📋 Installation

Getting Started — Quickstart in 30 Minutes

Last updated: March 14, 2026 4 min read

Traffic Exchange Script surf area member view with countdown timer

This guide skips the detail. Follow these four steps in order and you will have a live traffic exchange in about 30 minutes. Each step links to a full guide if you need more depth.

Step 1: Activate Your License (2 min)

Your license key is in your purchase confirmation email from trafficexchangescript.com. It looks like this:

XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX

You do not need to do anything with it yet — the installer will ask for it in Step 2. Keep the email open.

If you cannot find the email: Log in at trafficexchangescript.com → My Account → Orders → your order → License Keys.

Full details: License Activation

Step 2: Install on cPanel (15 min)

What you need before you start:

A hosting account running PHP 8.3 or higher
Ability to create a MySQL database in cPanel
A domain or subdomain pointed at your hosting

The short version:

Create a MySQL database. In cPanel → MySQL Databases, create a database and a user, grant the user All Privileges on that database. Write down the full database name, username, and password (cPanel prefixes these with your account name).
Upload and extract the script. In cPanel → File Manager, create a folder above public_html (e.g. /home/youraccount/traffic-exchange/). Upload the script ZIP and extract it there.
Point your domain to the public/ folder. In cPanel → Domains, set the document root for your domain to the public subfolder of the script (e.g. /home/youraccount/traffic-exchange/public).
Set folder permissions. In File Manager, set storage/ and bootstrap/cache/ to 755.
Run the web installer. Visit https://yourdomain.com/install in your browser. Work through the 7-step wizard:
Step 1: Requirements check — fix any red items (usually PHP version or missing extensions in MultiPHP Manager)
Step 2: Enter your database name, username, and password
Step 3: Set your site name, URL, admin email, and admin password
Step 4: Paste your license key
Steps 5–7: Run automatically — click Next/Verify through each
Set up the cron job. In cPanel → Cron Jobs, add a new job set to Every Minute with this command: cd /home/youraccount/traffic-exchange && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1 Replace the path with your actual script root path.

Full guide with troubleshooting: cPanel Installation Guide

Step 3: Configure Your Traffic Exchange (10 min)

Work through these essentials in order:

1. General settings — Navigate to Settings → General. Set your site name, support email, and timezone. Confirm Site Status is set to Closed while you finish setup.

2. Membership levels — Navigate to Members → Membership Levels. Review the default Free tier. Adjust the surf credit ratio and ad allowances. Add paid tiers (Silver, Gold, etc.) if you want them at launch.

3. Payment gateway — Navigate to Settings → Payment Gateways. Enable at least one gateway. For PayPal: enter your Client ID, Client Secret, and Webhook ID, then set your webhook URL in PayPal to https://yourdomain.com/webhooks/paypal. For Stripe: enter your Publishable Key, Secret Key, and Webhook Secret.

4. Email settings — Update .env with your SMTP credentials:

MAIL_MAILER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.yourprovider.com
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=your@email.com
MAIL_PASSWORD=yourpassword
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=noreply@yourdomain.com

After editing .env, clear the cache: delete files inside bootstrap/cache/ via File Manager (keep the folder).

Full guide: First Login & Admin Setup

Step 4: Go Live Checklist (3 min)

Before you open to members, confirm these items:

[ ] SSL certificate installed — your site loads at https://yourdomain.com without browser warnings
[ ] APP_URL in .env is set to your HTTPS URL
[ ] APP_DEBUG=false in .env (never expose debug output to the public)
[ ] Cron job is active — check Cron Jobs in cPanel confirms the entry is listed
[ ] License key is validated — check Admin → Dashboard for a green License Status indicator
[ ] Payment gateway tested in sandbox mode — make a test transaction before going live
[ ] Test registration flow — sign up as a member using a separate browser, verify the welcome email arrives
[ ] Terms of Service and Privacy Policy pages created — via Admin → Pages
[ ] Set Settings → General → Site Status to Open

Full checklist: Going Live Checklist

Troubleshooting Quick Links

Problem	Where to look
Blank page or 500 error	cPanel Installation Guide — Troubleshooting
“Could not connect to database”	Check full prefixed database name and username in cPanel
License validation failed	License Activation
Cron job not running	Scheduled Tasks
Payment gateway errors	Payment Processing
Installation / setup questions	New Buyer FAQ

First stop for any error: storage/logs/laravel.log — most issues are logged there with a specific message.

Still stuck? Email support@trafficexchangescript.com with your order number, domain, and the relevant lines from storage/logs/laravel.log.

— The Traffic Exchange Script Team

Traffic Exchange Script traffic reports showing impressions, CTR and per-site breakdown

Traffic Exchange Script admin panel dashboard overview — The Traffic Exchange Script admin panel — your control center for managing all aspects of your traffic exchange.

Screenshots

Traffic Exchange Script admin dashboard — overview of members, credits, traffic and revenue — The Traffic Exchange Script admin dashboard — your central command for managing members, credits, and traffic.

Traffic Exchange Script traffic analytics dashboard — surf sessions and activity statistics — Real-time traffic analytics showing surf sessions, active members, and click-through rates.