Your first hour

GuestLens works as soon as the installer finishes. Before you let customers in, go through this list once. Each item links to the page that explains it. Together they take about an hour.

Do these before you sell anything

• Cron runs. The admin Overview says Cron ran ... ago, and there is no red bar at the top. See The cron job.
• HTTPS works. Your site opens with https:// and the padlock. Check that APP_URL in .env starts with https:// too, because every QR code is built from it. See Configuration file.
• Email sends. Fill in your SMTP details and send yourself a test email. Until you do, nothing is sent: not receipts, not password resets. See Settings and email.
• A way to pay is on. Set up Stripe, PayPal, or bank transfer. Until then, hosts can only take the free plan. See Payments.
• Your plans and prices are right. A new site starts with four example plans. Change them to what you want to sell. See Plans.

Do these soon

• Brand it. Your product name, logo, accent color, and the terms and privacy links. See Branding.
• Decide on storage. If hosts will upload video, set up S3-compatible storage before the first event, because files do not move when you switch later. See Storage and S3.
• Decide on sign-ups. By default anyone can create a host account from your sign-in page. If you would rather add every customer yourself, turn sign-ups off. See Settings and email.
• Behind Cloudflare? Set TRUSTED_PROXIES=* in .env, so upload limits see each guest's real address. See Configuration file.
• Give hosts a way to reach you. Add a help page or a support email, and a chat widget if you use one. See Host support.
• Open sign-ups? Turn on a captcha against fake host accounts. See Spam protection.

Run a test event

The best test is the one your customers will do. It takes ten minutes and finds almost every problem before a customer does.

1. Become a hostOpen your site in a private window and create a host account. Take the free plan.
2. Create an eventMake it live and download the QR code.
3. Be a guestScan the code with your phone. Upload a few photos and a short video.
4. Check the resultApprove the photos, open the slideshow, and download the ZIP.

If an upload stays on "Processing", cron is not running yet. If the QR code does not open your site, check APP_URL. The Troubleshooting page covers the rest.