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Installation Steps

This guide will walk you through the complete installation process of eTaxi platform on your server.

Prerequisites​

Before starting the installation, ensure you have:

  • PHP 8.4 or higher installed
  • Composer (PHP dependency manager) - Required to install Filament and other dependencies
  • Node.js & NPM (version 16+ recommended) - Required for Filament asset compilation
  • MySQL/MariaDB Database Server (version 5.7+ or 10.3+)
  • Web Server (Apache or Nginx)
  • Required PHP Extensions (see Server Requirements section below)

Note: eTaxi uses Filament (v3.3+) as the admin panel framework, which will be automatically installed via Composer.

1. Download and Extract Files​

Download the eTaxi package and extract it to your web server directory (e.g., htdocs, public_html, or your domain folder).

2. Server Requirements & Extensions​

eTaxi requires specific PHP extensions to function properly. The installation process will check for these requirements automatically.

Required PHP Extensions:​

  • PHP 8.4+ (minimum version)
  • PDO - PHP Data Objects
  • PDO_MySQL - MySQL database driver
  • OpenSSL - For secure connections
  • Mbstring - Multibyte string handling
  • Tokenizer - Token parsing
  • XML - XML processing
  • Ctype - Character type checking
  • JSON - JSON encoding/decoding
  • BCMath - Arbitrary precision mathematics
  • Fileinfo - File information
  • GD or Imagick - Image processing
  • Zip - Archive handling
  • Curl - HTTP client

Note: The pdo_mysql extension is also required for database connectivity.

If PHP version is lower than 8.4 or any extension is not installed, it will be highlighted in Red color. You need to ensure that your server meets all requirements before proceeding.

3. Install Dependencies​

Open your terminal/command prompt and navigate to the project directory, then run:

# Install PHP dependencies (this includes Filament admin panel)
composer install

# Install Node.js dependencies (required for Filament assets)
npm install

Note: The composer install command will automatically install Filament (the admin panel framework) along with all other PHP dependencies. Filament is already included in the project's composer.json file.

Install Filament Admin Panel​

After installing dependencies, set up Filament:

# Install Filament admin panel (if not already installed)
php artisan filament:install --panels

# Or upgrade Filament to latest version
php artisan filament:upgrade

This will:

  • Publish Filament configuration files
  • Set up the admin panel structure
  • Create necessary directories and assets

4. Environment Configuration​

Copy the .env.example file to .env:

# On Linux/Mac
cp .env.example .env

# On Windows
copy .env.example .env

Edit the .env file and configure the following:

  • APP_NAME - Your application name
  • APP_ENV - Environment (local, staging, production)
  • APP_KEY - Application encryption key (generate using php artisan key:generate)
  • APP_DEBUG - Debug mode (true for development, false for production)
  • APP_URL - Your application URL

5. Permission Screen​

Make sure these folders have read & write permissions:

  • storage/ - For logs, cache, and uploaded files
  • storage/app/ - Application storage
  • storage/framework/ - Framework cache and sessions
  • storage/logs/ - Application logs
  • bootstrap/cache/ - Bootstrap cache files

Setting Permissions:​

On Linux/Mac:

chmod -R 775 storage bootstrap/cache
chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache

On Windows: Ensure the web server user has full control over these directories.

If permissions are not set correctly, assign these folders read & write permissions before proceeding.

6. Generate Application Key​

Generate the application encryption key:

php artisan key:generate

7. Create Database​

First, create a MySQL database for eTaxi. You can do this using phpMyAdmin, MySQL command line, or any database management tool.

Using MySQL Command Line:​

CREATE DATABASE etaxi_db CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

Using phpMyAdmin:​

  1. Log in to phpMyAdmin
  2. Click on "New" to create a new database
  3. Enter database name: etaxi_db
  4. Select collation: utf8mb4_unicode_ci
  5. Click "Create"

8. Database Configuration​

Configure your database connection in the .env file:

DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=etaxi_db
DB_USERNAME=your_username
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

Note:

  • Replace etaxi_db with your actual database name
  • Replace your_username and your_password with your MySQL credentials
  • If using a remote database, update DB_HOST accordingly

9. Database Connection Status​

Test your database connection:

php artisan migrate:status

If the connection is successful, you'll see the migration status. If there are errors, verify your database credentials in the .env file.

10. Run Database Migrations​

Create the database tables:

php artisan migrate

11. Seed Database (Optional)​

Populate the database with initial data:

php artisan db:seed

This will create:

  • Default admin user
  • Initial settings
  • Sample data (if seeders are configured)

12. Build Frontend Assets​

Compile the Filament admin panel assets. This step is essential for the admin panel to work correctly:

# For development (with hot reload)
npm run dev

# For production (optimized build)
npm run build

Important: The Filament admin panel requires these assets to be compiled. Without this step, the admin panel interface will not load properly.

13. Configure Additional Services​

Pusher Configuration (for Real-time Features)​

Add to your .env file:

BROADCAST_DRIVER=pusher
PUSHER_APP_ID=your_app_id
PUSHER_APP_KEY=your_app_key
PUSHER_APP_SECRET=your_app_secret
PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER=your_cluster

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)​

Add to your .env file:

FCM_SERVER_KEY=your_fcm_server_key
FCM_PROJECT_ID=your_fcm_project_id
FCM_MESSAGING_SENDER_ID=your_sender_id

Google Maps API​

Add to your .env file:

GOOGLE_PLACES_API_KEY=your_places_api_key
GOOGLE_GEOCODING_API_KEY=your_geocoding_api_key

Payment Gateways​

Configure payment gateway credentials:

RAZORPAY_KEY=your_razorpay_key
RAZORPAY_SECRET=your_razorpay_secret
STRIPE_KEY=your_stripe_key
STRIPE_SECRET=your_stripe_secret
PAYTM_MERCHANT_ID=your_paytm_merchant_id
PAYTM_MERCHANT_KEY=your_paytm_merchant_key

14. Final Installation Screen​

If everything is configured successfully, your eTaxi admin panel has been installed successfully!

Access the Admin Panel​

Navigate to: http://your-domain.com/admin

Default Admin Credentials​

After running the database seeder, you can login with:

  • Email: admin@etaxi.com (or as configured in seeder)
  • Password: password (or as configured in seeder)

Important: Change the default password immediately after first login!

15. Post-Installation Steps​

Clear Cache​

php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan route:clear
php artisan view:clear

Optimize for Production​

php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache
php artisan optimize

Set Up Queue Worker​

For background job processing, set up a queue worker:

php artisan queue:work

Or configure a supervisor/cron job to run it automatically.

Set Up WebSocket Server (Optional)​

For real-time features, start the WebSocket server:

php artisan websocket:serve --port=6001

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Permission Denied Errors

    • Ensure storage and bootstrap/cache folders have write permissions
    • Check file ownership on Linux/Mac

  2. Database Connection Failed

    • Verify database credentials in .env
    • Ensure MySQL/MariaDB server is running
    • Check if database exists (create it if it doesn't)
    • Verify MySQL user has proper permissions
    • Check if pdo_mysql extension is enabled in PHP

  3. Composer Install Fails

    • Check PHP version (must be 8.4+)
    • Verify all required PHP extensions are installed
    • Check internet connection for package downloads

  4. NPM Install Fails

    • Ensure Node.js is installed (version 16+ recommended)
    • Clear npm cache: npm cache clean --force

  5. Admin Panel Not Loading

    • Run php artisan filament:upgrade
    • Clear all caches
    • Rebuild assets: npm run build

Next Steps​

After successful installation:

  1. Configure Settings - Set up your platform settings in the admin panel
  2. Add Cities & Zones - Configure service areas
  3. Set Up Ride Types - Configure available vehicle types
  4. Configure Fare Settings - Set up pricing for different ride types
  5. Set Up Payment Gateways - Configure payment methods
  6. Add Admin Users - Create additional admin accounts
  7. Configure API Keys - Set up Google Maps, FCM, and other services

For detailed configuration guides, refer to other sections of this documentation.