What is Ideal WordPress PHP and Server Requirements

The internet is powered by servers keeping data files on websites, applications, as well as various digital assets. That means every self-hosted WordPress website needs an internet server that can store and use PHP files, media elements, databases and other content.

However, did you realize there are WordPress PHP as well as server specifications you must think about prior to setting up a WordPress site?

WordPress requires PHP and server configurations. These are the absolute minimal environmental settings to produce the best possible website. WordPress is technically able to function with older servers and outdated codes, but it's not ideal; things may break, and the site could run slower. This is why WordPress provides requirements for the server as well as PHP code. Even though this lists some liabilities from their side, it also tells developers that these are the essentials for the server to avoid issues when creating a hosted WordPress website.

In this tutorial will provide details on WordPress PHP and server prerequisites, along with optional recommendations, to create an ideal environment. In addition, we'll provide details on how to check your server's and PHP versions and then upgrade them according to WordPress PHP specifications.

Continue reading and check it out!

Does WordPress Always Require a Server?

WordPress.org is hosted by WordPress.org, which gives you full control over the server. Even though WordPress.com doesn't need you to self-host, WordPress.com is still using physical servers, as well as web server software, in order to host the website's files.

WordPress PHP as well as Server Requirements

The first step is to review the PHP specifications below. We'll then proceed to server requirements.

WordPress PHP Requirements

WordPress is compatible with and works with a wide range of versions of PHP program language. Yet for the best performance, we advise using PHP version 7.4 or later.

That is:

• PHP Version 7.4
• PHP Version 8.0
• PHP Version 8.1

WordPress suggests PHP versions according to whether they still get support from the developers of PHP. The majority of PHP releases get support for two years, after which they get moved into what's called"the "End of Life" stage.

The PHP versions come with three steps to support:

• Active Assistance
• Security Fixes Only
• End of Life

During"Active Support" or "Active Support" phase, bugs and security issues are resolved and addressed. There are also subversions released to enhance the version that is released at this period. The releases are released during the "Security Repairs Only" stage , when it's necessary to resolve an extreme security problem. The "End of Life" stage is where PHP's PHP development team no longer offers bug and security solutions, which means your site is open to vulnerabilities when it's using an "End of Life" version of PHP.

Due to these phases the recommendation is to immediately update any website that has a PHP version in the "End of Life" phase. The recommendations above contain two PHP versions within the "Active Support" stage. PHP Version 7.4 is at the "Security Fixes Only" stage. This makes it the absolute minimum you'd need for running your WordPress website.

The development of PHP versions goes back to October 2000 with PHP 3.0. Since then, we've had frequent updates through to 8.1. The 7.3 Version of PHP is the latest version that's in the "End of Life" stage which means it is not supported for any future improvements.

WordPress technically works with many PHP versions, but some of them antiquated. It's actually possible to launch a WordPress site with PHP 3.0 However, this is bound to produce severe functionality as well as security problems. While you're fine using any "Security fixes only" Version, it's ideal to change your WordPress site's PHP to the latest "Active support" version.

How do you find and update Your WordPress PHP Version

WordPress Server Requirements

Server requirements involve several elements: RAM, database version, processor power, storage space and also the web server.

This is a brief overview of the most common recommendations for a server when operating WordPress:

• Web Server: Nginx or Apache with mod-rewrite module
• Disk space: At least 1 GB
• PHP: Version 7.4 or higher
• Database: MySQL 5.015 or higher (An alternative is MariaDB, version 10.1 or higher)
• RAM (Random Access Memory) Minimum 500 millibytes
• CPU (Central Processing Unit) at least 1.0 GHz
• Support for HTTPS

Now let's take a deeper analysis of the logic behind these hardware and web server advice.

1. Web Server

There are a variety of server kinds and web servers usually means a piece of software, hardware, or both of them working in conjunction. When it comes to web hosting, in the majority of cases it is the word "web server" blurs the definition because the site's files are typically stored on a powerful, physical, computer-based web server. The site files get accessed and delivered with an application-based web server.

Are there hardware and software web server requirements for WordPress?

Hardware Web Server Requirements, Recommendations and Requirements

More important are the processing capacity of your hardware in terms of disk space, processor power, and RAM. These will go over in the subsequent sections. Also, you should ensure that your host upgrades its hardware on a regular basis (like everything, old machines fail), has cooling systems within its data center and implements physical security measures to stop intruders from entering the data center.

Software Web Server Requirements and Recommendations

WordPress suggests Nginx or Apache as the optimal Web server software choices to use for the operation of WordPress. You don't have to use either, although they each have their advantages. It is possible to use any website server to run WordPress.

It is true that WordPress prefers Apache due to its popularity, customisation capabilities, and its reliability. Nginx in turn, has superior advantages over its competitors because of its ability to optimize the performance of isolated containers. privateize server resources, and provide better performance with better caching, resource management as well as firewall integration.

uses Nginx as part of its web server solution to package all performance-optimizing aspects into individual containers. This way, all tools like Nginx, Linux, and PHP are in one place.

These providers offer efficient, safe data centers as well as exceptional server performance. But, they sell their servers as unmanaged hosting environments. This is why you should make use of an alternative like My Google Cloud Platform to connect to its server capabilities while enjoying the ease of use and additional server management capabilities of My.

2. Disk Space

Server hardware can hold a certain amount of space in an HDD. WordPress WordPress application requires an absolute minimum space requirement of 1 GB. It's extremely low, which means it should not be difficult to locate a server with enough space for your disk to accommodate WordPress.

There is a common belief that speed of processing is the primary aspect of server performance but the processor dictates the speed and quantity of server calculations. While processing is essential for the performance of your website however, having a top-quality hard disk is just as important.

The type of disk and the storage requirements are contingent on the potential growth of your WordPress website. A multimedia-rich website that has a continuously growing blogs as well as product pages needs greater space on the disk. A personal blog that has smaller images is able to function even with a small amount of disk space. So, choose your the amount of space you need depending on the amount you'll need. offers SSD storage starting at 10GB and extending up to 250GB. Overage of disk space options allow you to keep your sites running even when you surpass the limits.

The type of hardware used affects the performance of the hard disk. Server providers and hosts typically use hard disk drives (HDD) or solid-state drives (SSD) within the physical servers.

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Here's how they differ:

• SSD The HTML0 SSD is modern, high-speed hard disk without moving parts (solid-state) which makes it more resistant to physical harm. The solid-state build of an SSD also results in faster transfer of data, as it doesn't require waiting for the mechanism to change for the transfer. Because of these advantages, SSDs are more expensive in comparison to HDDs.
• HDD: This is an older, cheaper model of hard drive with internal mechanical parts that move. It's a great economical option for data storage that's not needed regularly or information that needs lesser speed.

Certain hosting companies choose to save databases on SSDs while placing other, possibly less significant assets on HDDs. This results in a tradeoff between cost and performance.

Even though WordPress works fine on an HDD however, it is recommended to use servers with SSDs to guarantee the reliability of data transfer, speedy processing and open possibilities to increase the growth of your website.

3. Database

It's strongly recommended to follow these database-related best practices and also:

• Have your database stored on a solid-state drive.
• Opt for a hosting provider that offers automated database optimization.
• Automated backups for your database (and the entire website as well).
• Ensure that your server allows the multi-user configuration.

It offers MariaDB on Google Cloud Platform, weekly MySQL optimization, automated DB backups and multi-user system.

4. RAM (Random Access Memory)

The performance of servers is heavily dependent on random access memory. As a bridge between CPU and hard disk, RAM prepares whatever data originates from the hard disk and sends it over for processing by the CPU (processor).

Servers benefit from RAM since it's easier to connect than hard disks. So, higher memory results in more information and processes being stored in the "waiting space" that the CPU can access after it has completed the previous process. Because of this data "waiting space," all server processing goes much faster.

The WordPress application itself needs at minimum 512MB of RAM. It is logical to increase RAM to any expanding WordPress website, regardless of whether it's for larger databases, media or anything that needs processing.

The 8 GB RAM is available with standard plans and staging environments, with options for upgrading if you're in need of it.

5. PHP as well as PHP Memory Limit

As we have mentioned previously in this article, we advise the most current version of PHP for running an WordPress site. However, what is the PHP memory limits?

PHP memory limitations refer to how much memory allocated for web servers to run PHP-based processes. The goal with the PHP memory limit is to reduce the chance of RAM-consuming resources damaging your site. Hosting companies and server providers choose the PHP memory limit for your server. Therefore, you might need to discuss with them to either increase or reduce the limit.

An average WordPress installation is compatible with 64 MB of PHP memory limits, but it's not uncommon hosts to give as much as 256 MB of memory if required.

6. CPU

The CPU, or central processing unit is the processor chip within a hardware server. It is often referred to as the command center for any server. The CPU controls how many tasks could be running on the server and at what speed.

WordPress runs perfectly on just 1.0 GHz of processor processing power. However, that's assuming you have added nothing to the site. A majority of hosts don't care about power consumption now, they just focus on the they can determine how many processing cores they have available and make it much easier to determine what's required (saying five cores is much simpler than saying 50 GHz).

In addition, hosts' CPUs are now so powerful that there's no anxiety regarding RAM, especially when running a lightweight application like WordPress.

However, RAM requirements vary based upon the type of website developed on WordPress. Processing is the ability of the server to perform multitasking, so it ties into the overall efficiency equation. The hard disk transmits data to the CPU and RAM makes it possible to access that data from the CPU faster and easier.

The CPU, however, is the one that actually process information. Therefore, the more CPUs are responsible more efficient use of the CPU. Two cores handle twice as many actions as one core. And six cores perform twice as many operations as three cores.

So, a WordPress website that has tens or thousands of visitors accessing many file types at the same time should look to increase the number of CPUs that run on its servers.

7. Bonus Recommendation: Server Location

It's not clear why server place shouldn't be a factor with the popularity of cloud hosting as well as virtual private servers. But with those hosting types there is a server sitting somewhere in the world holding the contents of your WordPress website. The server is physically location, therefore making it far from certain users, and closer to the others. This physical distance affects the speed at which your WordPress site.

WordPress does not require or suggest an exact server address to run its program however, we recommend going using a server that has access to a worldwide server network. With a global network, your website's data get placed on the physical server you choose which is likely to be close to your customers. It is recommended to choose a server in the United States if most of your customers are located located in the US. Perhaps you'll choose one specific area, such as the West or East Coast of the US which will provide more access to content for users.

In addition, we suggest selecting a server that has CDN (content delivery network) features, which allows you to select your preferred server, but make use of several servers within the network, which will speed up WordPress website delivery time all over the world.

8. Bonus Recommendation: A Unique Server Account Username

Most servers have the default username, which is used by all the users on that server. Therefore, it's recommended that you use an PHP software like WordPress by using your own username instead of sticking with the default username that is provided by your hosting provider. Contact your website host for this modification.

What can you do to determine the if a Web Host Supports WordPress PHP and server requirements

A host may provide details concerning its support for PHP and server specifications in the details of their pricing plans. The pricing page, for instance, provides support for the most recent version of PHP and provides details about the SSD storage capacity, WordPress databases, performance, and server location due to its usage of its Google Cloud Platform. Also, it explains how they use MariaDB as part of its Google Cloud Platform, LXD containers, as well as Nginx to deliver a speedy system of the most up-to-date servers, processing, and databases.

If you're developing an WordPress website using a different host, get in touch with customer support and find out if the host (and the package you're purchasing) supports WordPress PHP and server specifications.

Ask for assistance to be contacted with a quick message, such as this:

We'd love to have the free version of WordPress using (insert the name of the company hosting). I'm writing to discover if my hosting plan supports these requirements:

•      MariaDB 10.1 or higher and MySQL 5.6 or higher    

•      Version PHP 7.4 or higher    

•      Web Server: Apache or Nginx with mod_rewrite module    

•      Support for HTTPS    

  Thanks.  

Summary

WordPress Server and PHP requirements have been put in place to safeguard your websites and to keep working properly. This is why it's crucial to find a host that meets these needs as well as providing automatic updates and dashboard tools to provide access to the server and PHP versions.

If you're choosing a host check out the pricing page to determine which plans support what your website needs. Contact the host and ask them questions.

We keep track with any new requirements for servers so you don't have to be concerned about them. If you have websites that are currently in operation You can check the PHP versions in My and WordPress dashboards. WordPress and My dashboards. You can then decide to update to the most current version of PHP whenever available.

What other aspects should be taken into consideration while analyzing a web host's PHP and server services to host a WordPress site? Tell us in the comments section.

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