 128M
post_max_size = 128M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300

Upload checklist

Complete these steps before opening the installer. Most 500 errors after upload come from uploading the wrong folder, missing .htaccess, missing permissions, a missing .env, or incomplete database credentials.

• Download script.zip from Laravex and extract it on your computer.
• Open the extracted script/ directory and upload the contents inside it to your hosting web root, such as public_html or the domain root.
• Rename htaccess.example to .htaccess. If your file manager hides dotfiles, enable "show hidden files" after renaming.
• Create a MySQL database, database user, and password from the hosting panel.
• Make storage, storage/app/public, storage/framework, storage/logs, bootstrap/cache, .env, and public/storage writable.
• Install SSL before final launch so OAuth callbacks, payments, webhooks, camera/microphone access, and secure cookies work correctly.
• Open https://your-domain.com/installer and follow the installer screens below.

Useful Laravel commands after install

php artisan storage:link
php artisan optimize:clear
php artisan migrate --force
php artisan queue:restart

Cron job

* * * * * cd /home/YOUR_ACCOUNT/larasocial && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Installer walkthrough

The installer guides you through server checks, license activation, site/database configuration, and the final security reminder.

1

System check

Confirm PHP, required extensions, writable Laravel folders, the root .env, and public/storage. Continue only after every item shows OK or writable.

2

Activate the Laravex license

Enter the license key from your Laravex purchase. The installer validates the key with Laravex before unlocking the site and database configuration step.

3

Configure site and database

Enter the site name, full site URL, optional admin email, database host, port, database name, user, and password. The installer writes .env, imports the database, and prepares the application.

4

Finish and secure the install

After installation, sign in with the seeded admin account or the admin email you provided, change the password immediately, and remove installer access before going live.

Admin settings

Open the admin panel after installation and complete the operational settings before inviting members.

Admin panel reference screens

The demo admin panel is read-only, but it shows where operators manage growth metrics, branding, email, social login, video processing, and automatic updates.

Recommended first admin pass

• Change the seeded admin password and add a real admin email address.
• Upload final logos, icons, email branding, and default social share image.
• Review privacy, registration, profile visibility, wall review, and content moderation defaults.
• Configure media limits before users start uploading large files.
• Set up SMTP and send a test email before enabling email verification.
• Configure update/license settings so future releases can be applied from the admin update center.

SMTP email setup

SMTP is required for verification emails, password resets, notifications, contact replies, newsletters, and transactional messages.

Laravel-style environment fallback

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.your-provider.com
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=no-reply@your-domain.com
MAIL_PASSWORD=your-mailbox-or-app-password
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=no-reply@your-domain.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="Your Community"

FFMPEG setup

FFMPEG powers video conversion, thumbnails, audio processing, reels, stories, uploads, and richer media previews.

which ffmpeg
ffmpeg -version
which ffprobe
ffprobe -version

Common hosting requirements

• FFMPEG must be executable by the PHP user.
• Background workers should be running for heavier conversions.
• PHP upload limits must be higher than the largest video/audio upload you allow.
• Ask your host to allow required process functions if media jobs never start.

Social login setup

Create OAuth apps with each provider, copy the client ID and client secret into LaraSocial admin settings, and add the correct callback URL in the provider dashboard.

OAuth checklist

• Set the public app name, logo, privacy policy URL, and terms URL in each provider dashboard.
• Request only required scopes, usually profile and email.
• Enable the provider in LaraSocial admin settings after saving client credentials.
• Test in a private browser session to confirm a new member can register with OAuth.

Realtime, notifications, calls, and live streaming

LaraSocial includes real-time social features. Configure the providers you plan to use before opening the platform to members.

Frontend design customization

The Frontent/ folder is included for developers who want to modify the LaraSocial web design, assets, layouts, and user-facing frontend experience.

Typical frontend workflow

cd Frontent
npm install
npm run dev

# After changes are tested:
npm run build

• Change logos, colors, images, pages, components, and module UI in the frontend source.
• Build the frontend before using it in production. Upload the generated production assets to the matching location in the installed LaraSocial web app.
• Clear browser, CDN, and Laravel caches after replacing production assets.
• Test desktop and mobile layouts after every major design change, especially feeds, profiles, stories, reels, admin pages, and module hubs.

Payments, wallet, and monetization

Configure payments before enabling paid marketplace listings, wallet top-ups, gifts, points redemption, ads, event payments, or withdrawal requests.

• Add payment provider public and secret keys in admin settings or environment variables.
• Set webhook endpoints in the provider dashboard and copy the webhook secret into LaraSocial.
• Run at least one sandbox checkout before switching to live mode.
• Define wallet rules, withdrawal review process, minimum payout, currency, points conversion, and refund policy.
• Keep marketplace moderation and reporting enabled if members can sell products or services.

Storage and CDN

Start with local storage for small launches, then move to S3-compatible object storage when media volume grows.

FILESYSTEM_DISK=s3
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your-access-key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your-secret-key
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_BUCKET=your-bucket
AWS_URL=https://cdn.your-domain.com

Mobile app development

The Mobile App/ folder contains the React Native / Expo source for a branded LaraSocial app. Connect it to your installed website, then produce an Android APK or Play Store AAB and an iOS build from the same source.

Configure the app connection

Extract the mobile source outside your website's public web root. From the project folder, copy the environment template and set the following values. The extracted folder may be named mobile; use the folder name supplied in your package.

cd "Mobile App"
cp .env.example .env
npm install

Recommended build workflow

Use EAS Build for the simplest production path. Create an Expo account, install Node.js 18 or 20 and the EAS command-line tool, then sign in and link the project. Do this once for each customer-branded app.

npm install -g eas-cli
npm install
eas login
eas init

Build an Android APK and publish to Google Play

eas build -p android --profile preview

eas build -p android --profile production
eas submit -p android --latest

Build an iPhone app and publish to the App Store

eas build -p ios --profile production

eas submit -p ios --latest

Branding, features, and services

• Most colors, name, and logo are read from the website at runtime. For fallbacks, edit branding.config.ts and theme.config.ts.
• Replace the assets in assets/ without changing their file names: app icon (1024 x 1024), adaptive icon (1024 x 1024), splash screen (1284 x 2778), notification icon, and logo.
• Leave module overrides set to auto so the mobile app follows the modules enabled in the LaraSocial admin panel, including feeds, reels, stories, live, music, games, blogs, forums, wallet, and AI.
• For push notifications, create a Firebase project for Android, add google-services.json, upload the FCM V1 credentials through EAS, then rebuild. iOS push credentials are configured through Apple/EAS.
• Configure optional Google, Apple, or Facebook social login in both the mobile .env and LaraSocial admin panel. Keep the fields blank to hide providers you do not use.
• Expo Go is not supported for this package because it uses native modules. Use a real EAS development or production build instead.

Mobile build FAQ

Updates and changelog system

LaraSocial updates are served from larasocial.app only after the customer installation sends a valid Laravex license for the correct product and domain.

{
  "license_key": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY",
  "domain": "your-domain.com",
  "current_version": "1.2.0",
  "product_id": 11
}

{
  "license_key": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY",
  "domain": "your-domain.com",
  "current_version": "1.2.0",
  "version": "1.2.1",
  "product_id": 11
}

Publishing releases from the product repo

Release operators can publish a chained update zip to the release server. The release metadata automatically powers the public changelog when the release is published.

Headers:
  X-Update-Secret: YOUR_RELEASE_SECRET

Form data:
  package=@larasocial-1.2.4.zip
  version=1.2.4
  previous_version=1.2.3
  title=LaraSocial 1.2.4
  content=<ul><li>Release notes...</li></ul>
  status=published

Production security checklist

• Force HTTPS and set the production APP_URL to the final domain.
• Change seeded passwords, remove unused admin accounts, and enable stronger authentication policies.
• Protect .env, backups, update packages, logs, and storage directories from public web access.
• Remove or block installer access after successful installation.
• Schedule database and media backups before enabling automatic updates.
• Store SMTP, OAuth, payment, AI, storage, push, and update secrets outside public code repositories.
• Review report queues, blocked words, marketplace moderation, and public registration settings before launch.

Troubleshooting

Support checklist

When asking for help, include the domain, installed version, PHP version, hosting type, screenshot of the failing page, and the relevant error text from storage/logs/laravel.log. Do not send passwords, private keys, payment secrets, SMTP passwords, or full license keys in public chats.