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Lesson 1 - How to deploy and configure Virto Commerce

Summary

Use this guide to deploy and configure precompiled Virto Commerce Platform (backend) and Virto Commerce Storefront (frontend).

Video

Prerequisites

Initial configuration of Virto Commerce Platform (backend)

Setup of Virto Commerce Platform

Configure connection strings

  • Open the C:\vc-platform-3\appsettings.json file in a text editor.
  • In the ConnectionStrings section change VirtoCommerce node, specify connection string SQL server database. Change (local) to IP address of your SQL Server. For locally running instance SQL Express set Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS.
"ConnectionStrings": {
        "VirtoCommerce" : "Data Source=(local);Initial Catalog=VirtoCommerce3;Persist Security Info=True;User ID=virto;Password=virto;MultipleActiveResultSets=True;Connect Timeout=30"
    },

Create virto user in SQL Server Manager

  • Open SQL Server Manager and connect to the local sql server on Database Engine. Add to Security/Logins new login name virto with password virto, give him in Server Roles dbcreator and public roles.

Running the Platform on HTTPS schema

  • Install and trust HTTPS certificate

Run to trust the .NET Core SDK HTTPS development certificate:

dotnet dev-certs https --trust

Read more about enforcing HTTPS in ASP.NET Core

  • Run the Platform:

You can start Platform by CLI "dotnet"

cd C:\vc-platform-3\
dotnet.exe VirtoCommerce.Platform.Web.dll

The output in the console will say something like:

Now listening on: http://localhost:5000
Now listening on: https://localhost:5001

First sign in

  • Open https://localhost:5001 url in your browser. "Your connection is not private" might appear. Click "Advanced" and "Proceed to ...". Read more on removing this error and using a self-signed certificate: Trust the ASP.NET Core HTTPS development certificate
  • On the first request the application will create and initialize Virtocommerce3 database. Wait a minute...
  • After that you should see the sign in page.

Sign in page

  • Use the following credentials:
  • Login: admin.
  • Password: store.

Modules auto installation

  • Next step - Platform modules auto installation, after that you should click the Restart button.

Modules auto installation page

  • When Restart button have been pressed Virto Commerce Platform will be stopped. Start the platform by CLI "dotnet":
dotnet.exe VirtoCommerce.Platform.Web.dll

Sample data installation

  • After restart you should see next page with possibility to sample data installation (you should choose Closing and Electronics option - new products would be added to your Virtocommerce3 database).

Sample data installation page

Change administrator password

After Sample data installation step completed user is forced to change the password.

Password reset

Content Configuration in application settings

  • Open the C:\vc-storefront\appsettings.json file in a text editor.

  • In the Assets section set public url for assets Assets:FileSystem:PublicUrl with url of your application, this step is needed in order for display images

"Assets": {
        "Provider": "FileSystem",
        "FileSystem": {
            "RootPath": "~/assets",
            "PublicUrl": "https://localhost:5001/assets/" <-- Set your platform application url with port localhost:5001
        },
    },
  • In the Content section set public url for content Content:FileSystem:PublicUrl with url of your application, this step is needed in order for configure CMS content storage
"Content": {
        "Provider": "FileSystem",
        "FileSystem": {
            "RootPath": "~/cms-content",
            "PublicUrl": "https://localhost:5001/cms-content/" <-- Set your platform application url with port localhost:5001
        },
    },

Initial configuration of Virto Commerce Storefront (frontend)

Setup of Virto Commerce Storefront

Configuring Virto Commerce Platform Endpoint

  • Open the C:\vc-storefront\appsettings.json in a text editor.
  • In the Endpoint section change Url, UserName, Password with correct path and credentials for Virto Commerce Platform:
...
 "Endpoint": {
     "Url": "https://localhost:5001",
     "UserName": "admin",
     "Password": "store",

Configure CMS content storage

  • Open the C:\vc-storefront\appsettings.json in a text editor.
  • In the ConnectionStrings section find the attribute named ContentConnectionString. Make sure that its rootPath value is ~/App_Data/cms-content.
...
"ConnectionStrings": {
    //For themes stored in local file system
    "ContentConnectionString": "provider=LocalStorage;rootPath=~/cms-content"
    //For themes stored in azure blob storage
    //"ContentConnectionString" connectionString="provider=AzureBlobStorage;rootPath=cms-content;DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=yourAccountName;AccountKey=yourAccountKey"
  },
...

Platform already contains ~/cms-content folder with themes for sample stores. It was created earlier in the Sample data installation step. You need to make symbolic link to this folder by this command:

mklink /d C:\vc-storefront\wwwroot\cms-content C:\vc-platform-3\wwwroot\cms-content

Running the Storefont

There are 2 options for launching the application:

  • Running the Storefont by CLI "dotnet run".

Running the Storefont by CLI "dotnet run"

  • Open command prompt console.
  • Change working directory to the C:\vc-storefront and run the Storefront by following commands
cd C:\vc-storefront
dotnet VirtoCommerce.Storefront.dll --urls=https://localhost:5002/

The output in the console will say something like:

Now listening on: http://localhost:5002

Now you could first open the local Virto Commerce Storefront instance for the first time.

Navigate to https://localhost:5002:

First storefront page

Last update: January 17, 2024