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Joomla Technical FAQ

This guide provides answers to common technical questions about managing your CloudMySite Joomla installation.

Getting Started & Access​

How do I find my Joomla administrator credentials?​

Your unique, secure credentials for the Joomla administrator panel were generated during the initial setup. You can find these credentials in your CloudMySite dashboard.

  1. Log in to your CloudMySite account dashboard.
  2. Navigate to your Joomla server's management page.
  3. In the "Credentials" or "Access Details" section, you will find your administrator username and password.

The default administrator username is typically user.

How do I access the Joomla administrator panel?​

You can access your Joomla administration panel by navigating to http://YOUR-SERVER-IP/administrator in your web browser. Replace YOUR-SERVER-IP with your server's public IP address.

How do I connect to my server using SSH?​

You can connect to your server's command line using an SSH client for advanced management.

  1. Download your private SSH key from your CloudMySite dashboard.
  2. If you are on Linux or macOS, use the following command, replacing KEYFILE with the path to your key and SERVER-IP with your server's IP address: 
    ssh -i /path/to/KEYFILE.pem cloudmysite@SERVER-IP
  3. If you are on Windows, you will need to use an SSH client like PuTTY and load your private key into it to connect.

The default SSH username is cloudmysite.

How do I upload files to my server using SFTP?​

You can securely transfer files to and from your server using an SFTP client like FileZilla or Cyberduck.

  1. Host: Your server's public IP address.
  2. Username: cloudmysite
  3. Port: 22
  4. Authentication Method: Use your private SSH key file.

Your Joomla website files are located in the /opt/cloudmysite/joomla/ directory on the server.

Configuration & Management​

How do I assign a domain name to my Joomla site?​

  1. Log in to your domain registrar's control panel and create an 'A' record for your domain (e.g., www.your-domain.com) that points to your server's public IP address.
  2. Once the DNS changes have propagated, connect to your server via SSH.
  3. Run the following command to automatically configure your domain: 
    sudo /opt/cloudmysite/apps/joomla/bnconfig --machine_hostname your-domain.com
    Replace your-domain.com with your actual domain name.
  4. Finally, restart the server for the changes to take full effect.

How do I install a free SSL certificate for HTTPS?​

Our platform includes a built-in tool to automatically generate and configure a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate.

  1. Ensure your domain name is correctly pointing to your server's IP address.
  2. Connect to your server via SSH.
  3. Run the following command: 
    sudo /opt/cloudmysite/bncert-tool
  4. Follow the on-screen prompts. The tool will ask for your domain name(s), handle the certificate generation, create automatic renewal jobs, and configure your web server to force HTTPS redirection.

How do I manage the server services (Apache, MySQL)?​

You can start, stop, and restart the core services on your server using our control script. Connect via SSH and use the following commands:

  • To check the status of all services: 
    sudo /opt/cloudmysite/ctlscript.sh status
  • To restart all services: 
    sudo /opt/cloudmysite/ctlscript.sh restart
  • To restart a specific service (e.g., Apache): 
    sudo /opt/cloudmysite/ctlscript.sh restart apache

How can I change the default administrator password?​

  1. Log in to your Joomla administrator panel.
  2. Navigate to Users -> Manage.
  3. Find and click on your administrator user account.
  4. In the "Account Details" tab, enter your new password twice.
  5. Click "Save & Close".

Troubleshooting & Maintenance​

How do I create a backup of my Joomla site?​

You can create a full backup of your Joomla files and database by connecting to your server via SSH and running the following command:

sudo /opt/cloudmysite/apps/joomla/bnconfig --backup_create --machine_hostname YOUR-DOMAIN

This will create a backup file. To restore from a backup, use the --backup_restore flag. For regular, automated backups, we highly recommend using one of our hosting plans that includes this feature.

How can I troubleshoot errors on my site?​

The primary log file for the Apache web server can provide valuable information about errors. You can view it by connecting via SSH and running:

tail -f /opt/cloudmysite/apache2/logs/error_log

This will show you the latest error messages in real-time.

How do I disable the CloudMySite banner on my homepage?​

For new installations, a small banner may be displayed. To disable it, connect to your server via SSH and run the following command:

sudo /opt/cloudmysite/apps/joomla/bnconfig --disable_banner 1

Then, restart the Apache web server for the change to take effect:

sudo /opt/cloudmysite/ctlscript.sh restart apache

How do I configure outbound email settings (SMTP)?​

By default, your Joomla site uses the server's internal mail function. To improve email reliability, we recommend configuring SMTP with a dedicated third-party email service (like SendGrid, Mailgun, or Gmail).

  1. Log in to your Joomla administrator panel.
  2. Navigate to System -> Global Configuration -> Server.
  3. In the "Mail Settings" section, set "Mailer" to "SMTP".
  4. Enter the SMTP host, port, username, and password provided by your email service.
  5. Save the configuration.