Those who find themselves considering the idea of building an online store always have a wide range of considerations they have to take into account. When you are handling customers’ money, it is always a smart idea to make sure that you have a very reliable and easy to interact with script working in your favor. The ease of the ZenCart install makes it a very solid solution for those who are wanting to set up a very stable shop that isn’t going to run into a lot of errors along the way. Down time in the online retail world is a very bad thing, so making sure you have read a ZenCart review or two first is important. The reviews are going to demonstrate exactly why ZenCart is the right choice for you. You can also take a look at the ZenCart demo site to get a very solid feel for how it all hangs together. The software has managed to create quite a name for itself, so you can rest easy knowing there is a large following who can often help with any problems that arise.
After you are sure that you have a trusted source for ZenCart hosting, it is a smart idea to familiarize yourself with the product. The installation is a snap, with thorough documentation to support you along the way. Once you have the ZenCart download, simply navigate to the documentation section and check that out first. As the product is frequently upgraded for better performance, you will want to read a version specific set of documents that explain the version you have for the best results. Simply set your store up the way you and you’re on your way to internet riches, as they say.
Now, there are many people out there who have ZenCart installed, but have not gone the extra lengths to secure it. You certainly do want to take every possible action that you can to make your shop safer both for yourself and your valued customers. The list below is going to show you several steps you can take to make ZenCart much more secure. These often overlooked areas of ZenCart maintenance can save you a lot of aggravation in the future if you take care of them now:
SSL – The ‘Secure Socket Layer’ is the online standard for security. Ask your web host about making sure that all transactions go through SSL to protect your customer’s data. Getting your own security certificate is a very smart idea and makes your site much more trustworthy.
Installation Folder – Immediately after completing the installation of ZenCart, it is highly recommended that you delete the folder titled /zc_install/ as this contains files that could allow others to wreck your store. Don’t wait around for an accident, take care of it as quickly as possible.
Admin Folder – All ZenCart installations start out with a standard /admin/ folder within them. This is where you access your store’s set up and configuration – basically, this is the directory from which you run your store. Do not leave it lying around for others to come snooping into. First, back up your ZenCart install, then set to renaming your admin directory. This is very easy to do.
Navigate to the /admin/includes/ directory and open up configure.php with an editor such as Notepad2. Look for this section in the code and where it says “admin” change it to your new admin directory name:
define(’DIR_WS_ADMIN’, ‘/admin/’);
define(’DIR_WS_CATALOG’, ‘/’);
define(’DIR_WS_HTTPS_ADMIN’, ‘/admin/’);
define(’DIR_WS_HTTPS_CATALOG’, ‘/’);
Be sure to leave the ‘ and / symbols exactly where they are and only change the lower case “admin”. Then, find this chunk of code:
define(’DIR_FS_ADMIN’, ‘/home/mystore.com/www/public/admin/’);
define(’DIR_FS_CATALOG’, ‘/home/mystore.com/www/public/’);
Again, change the lower case “admin” to your new directory name, but change nothing else.
Once you have completed these changes, save the configure.php file and close it. Now, rename the “admin” directory itself to the new directory name you have chosen and implemented into the configure.php file.
From now on, to log into your admin section, you will navigate to:
https://www.YourDomainName.com/NewDirectoryName
YourDomainName.com = The domain of your ZenCart shop
/NewDirectoryName = The new name for your admin directory that you chose above.
These quick steps have just helped make your ZenCart far more secure than it was before! Wasn’t that easy?