Step 1: Set PHP Version to 8.2 or 8.3
This project requires PHP 8.2 or higher.

Log in to your cPanel dashboard.
Search for and open MultiPHP Manager (or Select PHP Version).
Find your domain davcollege.optiverseweb.digital in the list.
Select PHP 8.2 or PHP 8.3 from the dropdown and click Apply.
Step 2: Create a MySQL Database & User
In cPanel, open MySQL Databases.
Create New Database: E.g., dav_college.
cPanel will prefix it with your account name, resulting in something like: youruser_dav_college.
Create MySQL User: Scroll down, enter a username (e.g., dav_dbuser) and generate a strong password.
The final username will look like: youruser_dav_dbuser.
Add User To Database: Under "Add User to Database", select your newly created user and database, then click Add.
Tick the checkbox for ALL PRIVILEGES and click Make Changes.
Keep these details handy for the next step.
Step 3: Configure Your Production .env File
On your local PC:

In the project folder, open the template file 

.env.cpanel.example
.
Copy its contents, create a new file named .env (make sure it doesn't have .txt at the end), and paste the contents in.
Fill in your cPanel database details:
env
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=localhost                       # Keep as localhost on cPanel
DB_DATABASE=youruser_dav_college        # Your prefixed database name
DB_USERNAME=youruser_dav_dbuser         # Your prefixed database user
DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password            # The user password you created
Keep the other settings as configured:
APP_NAME="DAV College"
APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=https://davcollege.optiverseweb.digital
LOG_LEVEL=error
SESSION_DOMAIN=.davcollege.optiverseweb.digital
Step 4: Zip and Upload Your Project
Since the project uses CDN-based assets, you do not need to build compile steps.

Zip your entire local project folder. Exclude the .git/ folder and node_modules/ folder (if they exist) to keep the file size small.
In cPanel, open File Manager and go to public_html (or the specific root folder mapped to your subdomain davcollege.optiverseweb.digital).
Click Upload at the top, select your zip file, and wait for it to reach 100% (turns green).
Go back to File Manager, right-click the uploaded ZIP file, and choose Extract.
Step 5: Set Permissions on Server
For Laravel to run, the server must be allowed to write to cache and log directories.

In File Manager, locate the storage folder. Right-click, select Change Permissions, and set it to 775 (or 755 depending on host requirements). Make sure it applies to all subfolders.
Locate the bootstrap/cache folder. Right-click and set permissions to 775.
Set the public image folders (public/images and public/logos) permissions to 755.
Step 6: Run Migrations & Cache (cPanel Terminal)
This step populates your database tables and optimizes Laravel's speed.

In cPanel, search for and open Terminal (under the Advanced section).
If Terminal is not enabled on your hosting plan, contact your hosting provider support to enable SSH access.
Navigate to your project directory:
bash
cd public_html
Run the database migration:
bash
php artisan migrate --force
Clear configuration caches and optimize execution files:
bash
php artisan config:clear
php artisan route:clear
php artisan view:clear
php artisan cache:clear
php artisan optimize
Step 7: Verify Everything Works
Open your web browser and visit your site: