Recently, many newcomers have been asking me for a tutorial on setting up SeyouCMS. With the recent update to version 16, I’ve built six 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 all.
SeyouCMS Demo Site#
Introduction to SeyouCMS#
I have written a separate article introducing SeyouCMS. Newbies are advised to take a look at 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 something 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 Site#
After setting up the Baota panel and installing the basic environment, click on Website on the left, and select Add site.
A window will pop up at this time. Enter your domain name in the Domain name field, then check the box for Apply for SSL (install SSL certificate to change your site from http to https; before doing this, 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 site will be created.
Upload the Source Code#
After creating the site, click to enter the root directory of the site.
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 site 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, then this folder won’t exist.
Clicking Del will pop up a confirmation window; click confirm to confirm.
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 will package the source code into a zip file before uploading, which is convenient and quick, and it’s less likely to lose files.)
After selecting the zip file, click the Upload button in the lower 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#
On the left side of the Baota panel, find App Store, then on the right side find PHP7.4 and select Setting.
On the left side, 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 on the left, Service, 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 download on its own.
Set Up Website Backend#
In the Baota backend, enter the root directory of the site and find the admin folder. After selecting it, 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 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 enter 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 password automatically generated by the program below; just make sure to save it.
After setting the password, it will automatically redirect, and 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; if you want to be more thoughtful, you can fill in other content separately. Basic SEO knowledge; if you don’t understand, search for “how to fill in website description and keywords,” or ask ChatGPT to write one for you.
- For the statistics code, just copy and paste the code from your statistics platform here.
- The other areas can be left as default.
Template Settings#
Each template style is different, and the settings in the backend will also vary with 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 differ for each 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 input an expiration date, so if you forget, the ad will automatically be taken down.
Site-wide JS is for the ad network code. Generally, after registering with an ad network and having your site 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, and it can also be used for text ads.
By the way, you can also 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 those making domestic sites!
However, I do not make domestic sites, so I cannot explain the settings. The author has written methods to prevent domain blocking 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.
I recommend beginners to buy a small machine and try setting up a site first, initially connecting with some CPA, CPS, and ad networks, and promoting it to test the waters.