Install ClientFence on your server

The web installer sets up your database and first admin account. Check the server requirements first.

Install

In your hosting panel or database tool, create a MySQL or MariaDB database and a user with full rights on it. Keep the connection details for the installer.

Choose Hosting control panel (no SSH) or SSH / terminal to put the files on your server. Both paths use the same web installer.

Hosting control panel

1. Open Download ClientFence and download the ZIP.

   https://clientfence.com/download/

2. Open File Manager and go to the document root for your domain or subdomain.

3. Upload and extract the ZIP there. Confirm index.php, install/ and .htaccess are directly in the document root. Enable Show hidden files if your file manager hides .htaccess.

4. Remove the uploaded ZIP from the document root and continue to the web installer.

SSH

1. Sign in as the website user. If you signed in as root on Enhance, switch to the website user first. Replace username with your website’s system username.

   su - username

2. Download the latest stable release to your home directory.

   wget -O ~/clientfence.zip https://clientfence.com/download/latest.zip

3. Once the download finishes, go to your domain or subdomain’s document root. Replace ~/public_html if your host uses a different path.

   cd ~/public_html

4. Once you’re in the document root, extract the ZIP.

   unzip ~/clientfence.zip

5. List the files, including hidden ones.

   ls -la

   Confirm index.php, install/ and .htaccess are directly in the document root and continue to the web installer.

Run the web installer

Open the installer in your browser. Replace billing.example.com with your domain or subdomain.

https://billing.example.com/install/

1. License Agreement. Read and accept the licence, then select Next.

2. System Requirements. Confirm the server meets the basic requirements and select Next. The screen flags optional extensions separately.

   

   Check the results before continuing to Database Connection.

3. Database Connection. Enter the hostname, port, database name, username, and password for the database you created. Use the connection details from your host, then select Next.

   

   Enter the details for your database. This example uses the hostname db.

4. Admin Account. Enter your name, email address, and a strong password for the first admin account, then select Next.

   

   Use this account to sign in to the admin area after installation.

5. Options. Confirm your default billing currency and the public ClientFence URL. Use your own domain or subdomain in this address. Select Install and wait for Installation Completed.

   https://billing.example.com/

   

   Use the address customers and staff will use to reach your installation.

Installation Completed shows the final checks and the link to your admin dashboard.

After the install

1. Use File Manager or your shell to remove the install folder if it is still there. Restrict write access to config.php and keep it readable by PHP.

2. Select Admin Dashboard on the completion screen or open your site’s admin URL. Quick setup walks you through the basics.

   https://billing.example.com/admin

3. Set up scheduled tasks using your hosting panel or SSH.

Back up your configuration file

Keep a secure, encrypted backup of config.php off the server. It contains the secret needed to decrypt stored credentials and settings. Database backups do not include this file, and those encrypted values cannot be recovered from the database alone if the secret is lost. See Database backups.

Set up scheduled tasks

In ClientFence, open System → Settings → Scheduled Tasks and find Recommended Schedule. Use the cron.php path shown there and the same PHP version your website runs.

Hosting control panel scheduler

Set the job to run every five minutes (*/5 * * * *). If your panel has a separate command field, enter the PHP command with the path from Recommended Schedule.

php /path/to/clientfence/cron.php

Enhance

Open your website in Enhance and go to Advanced → Developer tools → Cron jobs. Use the control panel to schedule the job even if you installed over SSH. crontab -e may be unavailable in the website user’s shell by default, including after su - username.

SSH crontab

If your host provides user crontabs, run crontab -e as the website user and add the full line from Recommended Schedule.

*/5 * * * * php /path/to/clientfence/cron.php

After five minutes, confirm Last Scheduled Execution shows a recent run. See Scheduled tasks for troubleshooting.

Before opening sales, confirm the client sign-in page loads and check System Health.