Version 4 supported
This version of Silverstripe CMS is still supported though will not receive any additional features. Go to documentation for the most recent stable version.

Getting started

Server requirements

Silverstripe requires PHP 7.4 or newer. It runs on many webservers and databases, but is most commonly served using Apache and MySQL/MariaDB.

If you are setting up your own environment, you'll need to consider a few configuration settings such as URL rewriting and protecting access to certain files. Refer to our server requirements for details.

Quickstart installation

If you're running Apache with MySQL/MariaDB already, and know your way around webservers, follow these steps to get started. Silverstripe is installed via Composer, a package management tool for PHP that lets you install and upgrade the framework and other modules. Assuming you've got this tool, run the following command to install Silverstripe:

composer create-project silverstripe/installer my-project

Within the newly created my-project folder, point your webserver at the public/ folder.

Now create a .env file your project root (not the public/ folder). It sets up the minimum required environment variables. Replace the placeholders as required:

SS_DATABASE_CLASS="MySQLDatabase"
SS_DATABASE_NAME="<database>"
SS_DATABASE_SERVER="localhost"
SS_DATABASE_USERNAME="<user>"
SS_DATABASE_PASSWORD="<password>"
SS_DEFAULT_ADMIN_USERNAME="admin"
SS_DEFAULT_ADMIN_PASSWORD="password"
SS_ENVIRONMENT_TYPE="<dev|test|live>"

Now you should be able to build your database by running this command:

vendor/bin/sake dev/build

Your website should be available on your domain now (e.g. http://localhost). The CMS login can be accessed at /admin.

For more information on how to maintain your installation or install projects, check out Using Silverstripe with Composer.

Guided installation

If you are unsure on how this all works, please jump on our lessons. Webserver setup is covered in Lesson 4: Setting up a local dev environment.

Keep learning

Server Requirements
What you will need to run Silverstripe CMS on a web server
Composer
What is composer and how to use it with Silverstripe CMS
Environment Management
How to configure your server environment for Silverstripe CMS
Directory Structure
An overview of what each directory contains in a Silverstripe CMS installation
Recipes
What Recipes are, and how they are used in Silverstripe CMS

Troubleshooting

If you run into trouble, see the Tips & Tricks forum or get help on our Slack channel.