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Comprehensive DeployHQ Guide for ExpressionEngine

Introduction

ExpressionEngine (EE) is a flexible, secure, and powerful content management system built on CodeIgniter PHP framework. It's known for its robust features, including: - Custom fields and content types - Template engine with variables and conditionals - Built-in member management - Multiple site manager - Extensive add-on ecosystem - Strong security features

1. Set Up ExpressionEngine Project

Method A: Using Downloaded Version

1- Download ExpressionEngine from expressionengine.com 2- Create a database for your project 3- Unzip the downloaded files 4- Initial file structure setup:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial ExpressionEngine setup"

Method B: Using Repository

1- Create a database for your project 2- Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/ExpressionEngine/ExpressionEngine.git your-project-name
cd your-project-name

3- Create empty config file:

touch system/user/config/config.php

4- Configure installation mode in .env.php:

define('EE_INSTALL_MODE', TRUE);

For Both Methods

Create .gitignore file:

/system/user/cache/*
/system/user/config/config.php
/images/avatars/*
/images/captchas/*
/images/member_photos/*
/images/pm_attachments/*
/images/uploads/*
/themes/user/*
.env
.env.php
vendor/
node_modules/

File Permissions

chmod 666 system/user/config/config.php
chmod -R 777 system/user/cache/
chmod -R 777 images/uploads/

Initial Installation

  1. Access /admin.php in your browser
  2. Follow the Installation Wizard steps:
    • Database configuration
    • Admin account creation
    • Site preferences setup

Post-Installation

  1. Change EEINSTALLMODE back to FALSE in .env.php
  2. Remove install.php
  3. Secure file permissions

2. Set Up DeployHQ

  1. Create account at deployhq.com
  2. Create new project
  3. Connect Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or custom)

3. Configure Deployment in DeployHQ

Server Setup

  1. Go to "Servers & Groups"
  2. Add new server:
    • Choose protocol (SFTP/SSH recommended)
    • Enter server details (hostname, username, password/key)
    • Set deployment path
    • Configure deployment settings

4. Environment Configuration

Create system/user/config/config.php.example:

<?php
$config['app_version'] = '7.0.0';
$config['database'] = array(
    'hostname' => '{{DB_HOST}}',
    'database' => '{{DB_NAME}}',
    'username' => '{{DB_USER}}',
    'password' => '{{DB_PASS}}',
    'dbprefix' => 'exp_'
);
$config['site_url'] = '{{SITE_URL}}';
$config['encryption_key'] = '{{ENCRYPTION_KEY}}';

5. Build Pipeline Configuration

Create .deploybuild.yaml:

build_languages:
  - name: "php"
    version: "8.0"
  - name: "node"
    version: "16"

build_commands:
  - description: "Install Dependencies"
    command: |
      composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader
      npm ci
      npm run build
    halt_on_error: true

build_cache_files:
  - path: node_modules/**
  - path: vendor/**

6. Deployment Hooks

Configure post-deployment commands:

#!/bin/bash
php system/ee/cli/cli.php cache:clear
chmod -R 755 system/user/cache/
chmod -R 755 images/uploads/

7. Server Environment Setup

Requirements

  • PHP 7.4+ (8.0+ recommended)
  • MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.2+
  • Apache/Nginx
  • PHP Extensions: curl, gd2, mbstring, xml

Nginx Configuration

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    root /path/to/ee;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.0-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }

    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
}

8. Database Setup

  • Create MySQL database
  • Note credentials for environment variables
  • Consider using database migration tools
  • Ensure proper character set (utf8mb4) and collation (utf8mb4unicodeci)

9. Deployment Process

  1. Push changes to repository: 
git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message"
git push origin main
  1. Deploy through DeployHQ interface:
    • Select branch to deploy
    • Review changes
    • Click "Deploy Now"
  2. Monitor deployment logs for any issues

10. ExpressionEngine Installation

After first deployment:

  1. Verify file permissions
  2. Access admin.php
  3. Complete installation wizard:
    • Database configuration
    • Create admin account
    • Configure site settings
  4. Initial setup tasks:
    • Configure template groups
    • Set up channels and fields
    • Configure member groups

11. Post-Installation

  1. Enable SSL/TLS
  2. Set up cron jobs: 
*/5 * * * * php /path/to/ee/system/ee/cli/cli.php tasks:run
  1. Configure email settings:
    • SMTP settings
    • Email templates
    • Email notification preferences
  2. Set up backup strategy:
    • Database backups
    • File system backups
    • Backup scheduling

12. Continuous Deployment

Automatic Deployments

  1. Configure webhook URLs
  2. Set up branch-specific deployments
  3. Configure deployment triggers

Deployment Workflow

  1. Set up deployment approval process
  2. Configure notification settings:
    • Email notifications
    • Slack integration
    • Discord webhooks
  3. Enable deployment rollback options

13. Performance Optimization

Server-side Optimization

  1. Enable PHP OpCache: 
opcache.enable=1
opcache.memory_consumption=128
opcache.interned_strings_buffer=8
opcache.max_accelerated_files=4000
opcache.revalidate_freq=60
  1. Implement Caching:
    • Configure Redis/Memcached
    • Set up static file caching
    • Enable browser caching

Content Delivery

  1. Configure CDN for static assets:
    • Images
    • CSS/JS files
    • Downloads
  2. Enable GZip compression
  3. Implement lazy loading for images

14. Security Measures

File Permissions

find . -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find . -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
chmod -R 777 system/user/cache/
chmod -R 777 images/uploads/

Security Configuration

  1. Enable two-factor authentication
  2. Configure IP access restrictions
  3. Set up security headers:
    • CORS policies
    • CSP headers
    • X-Frame-Options

Regular Maintenance

  1. Update ExpressionEngine core
  2. Update add-ons
  3. Monitor security logs
  4. Perform security audits

15. Add-on Management

Version Control

  1. Track add-ons in Git
  2. Document add-on dependencies
  3. Manage add-on configurations

License Management

  1. Store license keys securely
  2. Track license renewals
  3. Document add-on purchases

16. Monitoring and Maintenance

Uptime Monitoring

  1. Set up monitoring service
  2. Configure alert thresholds
  3. Set up status page

Performance Monitoring

  1. Configure error logging
  2. Set up performance metrics
  3. Monitor resource usage

Database Maintenance

  1. Regular optimization: sql OPTIMIZE TABLE exp_channels, exp_channel_data, exp_members;
  2. Index management
  3. Query performance monitoring

Backup Strategy

  1. Daily database backups
  2. Weekly full site backups
  3. Offsite backup storage
  4. Backup testing and verification

17. Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Permission problems:

    • Check file ownership
    • Verify directory permissions
    • Review upload directory access

  2. Cache-related issues:

    • Clear EE cache
    • Purge server cache
    • Reset browser cache

  3. Database connectivity:

    • Verify credentials
    • Check database server status
    • Review connection settings

Debug Mode

  1. Enable debug mode in config: php $config['debug'] = '1';
  2. Monitor system logs
  3. Use development tools

18. Documentation

Project Documentation

  1. Maintain README.md
  2. Document custom configurations
  3. Keep deployment procedures updated

Developer Guidelines

  1. Coding standards
  2. Git workflow
  3. Deployment checklist

Remember to adjust these configurations and procedures based on your specific needs and requirements. Always refer to the official ExpressionEngine documentation for the most up-to-date information.

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