Getting started

SwiftyEdit is installed in a few minutes. All you need is regular web hosting – no dedicated server and no separate database service.

Requirements: PHP 8.3 with PDO/SQLite, Apache with mod_rewrite and a domain pointing to the /public/ directory. You’ll find the details below in the installation section.

SwiftyEdit Downloads

Or via Composer

composer create-project swiftyedit/swiftyedit

You’ll also find the source code on GitHub.

Installation in three steps

Copy all files to your server.
Point your domain to the /public/ directory.
Open /install/ in your browser and follow the instructions.

Afterwards, the backend is available at /admin/. Important: do not delete the /install/ directory after the installation – SwiftyEdit still needs it. The installation wizard locks itself automatically once setup is complete.

Detailed installation guide

What does my server need?

PHP 8.3 or newer with PDO/SQLite enabled – standard with most hosts
Apache with mod_rewrite
Your domain must point to the /public/ directory
Write permissions for data/ and public/assets/
Optional: MySQL 5.6+ instead of SQLite

The installation wizard checks the PHP version, PDO/SQLite and write permissions and tells you if anything is missing.

The page stays blank or shows a 403 error

Usually the domain doesn’t point to the /public/ directory but to the main SwiftyEdit directory. There is no start page there – depending on your host you’ll see a blank page, a 403 error or a list of folders.

In your hosting control panel, set the document root of the domain to /public/. If the page still stays blank, check the PHP version: versions older than 8.3 stop without a visible error message.

Why must I not delete the /install/ directory?

SwiftyEdit loads its database structures from install/contents/ at runtime – for example when saving pages, posts, products or users. Without the directory, these features stop working. Database changes during updates also run through it.

This is not a security risk: the installation wizard locks itself after setup and is then only accessible to logged-in administrators.

Updates

Back up your files and database before every update – SwiftyEdit itself doesn’t create one. The Parachute plugin makes this easy: it saves databases, plugin data, uploads, configuration and themes as a downloadable ZIP file, optionally encrypted with AES-256. If your site uses custom plugins or themes, test updates on a copy first.

Automatic update in the backend

Open Update in the backend sidebar. There you can see whether a new stable, beta or alpha version is available and install it with one click.

SwiftyEdit downloads the release, copies the new files and then updates the database. Your data/ directory and any plugins and themes you installed yourself stay untouched. More about updates

Manual update via FTP

Download the new version above and unzip it on your computer.
Upload the files via FTP and overwrite the existing ones. Don’t delete any folders first – especially not data/, which holds your database and settings.
Log in to the backend, then open /install/. SwiftyEdit detects the update and updates the database.

If you added your own rules to public/.htaccess, make sure not to overwrite them when uploading.

Logo and brand assets

Writing about SwiftyEdit or offering it with your hosting? Here you’ll find the logo and icon. Both work on dark and light backgrounds.

Logo SVG 15 KB PNG 98 KB · 1695 × 668

Icon SVG 7 KB PNG 155 KB · 1024 × 1209

Violet #6B69F0Lavender #A6A5F6Magenta #CD66E0

All files as ZIP (254 KB)

Please don’t distort, recolor or crop the logo, and leave some space around it. Use it to refer to SwiftyEdit – not to suggest an official partnership.