OrangeHRM Server Setup

Check the Requirements First

OrangeHRM is a PHP web application, so the server underneath it needs a standard web stack: Apache as the web server, PHP, and MySQL or MariaDB as the database. The installer wizard itself takes minutes — preparing that stack is the real work.

The machine does not need to be powerful. A PC that stays switched on during office hours is honestly enough for a small team, but it should be a machine that stays in one place, is physically secure and gets backed up — not somebody's daily laptop.

Route A — Windows with XAMPP

If your office lives on Windows, this is the fastest route. Install XAMPP from its official site — it bundles Apache, MySQL and PHP together — and start Apache and MySQL from the XAMPP control panel.

Download the OrangeHRM Starter zip from the official OrangeHRM website and extract it into the XAMPP web folder:

C:\xampp\htdocs\orangehrm

Route B — Linux with a LAMP Stack

For a dedicated server that should run for years with fewer moving parts, use Linux. Install Apache, MariaDB (or MySQL) and PHP with the extensions OrangeHRM needs, then download OrangeHRM from the official website and extract it into the Apache web folder:

/var/www/html/orangehrm

Make sure the web server owns that folder and can write to it — the installer's system check tests folder writability and will stop you if it is wrong. Restart Apache after changing anything, then continue to the database step, which is the same on both routes.

Create the Database and Its Own User

Before opening the installer, create an empty database for OrangeHRM — for example named orangehrm — in phpMyAdmin (Windows) or your MySQL/MariaDB client (Linux), and create a dedicated database user with a real password and full rights on that database only.

Open the Web Installer and Pass the System Check

Everything from here happens in the browser. Open the installer at:

http://localhost/orangehrm

On another office PC, use the server's name or IP address in place of localhost. The wizard opens with a welcome and licence screen, then runs its system check — PHP version, PHP extensions, database connection and writable folders. Every line should pass. If something is flagged, fix that item (install the named extension, correct the folder permissions) rather than forcing ahead; the check exists because the software genuinely breaks when a check fails.

Database Settings and the Admin Account

On the database configuration screen, enter the host (usually localhost), the database name and the dedicated user you created in Step 4 — not the root account. Next the wizard asks you to create the first admin user. This account controls the whole system: every employee record, every salary field, every leave approval.

On the confirmation screen the wizard builds the database tables. Let it finish without closing the tab.

First Login and the First Settings

Log in with the admin account you just created and confirm the dashboard loads. First, log out and back in once, so you know the credentials work. Then set your company name under Admin → Organization → General Information, so the system carries your office's name from day one.

Add Employee Records and Set Up Leave

With the system running, add your people. Employee records live in the PIM module — add staff one by one, or import a staff list from CSV using the sample file from PIM → Data Import, whose header row is the exact format your file must match. Give every employee their own ESS (self-service) login so they can see their own records and apply for leave themselves; admin accounts stay separate and few.

Then set up leave in the Leave module: define your leave types, add each employee's entitlement for the year, and the daily flow takes care of itself — employees apply, their supervisors approve, and admins see everything.

Secure It Like HR Data Deserves

An HR system holds the most personal data in the office — names, addresses, documents, leave and salary-related records. Treat the server accordingly:

Back up two things together: the database (the records) and the OrangeHRM folder's uploaded files (document attachments) — either one alone is an incomplete restore. Keep the copies somewhere other than the server itself, keep the stack updated, and review who holds an admin account whenever someone leaves the office.