Installation overview

ExchangePro ships as two applications and has no web-based installer. Install the backend first, then the frontend, connect them with environment variables, then configure cron (and optionally a queue worker) on production.

For a single printable checklist, see Full installation guide or the package file INSTALL.md at the ZIP root.

Order of operations

Step	Action	Doc
1	Install PHP dependencies & configure .env	Backend
2	Create database & run migrations	Database
3	Install Node dependencies & configure .env	Frontend
4	Align CORS + Sanctum with frontend URL	CORS & Sanctum
5	Create first admin (sign up) - you must register before the public	First admin
6	Configure mail, OAuth, rate API (optional)	Configuration
7	Deploy SSL, Nginx, Node process	Deployment
8	Cron (schedule:run) + queue choice	Cron & queue

Development quick start

Terminal 1 - Backend

cd backend
composer install
cp .env.example .env
php artisan key:generate
# Edit .env: DB_*, APP_URL, FRONTEND_URL
php artisan migrate
php artisan serve
# Default: http://127.0.0.1:8000

Terminal 2 - Frontend

cd frontend
npm install
# Create .env with API_URL and FRONTEND_URL
npm run dev
# Default script: http://localhost:4000

Terminal 3 - Queue (optional)

Only if QUEUE_CONNECTION=database and you test queued mail:

cd backend
php artisan queue:listen

Cron is usually skipped locally; run php artisan schedule:run manually to test rate sync.

Verify

1. Open http://localhost:4000 - public home loads.
2. Open http://localhost:4000/signup - register your user first (becomes admin while no admin exists).
3. Sign in → redirected to /admin for administrators.

Production

On a public URL, the first signup becomes admin. Register yourself before announcing the site. See First admin. ::: 4. Backend: GET {APP_URL}/api/ returns JSON ExchangePro API with status: ok. 5. Laravel health: GET {APP_URL}/up.

Production quick start

See Deployment for Nginx samples, SSL, and process managers.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Symptom
API_URL missing or wrong	Frontend cannot load settings; network errors to API
CORS origin not listed	Browser blocks API; login fails
APP_URL ≠ actual backend URL	OAuth redirect mismatch; broken password reset links
Forgot php artisan migrate	500 errors, missing tables
HTTP in production	Sanctum cookies may not persist (use HTTPS)
Rate sync on, no cron	Automatic rates never update
QUEUE_CONNECTION=database without worker	Jobs pile up in jobs table

Folder names

Your ZIP may use backend/ and frontend/ or custom names. Paths in this documentation use:

• backend/ - Laravel project root (contains artisan)
• frontend/ - Nuxt project root (contains nuxt.config.ts)