Putting your site online

Where your files go

Each domain on your account has its own folder, and its site is served from the public_html folder inside it:

/home/USERNAME/domains/your-domain.com/public_html

USERNAME is your account login, shown in your client area. An index.php or index.html file placed in public_html becomes your site's home page.

Uploading your files

Three paths lead to the same folder; choose the one that suits you.

The file manager

In the panel, File Manager: upload your files from your browser, including a .zip archive, which you extract on the spot. It is the quickest path for a few files.

Encrypted FTP (FTPS)

In an FTP program such as FileZilla:

Setting	Value
Protocol	FTP, with explicit TLS encryption (FTPS)
Host	your server's name, for example web1.simafri.cloud
Port	21
Login	your account login, or an FTP account created in FTP Management
Password	the panel's, or the FTP account's

TLS encryption protects your password and your files during the transfer; in FileZilla, choose Require explicit FTP over TLS. An FTP account created in FTP Management takes the form name@your-domain.com and can be limited to one folder, for a contractor for example.

SSH and SFTP

SSH access uses a key, which you add in the panel:

1. No key yet? On your computer, run ssh-keygen -t ed25519, then open the file ending in .pub: that is your public key.
2. In the panel, open SSH Keys, then paste your public key.
3. Connect:

ssh USERNAME@web1.simafri.cloud

The same key opens SFTP (port 22) in FileZilla or WinSCP. Only the public key is added: your private key stays on your computer.

Choosing the PHP version

Each domain chooses its PHP version in PHP Version Selector. Available today are PHP 8.4, 8.3 (the default version), 8.1 and 7.4, with OPcache and the common extensions: intl, mbstring, gd, curl, zip, xml, sodium, bcmath, soap, PDO for MySQL and SQLite. Your application needs another version? Write to support: our team adds it.

Creating a database

1. In the panel, open MySQL Databases, then create a database: its name and its user take the form USERNAME_name.
2. Note the user's password.
3. In your application, enter:

Setting	Value
Host	localhost
Port	3306
Database and user	the ones you have just created, for example USERNAME_site

phpMyAdmin, opened from the same section, imports a .sql file, exports your database and browses your tables.

Composer, Node.js and frameworks

Over SSH, your hosting runs:

• Composer 2: composer install, composer update;
• Node.js 24 and npm: npm install, npm run build to build your front end or your assets;
• Git, Python 3 and Perl.

For Symfony or Laravel, the domain's web root is the project's public/ folder. Place your project next to public_html, then replace public_html with a link to its public/ folder:

cd ~/domains/your-domain.com
mv public_html public_html.original
ln -s my-project/public public_html

The framework's commands (php bin/console, php artisan) run in the project folder. For an Angular, React or Vue front end, place the output of npm run build in public_html, with an .htaccess file that sends the routes to index.html.

An application that must stay running continuously, such as a Node.js server or a message queue, belongs on a VPS Pro.

Scheduling a task

In Cron Jobs, enter the frequency and the command, for example every day at 3 a.m.:

0 3 * * * /usr/local/bin/php /home/USERNAME/domains/your-domain.com/my-project/bin/console app:cleanup

HTTPS for your domains

Each domain and subdomain receives its Let's Encrypt HTTPS certificate, requested and renewed automatically as soon as the domain points to your server. SSL/TLS Certificates shows each domain's certificate. To always send your visitors to the https:// address, add at the top of the .htaccess file in public_html:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

Frequently asked questions

My site still shows the default page.

Your home page must sit directly in public_html, named index.php or index.html, rather than in a subfolder. Delete the default page if it is still there.

How do I install WordPress?

Write to support stating the domain: our team installs WordPress on your hosting and hands you access to its administration.

My SSH connection is refused.

Check that your public key is listed in SSH Keys and that you connect with your account's Login. The SSH connection uses a key: your program must use the private key that matches the one you added.