WebuildaLaravel Features

Platform Overview

WebuildaLaravel is a modern Product Hunt alternative built with Laravel. It provides a platform where startups, businesses, and makers can showcase their products, tools, and SaaS applications to gain visibility, feedback, and traction.

Admin Features

As an administrator of WebuildaLaravel, you have access to the following features:

• Dashboard: Overview of site statistics, recent products, users, and revenue
• User Management: View, edit, and manage all user accounts
• Product Management: Approve, edit, or delete submitted products
• Category Management: Create, edit, and organize product categories
• Featured Slots: Manage featured product slots and pricing
• Boost Packages: Configure product boost packages and pricing
• Payment Methods: Enable/disable and configure payment gateways
• Payment Transactions: View and manage all payment transactions
• Payout Requests: Process payout requests from users
• Page Management: Create and edit static pages (About, Terms, etc.)
• Site Settings: Configure general site settings, SEO, and appearance
• Email Templates: Customize email notifications sent by the system

User Features

Regular users of WebuildaLaravel can access the following features:

• User Registration: Create an account with email verification
• User Profile: Customize profile with photo and personal details
• Product Submission: Submit products with details, screenshots, and links
• Product Management: Edit or delete your submitted products
• Product Boost: Pay to boost your products for increased visibility
• Featured Slots: Purchase featured slots for premium placement
• Dashboard: View statistics for your submitted products
• Payment History: Track your payment transactions
• Payout Requests: Request payouts for your earnings
• Affiliate System: Earn commissions by referring new users

How It Works

1. Product Submission: Users submit their products with details, screenshots, and links
2. Admin Approval: Admins review and approve submitted products
3. Product Discovery: Approved products appear in the product listings
4. Product Promotion: Users can boost their products or purchase featured slots
5. User Engagement: Visitors can discover, view, and click through to products
6. Analytics: Product owners can track views, clicks, and engagement
7. Revenue Generation: The platform earns from boost packages and featured slots
8. Affiliate Marketing: Users can earn commissions by referring new users

WebuildaLaravel Requirements

Server Requirements

Before installing WebuildaLaravel, ensure your server meets the following requirements:

PHP Requirements

• PHP Version: 8.1 or higher
• Required PHP Extensions:
  • BCMath
  • Ctype
  • Fileinfo
  • JSON
  • Mbstring
  • OpenSSL
  • PDO
  • Tokenizer
  • XML
  • cURL
  • Zip
• PHP Memory Limit: 128MB or higher recommended
• PHP Max Execution Time: 30 seconds or higher recommended
• PHP Post Max Size: 64MB or higher recommended
• PHP Upload Max Filesize: 64MB or higher recommended

Database Requirements

• MySQL: Version 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
• Database Collation: utf8mb4_unicode_ci recommended
• Database Privileges: ALL PRIVILEGES required for installation

Web Server Requirements

• Apache: Version 2.4+ with mod_rewrite enabled
• Nginx: Version 1.16+ with proper rewrite rules
• .htaccess: Support for .htaccess files or equivalent Nginx configuration

Additional Requirements

• Composer: For dependency management
• Node.js & NPM: For asset compilation (optional for production)
• SSL Certificate: Recommended for secure payment processing

Directory Structure Requirements

The following directories must exist and have proper permissions (775):

• storage/framework/views
• storage/framework/cache/data
• storage/framework/sessions
• bootstrap/cache

Recommended Hosting Providers

WebuildaLaravel works well with the following hosting providers:

• DigitalOcean
• Vultr
• Linode
• AWS
• Google Cloud
• Hostinger
• SiteGround
• A2 Hosting
• DreamHost
• Any cPanel-based hosting with PHP 8.1+

MySQL Compatibility Notes

If you encounter any of these errors during installation:

• "Specified key was too long; max key length is 1000 bytes"
• "Invalid default value for timestamp columns"

WebuildaLaravel includes the following fix scripts:

• fix-mysql-key-length.php: Fixes key length issues
• fix-mysql-timestamp.php: Fixes timestamp issues
• fix-all-mysql-issues.php: Comprehensive fix for all MySQL compatibility issues

WebuildaLaravel Installation Guide

Version: 3.0
Author: KaseeMoka Brandcodes (GitHub)

About WebuildaLaravel

WebuildaLaravel is a modern Product Hunt alternative. It is a platform where startups, businesses, and makers can sign up, submit their startup tools, products, or SaaS, and get featured, discovered, and promoted. Users can pay to boost their products, get featured spots, and reach a wider audience. The platform is designed for easy deployment on shared hosting and cPanel environments, making it accessible for all kinds of users.

Project Tech Stack

• Framework: Laravel (PHP)
• Frontend: Blade templating, Tailwind CSS
• Payments: Stripe, Paystack (PayPal & Flutterwave coming soon)
• Database: MySQL or MariaDB
• Other: Composer, NPM, Laravel HTTP Client

Server Requirements

• PHP 8.1 or higher
• MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
• Required PHP Extensions: BCMath, Ctype, Fileinfo, JSON, Mbstring, OpenSSL, PDO, Tokenizer, XML, cURL, Zip
• Composer (for dependency management)
• Node.js & NPM (for asset compilation, optional for production)
• Web server: Apache, Nginx, or compatible

Default Admin Account

A default admin account is automatically created during the manual database import process:

• Email: [email protected]
• Password: password

Important: This is a full admin account with complete access to all features. Change the password immediately after your first login for security reasons.

Installation Steps

1. Downloading and Extracting the Script

1. Download the WebuildaLaravel script from your purchase source.
2. Extract the ZIP file to your local computer.
3. You'll see the main folder containing all the script files.

2. File Upload

1. Upload all files to your web server using FTP, SFTP, or your hosting file manager.
2. You can upload to the root directory (public_html) or a subdirectory.
3. If using a subdomain or addon domain, upload to its document root.

3. File Permissions

Set the correct permissions for these directories:

chmod -R 775 storage/
chmod -R 775 bootstrap/cache/

4. Database Setup

1. Log in to your hosting control panel (usually cPanel).
2. Find and click on MySQL Databases.
3. Create a new database (e.g., webuildalaravel).
4. Create a new database user with a strong password.
5. Add the user to the database with ALL PRIVILEGES.
6. Note down the database name, username, and password for later use.

5. Manual Database Import

1. Go to phpMyAdmin from your cPanel.
2. Select your newly created database from the left sidebar.
3. Click on the Import tab at the top.
4. Click Choose File and select the FULLwebuildalaravel.sql file from the ZIP File folder of your WebuildaLaravel installation.
5. Click Go at the bottom of the page to import the database schema.

6. Environment Configuration

1. Rename .env.example file to .env in your project root directory.
2. Open the .env file and update the following settings:

   APP_NAME="WebuildaLaravel"
   APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com
   DB_CONNECTION=mysql
   DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
   DB_PORT=3306
   DB_DATABASE=your_database_name
   DB_USERNAME=your_database_username
   DB_PASSWORD=your_database_password
   
   

3. Save the file.

7. Setting Up the Laravel Scheduler (Cron Job)

To enable scheduled tasks (such as email notifications, cleanups, and more), you need to set up the Laravel scheduler in cPanel:

1. Go to your cPanel dashboard.
2. Find and click on Cron Jobs.
3. Set the time to Every minute (use * * * * * for the timing).
4. In the command field, enter:

   cd /home/username/public_html && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1
   
   

   (Replace /home/username/public_html with the actual path to your WebuildaLaravel installation)
5. Click Add New Cron Job.

8. Payment Gateway Setup

• In the .env file, add your payment gateway credentials:

  # Stripe Configuration
  STRIPE_KEY=your_stripe_publishable_key
  STRIPE_SECRET=your_stripe_secret_key
  # Paystack Configuration
  PAYSTACK_PUBLIC_KEY=your_paystack_public_key
  PAYSTACK_SECRET_KEY=your_paystack_secret_key
  PAYSTACK_PAYMENT_URL=https://api.paystack.co
  PAYSTACK_MERCHANT_EMAIL=your_paystack_email
  
  

• Save the file.

9. First Login

1. Visit your website URL (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/login).
2. Log in using the default admin credentials
3. Immediately change the default password for security reasons.

Common Issues and Solutions

MySQL Compatibility Issues

If you encounter MySQL compatibility issues during installation, use the provided fix scripts:

• Key Length Issue: Run fix-mysql-key-length.php to add Schema::defaultStringLength(191) to the AppServiceProvider.
• Timestamp Issues: Run fix-mysql-timestamp.php to make timestamp columns nullable and add useCurrent() for start date columns.
• All MySQL Issues: Run fix-all-mysql-issues.php for a comprehensive fix of all MySQL compatibility issues.

Storage Path Issues

If you encounter "Please provide a valid cache path" error, ensure these directories exist with proper permissions:

• storage/framework/views
• storage/framework/cache/data
• storage/framework/sessions
• bootstrap/cache

500 Server Error

If you encounter a 500 server error after installation:

1. Check the Laravel log file at storage/logs/laravel.log.
2. Ensure all required PHP extensions are installed.
3. Verify file permissions are set correctly.
4. Confirm your .env file has the correct database credentials.

WebuildaLaravel Features

Admin Features

As an administrator of WebuildaLaravel, you have access to the following features:

• Dashboard: Overview of site statistics, recent products, users, and revenue
• User Management: View, edit, and manage all user accounts
• Product Management: Approve, edit, or delete submitted products
• Category Management: Create, edit, and organize product categories
• Featured Slots: Manage featured product slots and pricing
• Boost Packages: Configure product boost packages and pricing
• Payment Methods: Enable/disable and configure payment gateways
• Payment Transactions: View and manage all payment transactions
• Payout Requests: Process payout requests from users
• Page Management: Create and edit static pages (About, Terms, etc.)
• Site Settings: Configure general site settings, SEO, and appearance
• Email Templates: Customize email notifications sent by the system

User Features

Regular users of WebuildaLaravel can access the following features:

• User Registration: Create an account with email verification
• User Profile: Customize profile with photo and personal details
• Product Submission: Submit products with details, screenshots, and links
• Product Management: Edit or delete your submitted products
• Product Boost: Pay to boost your products for increased visibility
• Featured Slots: Purchase featured slots for premium placement
• Dashboard: View statistics for your submitted products
• Payment History: Track your payment transactions
• Payout Requests: Request payouts for your earnings
• Affiliate System: Earn commissions by referring new users

How It Works

1. Product Submission: Users submit their products with details, screenshots, and links
2. Admin Approval: Admins review and approve submitted products
3. Product Discovery: Approved products appear in the product listings
4. Product Promotion: Users can boost their products or purchase featured slots
5. User Engagement: Visitors can discover, view, and click through to products
6. Analytics: Product owners can track views, clicks, and engagement
7. Revenue Generation: The platform earns from boost packages and featured slots
8. Affiliate Marketing: Users can earn commissions by referring new users