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Installation

This guide will walk you through the process of installing Sentinel on your PrestaShop store.

Prerequisites​

Before installing Sentinel, ensure your system meets these requirements:

  • PrestaShop 1.7.7.0 - 9.1.x
  • PHP 7.2 - 8.5
  • Write permissions for /modules and /var/logs directories

Download the Module​

Browse all versions on the releases page.

Installation Methods​

  1. Download the module

    Download the latest version using the link above.

  2. Install the module

    Log in to your PrestaShop admin panel and navigate to:

    Modules > Module Manager

    Click the Install a module button

    Select the sentinel module zip file

Method 2: Manual Installation​

  1. Download the module

    Download the latest version using the link above.

  2. Extract the archive

    Extract the ZIP file to your PrestaShop /modules directory:

    cd /path/to/prestashop/modules
    unzip sentinel-1.0.0.zip

  3. Activate the module

    Log in to your PrestaShop admin panel and navigate to:

    Modules > Module Manager

    Search for "Sentinel" and click Install.

Post-installation​

Verify Installation​

After installation, verify that Sentinel is working correctly:

  1. Check that the module appears in Modules > Module Manager
  2. Ensure the module status is "Enabled"

Check Permissions​

Ensure the logs directory has write permissions:

chmod 755 /path/to/prestashop/var/logs

Test Protection​

Once threat detection is active (step 4 of the guide), you can test that Sentinel is protecting your store by attempting a benign SQL injection pattern in your browser:

https://yourstore.com/index.php?test=SELECT+SLEEP(1)

You should see a page blocked by Sentinel with a 403 error, as long as you test from an address that Sentinel does not trust: neither one of the trusted IPs nor, while their switch is on, as it is from the installation, one of the maintenance IPs of PrestaShop. From a trusted address, the request reaches its page and is only logged, as not blocked (see What is never blocked).

warning

Only test with benign patterns and on your own store. Never attempt real attacks.

Updating Sentinel​

Update Notifications​

Sentinel tells you when a newer version is published. Every call the module makes to the Sentinel API answers with the latest published version, so the check costs no extra request and needs no configuration.

When your installed version is behind, a banner appears at the top of every Sentinel page with:

  • the published version number and the one you are running
  • a link to the release page to download the update
  • a link to the changelog, when one is available

The PrestaShop home dashboard widget carries the same notice as a single line linking to the release.

Dismissing the banner hides it until the next version is published; the widget line stays, so a pending update is never entirely out of sight.

note

The banner relies on the module reaching the Sentinel API. A store whose outbound calls are blocked never sees it, so check the releases page from time to time.

Applying the Update​

  1. Download the new version from the releases page
  2. Go to Modules > Module Manager
  3. Click Upload a module and select the new ZIP file

Your settings, logs and whitelists are preserved.

What the Update Changes​

Updating from a version without the Sentinel > Configuration entry changes the menu and the permissions:

  • The Access Control entry leaves the Sentinel menu. The back office IP whitelist is now set under the Access control tab of Sentinel > Configuration, and the former address of the page opens that tab.
  • The Sentinel > Configuration entry receives its permissions: each profile gets on it the permissions it holds on Sentinel > Dashboard, and a profile that could configure the module gets View and Edit.
  • Changing the brute-force and DDoS settings, the back office IP whitelist or the two-factor authentication policy now requires the permission to configure the module.
Action required

After the update, give the permission to configure Sentinel to the employees who set the brute-force or DDoS protection, the back office IP whitelist or the two-factor authentication policy until now: the permissions to give are listed in Who can change the settings.

Troubleshooting​

Permission Errors​

If you encounter permission errors during installation:

# Set correct ownership (replace www-data with your web server user)
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /path/to/prestashop/modules/sentinel

# Set correct permissions
sudo chmod -R 755 /path/to/prestashop/modules/sentinel

Module Won't Activate​

If the module fails to activate:

  1. Check PHP error logs: /var/log/apache2/error.log or /var/log/php-fpm/error.log
  2. Verify PrestaShop version compatibility
  3. Check file permissions

Post-installation Configuration​

Sentinel watches your shop as soon as it is installed. What depends on your shop is set by the Getting started guide, at the top of Sentinel > Dashboard: six steps, from the registration of the shop to the first vulnerability scan on Sentinel > Security Scanner and the two-factor authentication of your own account. Until its required steps are done, a banner on the other pages of the Sentinel menu reminds you of the next one, unless you hide it.

The guide does not cover the Auto Prepend File protection, which also watches the direct access to PHP files:

  1. Open the Threat detection tab of Sentinel > Configuration
  2. On the Direct PHP File Access Protection card, click Try Automatic Installation
  3. If automatic installation fails, follow the manual instructions

Monitor Logs​

Logs are automatically created in /var/logs/sentinel-YYYY-MM-DD.log

See the Security Logs guide to learn how to analyze them.

Next Steps​

Now that Sentinel is installed: