Invora quickstart: install in minutes

INVORA — QUICKSTART
===================

Recurring invoicing with client payment links — self-hosted PHP + MySQL/SQLite, no Composer, no build step.


REQUIREMENTS
------------
  - PHP 8.1+ with extensions: pdo, pdo_sqlite (or pdo_mysql), mbstring, openssl, curl, json
  - MySQL 5.7+ OR SQLite 3 (SQLite requires no extra setup — the default)
  - A web server (Apache with mod_rewrite — the shipped .htaccess does the routing — or Nginx with try_files)
  - No Composer packages, no Node, no build step, no external services.


SHARED HOSTING / CPANEL (RECOMMENDED FOR MOST BUYERS)
------------------------------------------------------
1. Upload the contents of the `app/` folder to your web root (e.g. public_html/)
   or a subdirectory (e.g. public_html/invora/).

2. Make sure this directory is writable by PHP (it holds the SQLite file, uploads and backups):
     data/

   Via cPanel File Manager: right-click -> Permissions -> set to 755 or 775.
   (If data/ is missing, Invora creates it on first run.)

3. Visit https://yourdomain.com/install/ in your browser.

4. Fill in the installer:
     - Database: choose MySQL (host, database name, user, password) or SQLite (no setup;
       the file is data/invora.sqlite)
     - Business name
     - Timezone
     - Your name, email and password (the first admin)

5. The installer writes config.php and sends you to the login page.


FIRST STEPS (what to do in the first ten minutes)
-------------------------------------------------
1. Settings: your logo, address and default tax rate — every PDF and client page uses them.
2. Clients, then Items & Tax: saved items carry their own tax rate, so a line is one click.
3. Create an estimate, convert it to an invoice, send it: the client gets a read-only public link that needs no login, plus your own payment link.
4. Recurring invoices arrive as DRAFTS you approve before anything goes out — never as sent mail.
5. Record a payment and watch paid / partial / overdue status follow from the payments and the due date.
6. Automatic payment reminders are OFF until you switch them on (Settings -> Automatic payment
   reminders). Read the wording, then press "Preview today": it lists exactly which invoice would
   get which message today, and sends nothing. They go through your own SMTP server.
7. Payment reminders by text are OFF until you switch them on (Settings -> Payment reminders by
   text). They go through your own SMS gateway account (you pay your carrier; Invora sells no
   credits), on the same schedule, between 09:00 and 20:00 your time, and only to clients whose
   record says they agreed. Every text has a stop link. "Send a test text" checks the gateway.

The manual (docs/MANUAL.md in this download, or the product page on the store) covers every
screen and every rule above, each with the line of source it comes from.


VPS / SELF-HOSTED
-----------------
Requirements same as above. Apache example:

  <VirtualHost *:80>
    DocumentRoot /var/www/invora/app
    <Directory /var/www/invora/app>
      AllowOverride All
      Require all granted
    </Directory>
  </VirtualHost>

Run the web installer as above. Demo data on a FRESH install only (it wipes what is there):

  php bin/demo.php


DOCKER (QUICK TEST)
-------------------
  The app/ folder ships a Dockerfile (Apache + PHP 8.3, mod_rewrite on):

    docker build -t invora .
    docker run --rm -p 8080:80 -v invora-data:/var/www/html/data invora

  Then visit http://localhost:8080/install/


POST-INSTALL SECURITY CHECKLIST
--------------------------------
  [ ] config.php, data/ and the *.sqlite file are blocked by the shipped .htaccess (Apache).
      On Nginx, deny /data/, /src/, /bin/, /tests/, /controllers/, /views/ and config.php yourself.
  [ ] Open https://yourdomain.com/data/ once — it must answer 403, never a listing.
  [ ] Use HTTPS in production.
  [ ] Keep PHP updated.
  [ ] If you ran bin/demo.php, change or delete the demo accounts before going live.
  [ ] Back up data/ (Settings -> Backups writes to data/backups/).


LOOKING AFTER IT (from 4.0)
---------------------------
  * Updates: open Updates in the menu, save your license key once, press Check for updates.
    Reaching 4.0 from 3.x is the last update by hand: replace the files; config.php and data/ stay.
  * Sample data: the installer offers to start with a sample; remove it later with one click.
  * Backups: "Back up once a day by itself" is on by default (/restore); add an S3-compatible bucket there for
    a copy somewhere else. The Health page (/health) says whether all of this is working.
  * On Nginx: use the server block in the manual ("On Nginx: keep data/ private", https://ownware.io/p/invora/manual);
    it opens the installer and keeps data/ private.
  * One-line install for technical owners:
    curl -fsSL https://ownware.io/install.sh | sh -s -- invora <your license key>

NOTES
-----
  * The PDF writer is written from scratch — nothing to install beside PHP.
  * Schema migrations run on every request and are safe to repeat: upgrading is replacing the files.
  * Attached files are served from /files/{id} and stored under data/; keep data/ writable and backed up.
  * REST API, signed webhooks and an MCP endpoint for agents (no send tool, no delete tool): see API.md.
  * Automatic reminders ride normal page loads; an install nobody visits can call
    /cron/reminders?t=<ops token> from its scheduler (the same token as /cron/recurring).