Installation

Learn how to install and configure Caramel for your restaurant’s gift card and loyalty programs.

Prerequisites

Before installing Caramel, ensure you have:

• A registered business account
• Payment processor credentials (Stripe)
• Restaurant logo and branding assets
• Staff email addresses for team access

Installation Options

Cloud Hosted

Recommended - We handle everything for you

• No installation required
• Automatic updates
• 99.9% uptime SLA
• Full support included

Self-Hosted

Host on your own infrastructure

• Full control and customization
• Keep data on-premise
• Requires technical expertise
• Manual updates

Cloud Setup

1. Sign Up

   Create your account at joincaramel.com/signup

2. Verify Email

   Check your inbox and click the verification link

3. Complete Onboarding

   Follow the setup wizard to configure:

   • Restaurant details
   • Payment processing
   • Team members
   • Initial campaign

4. Go Live

   Your gift card platform is ready to use!

Self-Hosted Installation

Caution

Self-hosting requires technical expertise and is recommended only for enterprises with specific compliance requirements.

System Requirements

• Server: 4GB RAM, 2 CPU cores minimum
• Database: PostgreSQL 14+ or MySQL 8+
• Storage: 20GB minimum
• OS: Ubuntu 20.04+ or RHEL 8+
• Docker: Optional but recommended

Installation Steps

Docker

# Pull the Caramel image
docker pull caramel/platform:latest

# Create configuration
cp .env.example .env

# Edit configuration
nano .env

# Run with Docker Compose
docker-compose up -d

# Access at http://localhost:3000

Manual

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/caramel/platform
cd platform

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Configure environment
cp .env.example .env
nano .env

# Run database migrations
npm run migrate

# Build application
npm run build

# Start server
npm run start

Kubernetes

caramel-deployment.yaml

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: caramel
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: caramel
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: caramel
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: caramel
        image: caramel/platform:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 3000

kubectl apply -f caramel-deployment.yaml

Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file with your configuration:

# Application
APP_URL=https://your-domain.com
APP_ENV=production
APP_KEY=generate-secure-key

# Database
DB_CONNECTION=postgresql
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_DATABASE=caramel
DB_USERNAME=caramel_user
DB_PASSWORD=secure-password

# Payment Processing
STRIPE_KEY=sk_live_...
STRIPE_SECRET=...

# Email
MAIL_DRIVER=smtp
MAIL_HOST=smtp.sendgrid.net
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=apikey
MAIL_PASSWORD=SG...

# Storage
STORAGE_DRIVER=s3
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=...
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
AWS_BUCKET=caramel-assets

Database Setup

PostgreSQL

-- Create database
CREATE DATABASE caramel;

-- Create user
CREATE USER caramel_user WITH PASSWORD 'secure-password';

-- Grant privileges
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE caramel TO caramel_user;

MySQL

-- Create database
CREATE DATABASE caramel CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

-- Create user
CREATE USER 'caramel_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'secure-password';

-- Grant privileges
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON caramel.* TO 'caramel_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Post-Installation

Security Checklist

• Enable SSL/TLS certificate
• Configure firewall rules
• Set up automated backups
• Enable audit logging
• Configure rate limiting
• Set up monitoring alerts

Initial Configuration

1. Access Admin Panel

   https://your-domain.com/admin

2. Create Admin User

   npm run create-admin

3. Configure Payment Gateway

   • Navigate to Settings → Payments
   • Enter your API credentials
   • Test with a small transaction

4. Set Up Email Templates

   • Go to Settings → Email
   • Customize templates for your brand
   • Send test emails

Integrations

POS System Integration

TheFork

Coming Soon →

TripAdvisor

Coming Soon →

Lightspeed POS

Coming Soon →

Custom Integration

API Documentation →

Updates

Cloud Platform

Updates are automatic with zero downtime.

Self-Hosted

Docker

# Pull latest image
docker pull caramel/platform:latest

# Restart containers
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d

Manual

# Backup database
npm run backup

# Pull latest code
git pull origin main

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run migrations
npm run migrate

# Rebuild
npm run build

# Restart
npm run restart

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue	Solution
Cannot connect to database	Check credentials and firewall
Email not sending	Verify SMTP settings
Payment failing	Check API keys and webhooks
Slow performance	Increase server resources

Getting Help

Tip

Need assistance? Our support team is here to help!

• Email: support@joincaramel.com
• Documentation: You’re here!
• Discord: Join Community

Next Steps

First Campaign

Launch your first gift card campaign

Create Campaign →

Team Setup

Add team members and set permissions

Manage Team →

Customize Design

Brand your gift cards and emails

Design Guide →

API Integration

Connect your existing systems

API Docs →