Home Website Tools & Features

Website Tools & Features

Dennis Nind
By Dennis Nind
โ€ข 4 articles

How to Manage PHP Versions and Extensions

Your Eco Web Hosting account includes a powerful PHP Selector, powered by CloudLinux, which allows you to easily switch between PHP versions and enable or disable specific PHP extensions โ€” no need to edit configuration files manually. Whether you're troubleshooting compatibility issues, running a modern CMS like WordPress, or setting up a custom app, the PHP Selector gives you the flexibility you need. ๐Ÿ” First: Access Your Hosting Control Panel If you're not already logged in, start here: ๐Ÿ‘‰ How to Access Your Web Hosting Control Panel โš™๏ธ Accessing the PHP Selector 1. In the control panel dashboard, locate and click on Select PHP Version or PHP Selector 2. You'll be taken to the PHP management interface ๐Ÿ”„ Changing Your PHP Version 1. At the top of the PHP Selector page, youโ€™ll see a dropdown menu showing the current PHP version (e.g. 8.1, 8.2, etc.) 2. Click the dropdown and choose the PHP version your site or application requires 3. Click Apply (or Set as current, depending on your theme) โš ๏ธ Some websites or scripts may only work with specific PHP versions. If unsure, check your applicationโ€™s documentation or ask our support team. ๐Ÿงฉ Enabling or Disabling PHP Extensions Below the PHP version selector, you'll see a list of available PHP extensions (like pdo, mysqli, zip, curl, etc.). 1. Tick the checkbox next to each extension you want to enable 2. Untick any extensions you donโ€™t need 3. Changes are applied automatically, or you may see a Save button depending on the interface Common extensions for WordPress and popular apps include: - mysqli - pdo_mysql - zip - gd - intl - curl ๐Ÿ”ง Adjusting PHP Settings (Optional) Click on the Options or Switch to PHP Options tab (may appear as a link or tab depending on the theme). Here you can adjust common PHP settings like: - memory_limit - upload_max_filesize - post_max_size - max_execution_time - display_errors To change a setting: 1. Click the value next to it (e.g. change 128M to 256M) 2. Select or type your new value 3. Click Apply or Save These settings can help optimise performance for larger sites or specific applications. ๐Ÿงช Troubleshooting Tip If your website starts showing errors after a PHP version change: - Try switching back to a previously working version - Re-enable essential extensions - Clear any website or browser caches - If using WordPress, disable plugins via File Manager or FTP to isolate the issue

Last updated on Apr 30, 2025

Installing and Managing WordPress

WordPress is the worldโ€™s most popular website platform โ€” perfect for blogs, business sites, portfolios, and even eCommerce stores. With Eco Web Hosting, you can install and manage WordPress easily using the Softaculous App Installer built into your hosting control panel. This guide will walk you through setup and ongoing management. ๐Ÿ” First: Access Your Hosting Control Panel If you're not already logged in, start here: ๐Ÿ‘‰ How to Access Your Web Hosting Control Panel ๐Ÿš€ Installing WordPress Using Softaculous 1. In your hosting control panel, scroll down and click on WordPress under the Softaculous Apps Installer section 2. Click the Install Now button 3. Fill in the details for your site: Choose Installation URL - Select your domain (e.g. https://yourdomain.com) - Leave the "Directory" field empty if you want WordPress on the main site (if you enter blog, it installs to yourdomain.com/blog) Site Settings - Site Name: Your website title - Site Description: A short description or tagline - Enable Multisite (optional): Leave unchecked unless needed Admin Account - Set your WordPress admin username, password, and email - Use a strong password and a secure email address Choose Language - Select your preferred language for the WordPress dashboard Select Plugins (optional) - You can pre-install common plugins like Limit Login Attempts or Classic Editor 4. Click Install at the bottom Youโ€™ll see a progress bar, and within a few seconds your new WordPress site will be live. A success screen will show your admin URL (typically https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin). ๐Ÿงฐ Managing WordPress After Installation You can manage your WordPress site at any time from Softaculous > WordPress Manager: - Access your admin dashboard - Change your admin password - Manage backups and staging copies - Clone, move, or delete the installation - Set automatic WordPress, theme, or plugin updates ๐Ÿ”„ Keeping WordPress Updated Keeping WordPress up to date is essential for security and performance. Softaculous makes this easy: - Enable automatic updates during install or from the WordPress Manager - Or update manually from the WordPress admin dashboard (under Dashboard > Updates) ๐Ÿ›  Need to Clone, Stage, or Move a Site? From the WordPress Manager, you can also: - Clone your site to another domain or subdomain (e.g. for redesign work) - Create a staging site to test changes without affecting your live site - Backup or restore with one click These features are especially useful for developers and growing sites.

Last updated on Apr 30, 2025

Setting Up Automated Tasks (Cron Jobs)

Cron jobs allow you to schedule scripts or commands to run automatically on your hosting account โ€” for example, to trigger backups, send scheduled emails, or refresh data. If your website or application relies on regular background tasks, setting up a cron job ensures these tasks run reliably without manual intervention. ๐Ÿ” First: Access Your Hosting Control Panel If youโ€™re not already logged in, follow this guide: ๐Ÿ‘‰ How to Access Your Web Hosting Control Panel Once logged in, look for the Cron Jobs section. โž• Creating a Cron Job 1. In the control panel, click on Cron Jobs 2. Under Add New Cron Job, configure the following: โฒ Schedule You can manually enter values or use the dropdown presets. Each field defines when your script runs: - Minute (0โ€“59) - Hour (0โ€“23) - Day (1โ€“31) - Month (1โ€“12) - Weekday (0โ€“6, where 0 = Sunday) For example, to run a task every day at 3am: - Minute: 0 - Hour: 3 - Day: * - Month: * - Weekday: * Or use the preset dropdown for quick options like: - Once per day - Once per hour - Once per week ๐Ÿ’ป Command to Run This is the actual command or script you want to run. Common examples: PHP Script: /usr/local/bin/php /home/yourusername/domains/yourdomain.com/public_html/cron.php Wget (URL-based script): /usr/bin/wget -q -O /dev/null https://yourdomain.com/cron.php Curl (alternative to wget): /usr/bin/curl -s https://yourdomain.com/cron.php > /dev/null Make sure your script is: - Executable - Correctly located in your file structure - Capable of running in a non-browser environment (i.e., command line) ๐Ÿงช Testing a Cron Job - You can run the script manually via File Manager or a browser to confirm it works - After saving the job, wait for the scheduled time to see if it executes - For debugging, consider adding output to a log file: /usr/local/bin/php /home/yourusername/domains/yourdomain.com/public_html/cron.php >> /home/yourusername/cronlog.txt 2>&1 ๐Ÿ“Œ Managing Existing Cron Jobs - All saved cron jobs appear in a list below the form - You can Edit or Delete any cron job at any time - Review them periodically to remove unused or outdated jobs ๐Ÿ›ก Security Tip If you're triggering cron jobs using a public URL (e.g. cron.php), consider: - Adding a secret token in the URL - Blocking public access to the script via .htaccess or IP restriction

Last updated on Apr 30, 2025

Enabling and Managing Redis

Redis is a high-performance in-memory caching system that helps improve website speed and reduce server load โ€” especially for dynamic sites using platforms like WordPress, Magento, or Laravel. With Redis now available on our hosting platform, you can enable it in just a few clicks from within your hosting control panel. ๐Ÿ” Accessing the Hosting Control Panel If you're not already logged in, follow this guide: ๐Ÿ‘‰ How to Access Your Web Hosting Control Panel ๐Ÿš€ How to Enable Redis 1. From your hosting control panel dashboard, go to: Advanced Features > Redis 2. If Redis is currently disabled, youโ€™ll see a message: โ€œThis account has Redis disabled.โ€ 3. Click the green Enable button to activate Redis for your account Redis will now start automatically in the background using a secure Unix socket. ๐Ÿ“‚ Redis Socket Path Once enabled, Redis will be accessible via a Unix socket file located in your home directory: /home/yourusername/.redis/redis.sock Replace yourusername with your actual hosting username (visible in your control panelโ€™s account info section) ๐Ÿ”Œ Using Redis in Your Applications To connect Redis to your site or CMS: - Use the Unix socket path listed above instead of a host/port combination - For apps or plugins that require a port, use: Port: 0 This is especially useful for WordPress Redis caching plugins, Magento cache backends, and Laravel queue drivers. ๐Ÿ›  Troubleshooting & Tips - If your app isnโ€™t connecting, double-check the socket path and permissions - Some plugins may require manual configuration of the Redis path - To avoid excessive memory usage, set a TTL (time to live) or max memory usage in your application config - Redis is designed for short-term storage โ€” avoid storing large persistent data

Last updated on Apr 30, 2025