> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.stablepoint.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Using the Softaculous Autoinstaller

Softaculous is a one-click application installer included with all our cPanel hosting. It can install and manage over 400 applications — WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, phpBB, and many more — without any manual configuration.

## Accessing Softaculous

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Scroll to the **Software** section and click **Softaculous Apps Installer**, or use the application icons shown in the **Softaculous** section of the cPanel home page.

![image](https://files.readme.io/aa41ffb-softaculous.png)

## Installing an application

1. In Softaculous, find the application (use the search box or browse categories).
2. Click the application, then click **Install Now**.
3. Complete the installation form:
   * **Choose Protocol:** select https\:// (SSL is free on all our plans).
   * **Choose Domain:** the domain or subdomain to install on.
   * **In Directory:** leave empty to install at the domain root, or enter a folder name (e.g. blog) to install at yourdomain.com/blog.
   * **Site Settings:** site name, description, and application-specific options.
   * **Admin Account:** choose a strong admin username and password — avoid "admin".
4. Click **Install**. Softaculous creates the database, uploads the files, and completes the configuration automatically.

## Managing installations

The **All Installations** view in Softaculous lists everything installed through it. From there you can:

* **Update** applications when new versions are released
* **Back up** an installation (files + database) and restore it later
* **Clone** an installation to another location
* **Create a staging copy** and push changes back to live (supported apps)
* **Remove** an installation cleanly, including its database

## Automatic backups and updates

When installing (or later via **Edit Details**), you can enable:

* **Automated backups** on a schedule, with a rotation limit
* **Auto-upgrade** for the application core, and for WordPress also plugins and themes

<Tip>
  Enable automated backups with at least a few rotations before enabling auto-upgrade — if an automatic update ever causes an issue, you can restore the previous state in a couple of clicks.
</Tip>

If you need an application that isn't in Softaculous, you can [install it manually](/web-hosting/software-guides/manually-installing-software).