Recently, many newcomers have been asking me for the setup tutorial for SeyouCMS. With the recent update to version 16, I have built 6 sites after using it, and it’s simply amazing! If it weren't for the Pacific Ocean in between, I would really want to meet the author in person!
Such a great CMS definitely deserves a few hours of my time to write a detailed tutorial to share with you.
SeyouCMS Demo Site#
Introduction to SeyouCMS#
I have written a separate article introducing SeyouCMS. Newbies are advised to read this article first: “SeyouCMS, a free X-site program integrating over a dozen resource sites with more than 200,000 resources”
Without further ado, let’s get into the practical steps.
Download the Source Code#
The source code for SeyouCMS can be found in the Telegram channel @sycms. Enter the channel and find the latest installation package. First, download it locally, enter the password to unzip it, and then re-compress it into a zip file, because password-protected zip files cannot be unzipped in the Baota panel.
Basic Environment#
This tutorial is based on the Baota panel (international version). The interface is in English, which doesn’t affect anything; just follow along, it’s very simple, so don’t worry. If you encounter anything you don’t understand, you can use a web translator.
The basic environment for the panel is: Nginx 1.22.1 + PHP7.4 + MySQL 5.7.44 (SeyouCMS does not require a database, so this can actually be skipped).
Create a New Website#
After setting up the Baota panel and installing the basic environment, click on Website on the left and select Add site.
At this point, a window will pop up. Enter your domain name in the Domain name field, and check the box below for Apply for SSL (install SSL certificate to change your website from http to https; before doing this step, the domain must be resolved to the server's IP address in advance. If there’s an error at this step, you can uncheck it for now and install the certificate later), then click the green Submit button, and a new website will be created.
Upload the Source Code#
After creating the website, click to enter the root directory of the website.
Once inside, select the following files, then click more on the right, and choose Del to delete these files.
These files are automatically generated by Baota after you create the website and are not useful. The first folder is for SSL certificate renewal and does not need to be deleted. If you haven’t applied for an SSL certificate, this folder will not exist.
Clicking Del will bring up a confirmation window; click confirm to proceed.
Select Upload
(You will notice that there is still one file that hasn’t been deleted; you can ignore it.)
A window will pop up; move your mouse to the blue Upload file button, and two options will appear. Choose the first one, then find the re-packaged SeyouCMS zip file on your local machine.
(The first option is to upload files, and the second option is to upload folders. Generally, we package the source code into a zip file before uploading for convenience and to avoid losing files.)
After selecting the zip file, click Upload in the bottom right corner.
After uploading, it will look like this; select the X in the upper right corner to close it.
Then move your mouse to the far right of the zip file and select Unzip to extract it.
After extraction, it will look like this.
Modify PHP Configuration#
In the Baota panel, find App Store on the left, then locate PHP7.4 on the right and select Setting.
On the left, find FPM Profile, and in the 21st line on the right, change the number after “**request_terminate_timeout = **” to 9999. After making the change, click the green Save button.
Then click on the first line Service on the left and select Restart to restart PHP7.4.
Download Website Data#
In your browser, enter your website domain name. After entering the site, a prompt will appear indicating that data is being downloaded. Do not close this page; wait for it to finish downloading.
Set Up Website Backend#
In the Baota backend, enter the root directory of the website and find the admin folder. Select it, then choose Rename on the right to rename this folder. As long as the folder name does not contain ad, admin, min, etc., you can set it to any other combination of letters and numbers; just make sure to remember it! I will set it to 123.
Open a new browser window and go to your domain + the name you set for the folder, for example, mine is https://666ym.net/123
Set a backend password; the more complex, the better, then submit. You can also use the automatically generated password below; just make sure to save it.
After setting the password, you will be automatically redirected, then enter the password to access the website backend.
Backend Settings#
- The website name and homepage title can be the same;
- The website description and keywords can also be the same as the title. You can fill in other content if you want to be more thoughtful. For basic SEO knowledge, if you don’t understand, search for “how to fill in website description and keywords,” or you can ask ChatGPT to write one for you.
- For the statistics code, just copy and paste the code from your statistics platform.
- The other areas can generally be left as default.
Template Settings#
Each template has a different style, and the settings in the backend will vary when using different templates. Here, I will take the default 001 template as an example.
The settings in the backend, such as LOGO, permanent address, APP address, etc., correspond to those on the template. Just find the corresponding settings and fill in your information.
Ad Settings#
The ad positions vary by template, so you can choose a template based on your needs.
Generally, banners, icons, and bottom floats are used for CPA, CPS, and direct ads from advertisers. Just input the image address and redirect address. You can also enter an expiration date, so if you forget, the ad will automatically go offline.
The site-wide JS is for the ad network code. Usually, after registering with an ad network and getting your website approved, you will receive a string of code to copy and paste here.
Link Settings#
Here you can fill in the friendly links for the navigation site, or it can be used for text ads.
By the way, you can also help promote this site for free. Link text: X Site Owner, website link: https://xzhan.xlog.app/
Domain Settings#
Here comes the key point! This is currently the only free set in the world, globally, and universally, with multi-domain redirection! An amazing X-site CMS!
This feature allows you to add multiple domains and set up domain redirection according to your settings, which is a godsend for friends making domestic sites!
However, I do not make domestic sites, so I cannot explain the settings. The author has written methods to prevent domains from being blocked in the channel, please check the Telegram channel @sycms.
System Settings#
The system settings can generally be left as default. If you want to create a site cluster like me, just modify the data storage location and load protection as needed.
Security Settings#
This is where you can change the backend password. It is recommended to set a strong password with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers to avoid being brute-forced.
Conclusion#
That’s it; the tutorial is complete. It may seem complicated, but it’s actually very simple to operate.
Newbies are advised to buy a small machine to try setting up a site first, initially connecting to some CPA, CPS, and ad networks, and promoting it to test the waters.