Install Joomla on Enhance (One-Click)

6 min read

Joomla is one of the applications supported by Enhance’s one-click installer. If your GoZen VPS or cloud plan runs on the Enhance control panel, Enhance creates the database and installs the files for you, and you finish the setup in a few short steps.

Prerequisites link

Before installing Joomla, make sure you have:

• A website already created in Enhance (see Enhance Control Panel Guide if you haven’t done this)
• Your domain’s DNS pointing to your Enhance server (see Pointing Your Domain to Your Server)
• SSL is handled automatically - Enhance provisions Let’s Encrypt certificates once DNS resolves

Step 1: Open the Applications Page link

1. Log into your Enhance control panel
2. Click Websites in the left sidebar
3. Select the domain where you want Joomla installed
4. Click the Apps tab in the top navigation

If the site is fresh, you’ll see “No applications” with the option to install one.

Step 2: Install Joomla link

1. Click the Install app button
2. Select Joomla from the application list
3. Fill in the short form if one appears, then click Install

What Enhance Sets Up link

When you click Install, Enhance:

• Downloads the latest stable Joomla release
• Creates a MySQL database and database user with a secure password
• Sets file and directory permissions
• Installs Joomla to your site’s document root

Within a few seconds Joomla appears on the Apps page as a card.

Step 3: Finish the Setup link

Depending on the Enhance version, the install form either asks for the site name and admin login, in which case Joomla is ready as soon as the card appears, or Joomla shows its own installer the first time you open the site (see Installing Apps on Enhance). If you see the installer, open your domain and work through its three screens:

Screen 1: Site Name link

• Site Name - your website’s name

Screen 2: Login Data link

• Admin Name - the name shown in the backend
• Admin Username - avoid admin for security
• Admin Password - use a strong, unique password
• Admin Email - for notifications and password recovery

Screen 3: Database Connection link

Enter the database details Enhance created (you’ll find them on the website’s Databases page):

• Database Type - MySQLi
• Host - usually localhost
• Database Name, Username, Password - as shown in Enhance

Click Install Joomla to finish.

Your Joomla admin panel is at yourdomain.com/administrator.

Step 4: Post-Install Configuration link

Choose the Right Web Server link

The web server is chosen per Enhance server and applies to every site on it. How each one handles Joomla:

If you rely on Joomla’s SEF (Search Engine Friendly) URLs and .htaccess rewrites, Apache is the safest choice. If you want maximum performance, OpenLiteSpeed works well with Joomla for most use cases.

Enable SEF URLs link

Search Engine Friendly URLs make your site’s links clean and readable:

1. Log into Joomla admin (/administrator)
2. Go to System > Global Configuration
3. Under the Site tab, find the SEO Settings section
4. Set Search Engine Friendly URLs to Yes
5. Set Use URL Rewriting to Yes (if on Apache or OpenLiteSpeed)
6. Click Save

Set Your PHP Version link

Joomla has specific PHP requirements depending on the version:

Joomla 4 is end of life and no longer gets security fixes, so upgrade any 4.x site. PHP 8.1 and older are end of life too.

To change PHP version in Enhance:

1. Go to Websites > select your domain
2. Go to Advanced > Developer Tools
3. Select your desired PHP version
4. Changes take effect within seconds

Configure Email link

If your Joomla site sends emails (contact forms, user registration, notifications):

1. Go to System > Global Configuration > Server tab

2. Under Mail Settings:

   • Send Mail: Yes
   • Mailer: SMTP
   • SMTP Host: Your Enhance mail server (usually mail.yourdomain.com)
   • SMTP Port: 465
   • SMTP Security: SSL/TLS
   • SMTP Authentication: Yes
   • SMTP Username/Password: Your email account credentials

3. Click Send Test Mail to verify it works

See Enhance Email Setup for creating email accounts.

Post-Install Checklist link

• Complete the Joomla setup wizard
• Remove the installation folder when prompted
• Enable SEF URLs in Global Configuration
• Set your site’s timezone in Global Configuration > Server
• Configure SMTP email settings
• Install a security extension (e.g., Admin Tools or RSFirewall)
• Set up Two-Factor Authentication on your Joomla admin
• Configure SPF/DKIM/DMARC for email deliverability
• Remove sample content (sample articles, modules, menu items)
• Update Joomla to the latest version if an update is available

Managing Your Joomla Installation link

Once installed, Joomla appears as a card on the Apps page in Enhance:

Updating Joomla link

Keep Joomla updated for security and features:

1. Log into Joomla admin (/administrator)
2. Go to System > Update > Joomla
3. If an update is available, click Install the Update

Essential Joomla Extensions link

Extensions worth considering:

Troubleshooting link

“Install app” button is missing link

Either the website hasn’t been created yet, or the software installer is disabled on your hosting package. Create the site first with Add website, then contact support if the button is still missing.

Joomla shows a database error after install link

1. Check the Databases tab in Enhance - is the database listed?
2. Try removing Joomla via the Applications page and reinstalling
3. If the issue persists, contact support

SEF URLs return 404 errors link

This usually means URL rewriting isn’t configured:

• Apache: Make sure Use URL Rewriting is set to Yes in Global Configuration. Joomla includes an htaccess.txt file - rename it to .htaccess
• Nginx/OpenLiteSpeed: URL rewrites are handled at the server level. If SEF URLs don’t work, contact support to verify the rewrite rules

The site shows “Not Secure” (no SSL) link

Enhance provisions SSL certificates automatically, but DNS must resolve to your server first. If you just pointed your domain, wait up to 24 hours. Check propagation at GoZen DNS Inspector.

Related Articles link

• Installing Apps on Enhance - the installer and which apps it offers
• Enhance Control Panel Guide - full guide to the Enhance dashboard
• cPanel vs Enhance - which control panel is right for you?
• Install WordPress on Enhance - WordPress one-click install guide
• Enhance Email Setup - configure email on Enhance
• Enhance SSL Certificates - how SSL works on Enhance