A store on your own computer teaches you everything except selling. Going live is a short, ordered job: hosting, files, database, domain, HTTPS, then one real test order. This page keeps that order and adds the safety steps that separate a shop from a demo.
Launch day fails in predictable places: the domain points at the wrong folder, the database password differs on the server, or the site opens but every link still says localhost. All of them come from rushing the move. The move itself is just three copies — files, database, and settings — done in the order below, followed by an honest test order where you behave like a stranger buying from your own shop. Security is part of going live, not a later extra, so updates, passwords and backups are covered here too.
Launch checklist for a small store. The last box is the one people skip and regret — a test order you place and refund yourself proves payments, emails and invoices in one pass.
Bagisto needs what Laravel needs: a current PHP 8.x with the standard extensions, MySQL or MariaDB, and the ability to point a domain at a subfolder. Shared hosting is a legitimate start for a small catalogue and low traffic, and it is the cheapest honest option; move to a VPS when the store slows down or you need full control. The one requirement to verify before paying is the PHP version selector — hosting stuck on an old PHP cannot run current Bagisto, and no setting inside Bagisto can change that.
public folder — never at the project root, which would expose private files..env: the server's database name, user and password, and APP_URL set to your real domain with https.php artisan optimize:clear and php artisan storage:link on the server, then open the store.Customers will not type card or address details into a page the browser calls Not Secure, and gateways may refuse a non-HTTPS store. Most hosts offer a free certificate (commonly through Let's Encrypt) that you enable in the hosting panel; after it is active, set the store to use https everywhere so no page slips back to plain http. Check both the storefront and the admin login under https — the admin panel is where your whole business is controlled, and it deserves the padlock most of all.
Going live makes three habits mandatory. Passwords: the admin account gets a long unique password, extra admin users are created only for people who truly need them, and the database password is never reused anywhere else. Updates: when a new Bagisto or PHP version arrives, back up files and database first, test the update on a copy of the store, and only then update the live shop — an update applied blind on a Friday evening is how weekends die. Backups: schedule regular copies of both the database and the uploaded files, keep at least one copy outside the hosting account, and actually restore one once, because a backup you have never tested is a hope, not a backup.
Watch the video to see the store before launch, then follow this page to publish it.
Watch Full VideoYes, while traffic is modest. Shared hosting runs Bagisto fine for a small catalogue. Move to a VPS when pages slow down at busy times, when you need server-level control, or when the host's PHP limits start blocking updates.
The APP_URL value in the server's .env file is still the local address. Set it to your real https domain and run php artisan optimize:clear so Laravel rebuilds its cached configuration.
Yes. The free certificates hosts provide, commonly via Let's Encrypt, give the same browser padlock and encryption as paid ones for a normal store. What matters is that it is installed, auto-renews, and the whole site including admin runs over https.