Prerequisites:

1. Shared Hosting Account: Ensure you have access to a shared hosting account with cPanel.
2. WHMCS License: Purchase a WHMCS license from the official website.
3. FTP Client: Have an FTP client ready for file transfer.

Step 1: Download WHMCS

1. Log in to your WHMCS account and download the latest version of WHMCS.
2. Extract the downloaded ZIP file on your local machine.

Step 2: Upload Files to Server

1. Open your FTP client and connect to your shared hosting account.
2. Navigate to the public_html directory.
3. Upload the extracted WHMCS files to the public_html directory.

Step 3: Create a Database

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Navigate to the “MySQL Database Wizard.”
3. Create a new database, a database user, and associate the user with the database. Note down the database name, username, and password.

Step 4: Configure Configuration File

1. In the configuration.php.new file (found in the WHMCS root directory), rename it to configuration.php.
2. Open configuration.php in a text editor and add your database details:

   $db_host = 'localhost';
   $db_port = '3306';
   $db_username = 'your_db_username';
   $db_password = 'your_db_password';
   $db_name = 'your_db_name';

Replace placeholders with your actual database information.

Step 5: Set Permissions

1. Ensure that the following directories have correct permissions (755 for directories and 644 for files):

• attachments/
• downloads/
• templates_c/
• configuration.php

Step 6: Install WHMCS

1. Open your web browser and navigate to your WHMCS installation URL (e.g., http://yourdomain.com).
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Step 7: Post-Installation Configuration

1. Remove the install directory from your WHMCS installation for security reasons.
2. Log in to the WHMCS admin panel using the provided credentials.
3. Configure your payment gateways, email settings, and other preferences.

Step 8: Set Up Cron Jobs

1. In cPanel, navigate to “Cron Jobs.”
2. Set up a cron job to run the WHMCS cron file (cron.php) at regular intervals.

   php -q /home/username/public_html/cron.php

Replace /home/username/public_html/ with the actual path to your WHMCS installation.

Conclusion:

Congratulations! You’ve successfully installed WHMCS on your shared hosting account. Ensure you regularly update WHMCS to the latest version for security and feature enhancements.