First-Time Setup
When you open SalonERP for the first time with an empty database, the Setup Wizard guides you through the initial configuration. The wizard appears automatically and cannot be skipped — all 7 steps must be completed before accessing the application.
Starting the wizard
On the welcome screen you can choose between:
- Fresh Setup — configure a new salon from scratch (7 steps)
- Import Backup — restore a previous SalonERP backup (ZIP file, max 500 MB)
After importing a backup, log in with your existing credentials. The rest of this page describes the Fresh Setup flow.
Step 0 — Language
Choose the interface language. The selection takes effect immediately; all subsequent wizard screens and the entire application will use the chosen language.
Available languages: English, Nederlands, Deutsch, Français, Español.
Step 1 — Salon Information
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Salon name | Yes | Displayed throughout the app and on receipts |
| Street + number | No | |
| Postcode | No | |
| City | No | |
| Phone | No | |
| No | Used as sender address fallback | |
| Logo | No | PNG/JPG, shown on receipts and the booking page |
| BTW / VAT number | No | Printed on invoices |
| Facebook URL | No | |
| Instagram URL | No | |
| Currency | Yes | EUR, GBP, or USD |
| First day of week | Yes | Monday or Sunday |
| Time format | Yes | 24-hour or 12-hour |
Step 2 — Admin Account
Create the primary administrator account. This account has full access to all settings and data.
- Name — display name for the admin
- Email — used to log in
- Password — minimum 8 characters
- Confirm password — must match
Step 3 — Email (SMTP)
Configure the outgoing mail server for booking confirmations, reminders, and campaigns. If the server was started with SMTP environment variables, the fields are pre-filled.
| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| SMTP host | e.g. smtp.gmail.com |
| Port | Typically 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL) |
| Username | Usually your email address |
| Password | App password or SMTP password |
| From address | The address recipients see |
| TLS | Toggle on for encrypted connections |
This step can be left empty and configured later under Settings → Email.
Step 4 — Calendar & Bookings
Controls how the calendar works and how clients can book online.
| Setting | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Slot interval | 15 / 20 / 30 / 45 / 60 min | Grid resolution of the calendar |
| Buffer time | 0 / 5 / 10 / 15 / 30 min | Automatic gap added after each appointment |
| Color mode | Category / Staff | What the calendar appointment color represents |
| Booking mode | Direct / Request | Direct confirms immediately; Request requires staff approval |
| Who can book | Everyone / Existing clients | Existing clients must log in to book online |
| Max advance days | Number | How far in the future clients can book |
| New client extra time | Minutes | Additional buffer added for first-time clients |
Step 5 — Payments & Integrations
All payment integrations are optional. Leave fields empty to skip an integration and configure it later under Settings → Payments.
SumUp — card reader integration
- API key, merchant code, reader ID
Mollie — online payments
- API key, terminal ID
Stripe — online payments and no-show fees
- Secret key, webhook secret
No-show fee — only available when Stripe is configured
- Fee type: percentage of appointment value or fixed amount
- Fee value
- Minimum charge amount
Step 6 — Features & VAT
Features
| Toggle | Notes |
|---|---|
| Birthday messages | Automatically sends a birthday greeting to clients |
| Purchase orders & suppliers | Enables the purchasing module for inventory restocking |
| Internal consumption | Records stock used internally (e.g. for treatments); requires Purchase orders enabled |
VAT rates
Select your country from the dropdown to auto-fill the standard VAT rates for that country (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, or Custom). The rates are editable inline — you can change percentages, rename categories, add new rates, or remove rates you do not use.
At least one VAT rate is required.
Finishing setup
Click Start salon to submit all settings. The wizard calls POST /api/auth/setup, which:
- Creates the admin user account
- Saves all salon settings, calendar configuration, payment credentials, and feature flags
- Stores the VAT rates
- Returns a JWT token for immediate login
The setup endpoint only works when the database has zero user accounts. Once setup is complete, it cannot be run again. To change settings afterwards, use the Settings panel inside the application.
You do not need to get everything right in the wizard. SMTP, payment integrations, and feature toggles can all be changed later in Settings without any downtime.