This page explains how to install the Joomla Content Management System (CMS) onto your Web site. Joomla is free and allows you to edit and create Web pages online through your Web browser.
These instructions are based on Joomla 1.5.3. If you are installing an older version then our instructions for Joomla 1.0.12 may be useful. These instructions assume that you're installing Joomla at the top level of your Web site; if you choose to put it elsewhere on your site, be sure to change the paths and URLs to match.
Download the most recent zip version from http://www.joomla.org/ onto your own computer using and then extract the files. This creates a folder named something like "Joomla_1.5.3-Stable-Full_Package" on your computer. For your convenience, you might want to rename this folder to something simpler like "joomla".
Joomla uses a MySQL database to store the blog entries. We recommend creating a new database specifically for Joomla, rather than using an existing one. To create the database on our servers, follow our instructions explaining how to create a MySQL database.
There's no specific format you need to follow when naming the database. The rest of these instructions will assume that your database is called "jmexample" — if you use a different name, just use that name instead of "jmexample" when following the instructions below.
Use an FTP program to publish the "contents" of the "joomla" directory (not the directory itself) to whatever location on your Web site you want to use for your Joomla files (usually the top level of your Web site).
Please note that the directory (folder) into which you upload your Joomla files should not contain any other files named index.html, index.htm, or index.shtml. This is necessary because otherwise those default pages would be served before Joomla's index.php page. In particular, if you upload Joomla into the top level of your Web site, be sure to delete (or rename) any conflicting default page file.
If you uploaded Joomla to the top of your Web site you can start the installer by going to http://example.com/. The following page should then appear:
Choose your preferred language and click Next to continue. The "Pre-installation Check" page appears:
Click Next to continue. The "License" page appears:
Read through the license and click Next if you agree to its terms. The "Database" page appears:
Enter "localhost" as the Host Name.
The "MySQL User Name" and "MySQL Database Name" are the database name you created in step 2 (for instance "jmexample"). Enter these details as shown.
Enter your MySQL Password.
Click Next. The "FTP Configuration" page appears:
Do not use the Joomla FTP option (in other words, leave the No button selected, and leave all the spaces blank). The FTP option is only needed on servers that don't allow scripts to change file permissions, which isn't the case on our servers. In fact, using the FTP option is a security risk, because any Joomla security problem (of which there have been several in the past) would expose your FTP password to hackers.
Click Next. The "Main Configuration" page appears:
Choose a "Site Name". This can be anything you want.
Enter an e-mail address that can be used for administrative purposes in the E-mail field and enter a administrative password.
If you would like to install the sample data, which is recommended if you are not familiar with Joomla, click "Install Sample Data".
Click Next. The "Finish" page appears:
Before viewing your Web site, you'll need to delete the installation folder. Use FTP to delete the folder named installation.
After you have deleted the installation folder, click Admin to continue. The "Administration Login" page appears:
Enter your Username (administrative e-mail) and Password to configure Joomla, then click Login.
See the Joomla documentation for full details on how to configure Joomla.