Softaculous on cPanel: Install, ionCube Fix, Licence, Update, CLI and Uninstall

Short answer: first make sure cPanel’s own PHP loads ionCube:

Applies to Softaculous installer of 11 Oct 2026 (Free licence); cPanel & WHM 138.0 build 15 (cPanel PHP 8.4.26, ionCube 14.4.1); AlmaLinux 9.8; lab test 11 Oct 2026

whmapi1 set_tweaksetting key=phploader value=ioncube
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/install_php_inis

Then install with:

wget -O install.sh https://files.softaculous.com/install.sh
chmod 755 install.sh
./install.sh

Refresh the licence with /usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/php /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous/cli.php --refresh-license and update Softaculous with --upgrade-core on the same script. There is no uninstall script: Softaculous documents a list of files to remove and AppConfig entries to unregister.

We installed Softaculous on our cPanel lab server (cPanel & WHM 138.0 build 15, AlmaLinux 9.8) on 11 October 2026. We hit the ionCube error and fixed it, refreshed the licence, ran --upgrade-core, and removed Softaculous again. The app install and remove commands need the cPanel account’s password, so we did not run them; they are from Softaculous’s CLI documentation.

Before you install: “ionCube Loader is not loaded”

Softaculous runs inside cPanel’s own PHP (/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/php, PHP 8.4 on cPanel 138), and that PHP must load ionCube. On our lab the installer stopped with:

ionCube Loader is not loaded. Please enable it to continue installation

The fix is WHM → Server Configuration → Tweak Settings → cPanel PHP loader = ioncube. From the command line, set it and then rebuild the PHP configuration. The second command matters: setting the value alone did not load ionCube on our lab.

whmapi1 set_tweaksetting key=phploader value=ioncube
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/install_php_inis
/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/php -v      # should show: with the ionCube PHP Loader v14.4.1

If your firewall limits outgoing connections, also allow the Softaculous download mirrors listed in its documentation.

Install Softaculous on cPanel

wget -O install.sh https://files.softaculous.com/install.sh
chmod 755 install.sh
./install.sh                          # standard install
./install.sh --quick                  # finish fast, download app packages in the background
./install.sh --no-backuply-server     # skip the Backuply backup server
./install.sh --nocpphp                # use cPanel's default PHP setting
./install.sh proxy proxy_ip=IP:PORT proxy_auth=USER:PASS   # behind a proxy

We used --quick --no-backuply-server. The installer printed // INSTALLING SOFTACULOUS and // FETCHED THE LICENSE, and ended with Thank you for using Softaculous in under three minutes. Softaculous then appears in WHM → Plugins → Softaculous – Instant Installs, and in every cPanel account.

About --quick: it keeps working after the installer exits. On our lab, app packages were still being downloaded to /var/softaculous two minutes after the Thank you message. Wait for that to finish before you benchmark the server or remove Softaculous again.

Licence: free, premium and refresh

/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/php /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous/cli.php --refresh-license

Without a paid licence, our lab got a free licence automatically during the install. --refresh-license printed (licence number removed):

Your license has been refreshed !
Updated license details are as follows :
Softaculous License : xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
Type : Free
Expires (DD/MM/YYYY) : Never
License IP : <the server's IP>

The licence is tied to the server’s IP. After buying Softaculous Premium for that IP (directly or from your licence provider), run --refresh-license or click Refresh License in the Softaculous admin panel, and the type changes. The Backuply Server Pro licence is included with a Premium Softaculous licence.

Update Softaculous

/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/php /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous/cli.php --upgrade-core     # update Softaculous itself
/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/php /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous/cron.php   # the daily cron job

Softaculous updates itself every 24 hours unless auto-upgrade is turned off in its admin panel; the cron job does nothing when it is off. The CLI help says update packages are always signature-verified. If updates or downloads fail with signature errors, --update-pubkeys and --update-keys fetch fresh keys.

Install, list and remove apps from the command line

From Softaculous’s CLI documentation; WordPress is script ID 26:

/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/php /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous/cli.php --install --panel_user='USER' --panel_pass='PASS' --soft=26 --softdirectory=blog --admin_username='admin' --admin_pass='STRONGPASS'
/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/php /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous/cli.php --list --cpuser='USER' --cppass='PASS'
/usr/local/cpanel/3rdparty/bin/php /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous/cli.php --remove --insid=26_57566 --cpuser='USER' --cppass='PASS'

--remove deletes the files and the database unless you add no_delete_db=1 or no_delete_dir=1. The install and list commands need the account’s password, so they end up in your shell history and, while running, in the process list. Run history -d afterwards, or prefix the command with a space if your shell ignores those. Note that the install documentation uses --panel_user/--panel_pass, while list and remove use --cpuser/--cppass.

Uninstall Softaculous from cPanel

There is no uninstall script. Softaculous’s uninstall page lists the files to remove and the AppConfig entry to unregister. This is how we removed it from cPanel 138, using cPanel’s own tools for the registrations:

# 1. unregister the WHM plugins (Softaculous and its Backuply companion)
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/unregister_appconfig /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous/softaculous_whostmgr.conf
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/unregister_appconfig /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous/lib/panels/cp/softbackuply_whostmgr.conf

# 2. remove the files
rm -rf /etc/cron.d/softaculous /etc/cron.d/softaculous2 /var/softaculous \
  /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/softaculous /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/cgi/addon_softaculous.cgi \
  /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/addonfeatures/softaculous \
  /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/themes/x/icons/softaculous.png /usr/local/cpanel/whostmgr/docroot/themes/x/icons/softaculous.gif \
  /usr/local/cpanel/base/frontend/jupiter/softaculous /usr/local/cpanel/base/frontend/jupiter/dynamicui/dynamicui_softaculous.conf \
  /usr/local/cpanel/base/frontend/jupiter/assets/application_icons/softaculous.png \
  /usr/local/cpanel/base/frontend/meridian/softaculous /usr/local/cpanel/base/frontend/meridian/softaculous-nav

# 3. rebuild cPanel's icon sprites
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/rebuild_sprites

Things we noticed on the way:

• The Meridian theme. On cPanel 138 the installer also added files to the new Meridian theme (base/frontend/meridian/softaculous and softaculous-nav). At the time of writing, Softaculous’s uninstall list covers the jupiter, paper_lantern and x3 themes only, so remove the Meridian files yourself.
• Backuply was registered even with --no-backuply-server. Unregister softbackuply as well.
• Do not delete every file named “softaculous”. WP Toolkit (3rdparty/wp-toolkit/.../Softaculous) and JetBackup (jetapps/.../Softaculous.inc) ship their own integration files with that name. Leave them alone.
• Wait for --quick downloads to finish. On our lab a background download recreated a cache file in the WHM plugin directory after we had deleted it. Check with ps aux | grep -i softaculous before removing.
• Revert the ionCube loader if nothing else needs it: whmapi1 set_tweaksetting key=phploader value=, then /usr/local/cpanel/bin/install_php_inis.

The uninstall removes Softaculous’s own files only. Sites that customers installed with it are ordinary files and databases in their accounts and are not touched, but Softaculous will no longer list, back up or update them.

Common problems

• “ionCube Loader is not loaded”. Set the cPanel PHP loader to ioncube and run /usr/local/cpanel/bin/install_php_inis.
• Licence shows Free after buying Premium. Check that the licence is for the server’s IP, then run cli.php --refresh-license.
• Updates fail with signature errors. Run cli.php --update-pubkeys and --update-keys.
• Downloads fail. Allow outgoing connections to the Softaculous mirrors in your firewall.
• The Softaculous icon is still in cPanel after removing it. Remove the Meridian and Jupiter theme files and run rebuild_sprites.

Frequently asked questions

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