Launching a store

The technical steps are done by the agency (or your developer) and are written in full in the repository’s docs/NEW_CLIENT.md. This page is the overview, so you know what happens and what is asked of you.

The path

1. Gather the items in What you bring.
2. Create the store’s resources. One command creates the store’s database, storage, cache and task queues on Cloudflare and a configuration file for the client.
3. Configure the store. The address, the sender email, the payment mode (test or live) and the bot-protection key.
4. Connect the services (below).
5. Deploy. The store is built and published, and the database is prepared.
6. First sign-in. The first owner account is created once at /admin/setup with a private setup code, and the code is then removed.
7. Fill the shop: settings, products, pages, shipping, email wording. This is where the owner spends most of the time.
8. Test, then go live by switching payments from test to live keys.

Connecting the services

Domain and bot protection

The shop’s hostname is added to the store, and a Cloudflare Turnstile widget is created for it. Turnstile is free and invisible to shoppers.

Email

Add your sending domain to Cloudflare’s Email Service and use an address on it as the sender, so messages are authenticated.

Payments

• Card (dLocal Go): an API key and a secret key. The store registers a notification address at /api/webhooks/dlocalgo so dLocal Go can tell it a payment succeeded.
• PayPal: a client ID and secret, and a webhook at /api/webhooks/paypal.

Start with the test keys of each provider, run a purchase with each, and only then switch to the live keys.

WhatsApp (optional)

Create a Meta Business account and a Meta app with the WhatsApp product, note the phone number ID and the business account ID, and create a permanent token. The store submits its message templates to Meta, and Meta approves them (often within minutes to a day). Nothing is sent to customers until a template is approved and the customer agreed to receive messages.

Meta Pixel and catalog (optional)

Add your Pixel ID in Settings (Marketing). Tracking starts only after the visitor accepts cookies.

Test before you launch

Go through this list on the real address, with test payments. The step by step for each service is in Test with test accounts:

• The shop loads in /es and /en, on a phone and a laptop.
• /admin asks for a sign-in, and the owner can sign in.
• A card purchase in test mode reaches Paid, the customer email arrives, and an invoice is issued.
• A PayPal purchase in test mode reaches Paid.
• A bank transfer order shows your bank details and can be marked paid by hand.
• A product that is out of stock cannot be bought, and shows the back-in-stock option.
• The Contact page shows your WhatsApp, email, phone and address, and each card opens what it should (chat, email, call).
• The privacy policy, terms and shipping pages say what is true for your business.
• The dashboard shows 0 failed jobs and 0 failed messages.

After launch

Change the payment keys to live, make a small real purchase yourself and refund it, and keep an eye on the message log and the dashboard for the first few days.