Slotly quickstart: install in minutes

SLOTLY — QUICKSTART
===================

Appointment booking with a public booking page — self-hosted PHP + MySQL/SQLite.


REQUIREMENTS
------------
  - PHP 8.0+ 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/slotly/).

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

   Via cPanel File Manager: right-click -> Permissions -> set to 755 or 775.
   (If data/ is missing, Slotly 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/slotly.sqlite)
     - Business name
     - Timezone (every slot is worked out in it)
     - 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. Sign in at https://yourdomain.com/admin/login. Enable two-step verification on your own account (any authenticator app; keep the recovery codes).
2. Services and categories: duration, price, tax; coupons if you use them.
3. The team: who can be booked, and their weekly availability — a slot exists only where availability, service length and existing bookings allow.
4. Open your public booking page and book yourself in as a customer; then cancel and reschedule it from the admin side.
5. Set up reminders (cron below) and SMTP in Settings so customers get confirmations.

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.


SCHEDULED JOB
-------------
  cron/reminders.php — sends the appointment reminders that are due (mail needs SMTP in Settings). Run it hourly:

    0 * * * * php /path/to/app/cron/reminders.php

  Without the job the application still works; only the scheduled part above does not happen.


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

  <VirtualHost *:80>
    DocumentRoot /var/www/slotly/app
    <Directory /var/www/slotly/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 slotly .
    docker run --rm -p 8080:80 -v slotly-data:/var/www/html/data slotly

  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/).


NOTES
-----
  * Repeated failed logins are rate-limited.
  * Backups land in data/backups/ (Settings → Backups).
  * REST API + MCP endpoint for agents: see API.md.