FAQ

Hosting and requirements

Can it run on shared hosting?

Realistically, no. Three things block it, and shared hosting rarely offers any of them:

• a MySQL user with global CREATE DATABASE / DROP DATABASE — each store gets its own database;
• a real queue connection and a long-lived worker — without one, a new store stays pending forever;
• wildcard DNS and a wildcard TLS certificate — stores are subdomains, and Let's Encrypt wildcards are DNS-01 only.

Redis is not a blocker. Tenant cache is isolated on every cache store (by tag on redis/memcached, by prefix on file/database), and the shipped install-time default is CACHE_STORE=file (switch to database or redis once installed), so no extra service is required.

Note this is about shared hosting, not about control panels. aaPanel, CloudPanel, cPanel/WHM, Plesk and DirectAdmin all run fine on a VPS where you hold root and the three capabilities above — though we have no tested installs on them. See Choosing a server.

Does each store really get its own database?

Yes. Built on stancl/tenancy v3. Each store has its own MySQL database (tenant_<id>), storage folder, cache namespace, and session. Nothing is shared between stores.

How many stores can I run on one server?

Depends on your server and on how much catalog and media each store carries, so treat any single number with suspicion. What we can state precisely: each store is 183 tables in its own database plus its own storage/tenants/<id> tree, and tenancy:schedule iterates every store, so scheduled work grows linearly and wants sharding past a few hundred stores.

Plan by watching MySQL max_connections, table_open_cache and the open-file ulimit — those bind before CPU does. Stores are independent, but they share the box: if it runs out of disk or RAM, every store degrades together. See Sizing.

Licensing

Do I need the Extended License if I'm not charging customers?

No. If you run the stores yourself and nobody pays for access, the Regular License is sufficient. The Extended License is only required if you charge for store access under any model (subscription, pay-per-product, transaction %, etc.). See License.

Can I run this on multiple servers?

Each production installation needs its own license. You can run dev and staging copies for free on the same license. A second production CENTRAL_DOMAINS = a second installation = a second license.

Billing

Is Stripe required?

No. Leave STRIPE_KEY, STRIPE_SECRET and STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET empty in your .env, and the platform works perfectly. Stores sign up, start their free trial (if any), and serve traffic. Entitlement is tracked locally in the tenant_subscriptions table. You can also accept bank transfers (a built-in Botble feature) or manage subscriptions entirely by hand from the operator console.

With Stripe configured, you get automated checkout and billing portal. See Billing with Stripe to set it up.

Can customers use payment gateways other than Stripe?

Yes. Store owners can configure Stripe Connect, PayPal, Mollie, Razorpay and other payment methods in their store's Payment Methods admin. These are independent of the billing integration — a store's subscription plan is separate from what payment methods its shoppers use at checkout.

What payment methods does the platform support for subscriptions?

• Stripe — Checkout and Billing Portal (recommended for high volume)
• Bank transfer — offline, operator-approved
• Manual — operator assigns, extends, changes or cancels a plan from the console with no payment integration

Stores and themes

How many themes can I add to the platform?

Unlimited. Drop any Botble-published ecommerce theme into platform/themes/, register it, and assign it to plans. Store owners pick their theme at signup. See Adding a storefront theme.

How many themes are included?

One: Amerce, with 20 homepage presets. Each preset is a different demo layout — fashion, sneaker, furniture, decor and so on — that a customer picks at signup. They are presets of a single theme rather than 21 separate themes, which is exactly why they all stay upgradable together.

Can customers use their own domains?

Yes, if the plan permits it. Each plan has an Allows custom domain checkbox. Plans that disable it give store owners subdomains only (store1.yourdomain.com). See Custom domains.

Can I help a store owner get into their store?

Yes. The operator console has Store → Impersonate — it generates a 60-second single-use token that logs you into their admin. Every login is audited in the audit log. Never share the store owner's actual password; always impersonate instead.

What's NOT included in Ecommerce SaaS?

Not shipped:

• POS (point-of-sale) system
• Mobile app
• Storefront drag-and-drop page builder (you can add custom pages; builders require setup)
• Wallet or store credit features
• Affiliate, loyalty or gift card systems
• Live chat or WhatsApp/SMS notifications
• Per-tenant backup/restore (you manage backups for the whole platform)

These can be added as Botble plugins if you write them or hire a developer. The platform does not block them.

Support

What does support cover?

The product as shipped — configuration, operation, troubleshooting, and the code. Support does not cover:

• Your server infrastructure, DNS, TLS or hosting provider
• Modifications you make to the source
• Store owner data recovery or backups
• Third-party plugins or themes you add

How long is support included?

Every license includes 6 months of support and lifetime free updates. After the support period you can renew it, or keep running the platform and installing updates without it.

Where do I contact support?

Open a ticket at botble.ticksy.com. Include your domain, what you tried, and the exact error message or symptom.

Updates

How do I know when a new version is released?

Check your Envato purchase page for update notifications. The product does not auto-update. You pull the new version, run migrations, and restart the queue worker. See Upgrade Guide.

Will an update break my stores?

Central migrations are cumulative and run with php artisan migrate --force. Existing stores are brought up to date with php artisan tenancy:migrate-tenants (run --pretend first to see what each store would get). See Upgrade guide. Always upgrade off-peak with a fresh backup.

Can I skip a version (e.g., go from 1.0 to 1.2)?

Central migrations are cumulative — php artisan migrate --force applies all pending ones in order. Existing tenant databases are a separate matter; see Upgrade guide.

Do I need to restart anything after an upgrade?

Yes: the queue worker. See Upgrade Guide — it holds the old code in memory, so provisioning, mail and webhooks will use stale code until you restart it.