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Hosting a live demo

LinkForge has a built-in demo mode that turns an install into a safe public showcase: visitors can try every feature, but destructive and configuration changes are blocked, no real email is sent, and a "this is a demo" bar + a "view source" link are shown. One-click logins let people explore as both an admin and a customer without a password.

⚠️ Run demo mode on a SEPARATE install only (its own domain/subdomain and its own database). Never enable it on your production site — it disables account/security/settings changes and exposes one-click admin access.

1. Set up a separate install

Install LinkForge as usual on a dedicated host, e.g. demo.yoursite.com, with its own database (do not share your production DB). Complete the web installer.

Recommended layout:

URL Purpose
https://demo.yoursite.com Marketing page + live shortener + Blog/Help
https://demo.yoursite.com/login One-click Enter as Admin / Enter as Customer

2. Turn on demo mode

Demo mode is env-only (there is intentionally no admin toggle, so customer installs never expose it). Add to the demo server's .env:

LF_DEMO=true
LF_DEMO_BUY_URL=https://github.com/sanmaxdev/linkforge

Then clear the config cache:

php artisan config:clear

3. Seed the demo data + schedule the reset

Populate the demo accounts and sample data:

php artisan demo:reset --force

This creates two accounts and a rich sample dataset (links, campaigns, tags, a deep link, pixels, an affiliate dashboard, blog posts, help articles):

Role Login How
Admin admin@demo.test "Enter as Admin" button (no password)
Customer user@demo.test "Enter as Customer" button (no password)

The customer account is on the top plan, so visitors can try every paid feature (deep links, monetization, pixels, custom domains, AI…).

Keep the demo fresh automatically — it resets hourly via the scheduler once your cron is set up (the same single cron entry the app already uses):

* * * * * php /path/to/demo/artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

(demo:reset is a no-op on non-demo installs, so it's safe everywhere.)

4. What visitors can and can't do

They can (it resets hourly): create/edit/delete their own links, campaigns, tags, QR codes, pixels, bio pages; bulk-import; run the analytics; "upgrade" via the offline gateway; use the affiliate dashboard; and, as admin, browse the whole admin panel and manage blog/help content.

They can't: change site settings, run the updater, edit languages, change the demo accounts' email/password, delete accounts, or register new accounts (one-click logins are the entry point). Real email is never sent.

5. Isolation from your real app

Demo mode is off by default and every behaviour is gated behind it, so a normal customer install is never affected:

  • LF_DEMO defaults to false; the admin toggle defaults to off.
  • demo:reset does nothing unless demo mode is on (or --force).
  • The demo bar, popup, one-click logins and /demo/login/* routes only appear / work in demo mode.

Because the demo is a separate install with its own database, nothing it does can touch your production data. Keep the two on different domains and databases.

6. Tips for a great demo

  • Use a subdomain (demo.…) and link to it from your sales page.
  • Set LF_DEMO_BUY_URL to your repo or project page (defaults to the GitHub repo).
  • Pre-configure a branded custom domain and a couple of social logins (with real OAuth apps) if you want those shown — otherwise they stay hidden.
  • Let the short links accumulate real clicks: visitors clicking the sample links generate live analytics, so the dashboards look active between resets.