Magento ® architecture is known for its strictness and straightforwardness. Due to that, this platform is chosen by many online store owners as the base for their business.
However, the file structure is quite extensive and it is very important to understand the purpose of each folder in the system core. It is necessary in order for the new files of plug-ins for Magento ® that you may install to be properly processed by the system.
Magento ® system has a specific set of base files and directories which perform different roles. Below, we will review the main files, the purpose of which you should know in order not to damage the system operation in case you need to modify those files.
The list and purpose of the core files:
- .htaccess – this file controls mod_rewrite fancy URL. It also serves as the server configuration and adjusting PHP settings (e.g. setting up maximum response time). This is necessary to make Magento ® work faster;
- .htaccess.sample – the copy of .htaccess which serves as a backup for default .htaccess file;
- cron.php – this file regularly checks whether the system cache influences the speed and quality of its operation;
- favicon.ico – small image ‘favicon’ which is located at the top of a browser tab and at the beginning of the site URL in the address bar;
- index.php – the main loading file and the full initialization file;
- index.php.sample – backup file in case of the default index file is modified or corrupted;
- LICENSE_AFL.txt – text license file of Academic Free License under which the system is released;
- LICENSE.txt – Software License under which Magento ® is released;
- pear – this file controls automatic system update with the help of downloader and SSH. This file also serves for initialization and control over separate system modules;
- php.ini – a sample file of an un-configured server. GoMage specialists recommend using it for installation of Magento ® on your server but do not rewrite the similar file which already exists there. So, you can use it as a reference if you need to replace some of the lines in php.ini file on the server.
You may find a lot of interesting information on our blog, please read the articles and share the most interesting of them with your friends. Stay with us, and in the next articles, you will learn the purpose of the main core directories in Magento ®.
