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Requirements vary based on your deployment model. Review the appropriate section for Self-Hosted Edition or Hosted Edition.

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Hardware Requirements

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Self-Hosted Edition

Minimum and recommended specifications for running AreaWP on your own server.
Small Deployment (Up to 25 websites)
ComponentSpecification
CPU2 cores @ 2.0 GHz
RAM4 GB
Storage50 GB SSD
Bandwidth500 GB/month
Network100 Mbps uplink
Suitable For:
  • Testing and development
  • Small freelancers
  • Up to 25 client websites
  • Low traffic sites
  • Basic WordPress sites
  • Learning and experimentation
Storage Scaling: Plan for approximately 2-5 GB per WordPress site, including database, uploads, and backups. Add 20-30% buffer for growth.

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Hosted Edition

For the Hosted Edition, hardware is fully managed by AreaWP. Choose from multiple plans and VM tiers:

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Plan Tiers

€90/month + VATPerfect for small agencies and freelancers getting started.Base Features:
  • Managed infrastructure
  • Daily backups
  • SSL certificates
  • Basic support
  • DirectAdmin included
Available VM Tiers:
VM TierAdditional CostCPURAMStorageWebsites
VM-1+€40/month2 cores4 GB80 GBUp to 25
VM-2+€60/month4 cores8 GB150 GBUp to 50
VM-3+€80/month6 cores12 GB250 GBUp to 100
Total Cost Examples:
  • Pro + VM-1: €130/month
  • Pro + VM-2: €150/month
  • Pro + VM-3: €170/month
Additional Benefits (All Hosted Plans):
  • Automatic resource scaling (Business & Enterprise)
  • DDoS protection included
  • Daily automated server backups (full server data restoration)
  • 1 Free Snapshot (capture server state before updates/changes)
  • 24/7 server monitoring
  • Free SSL certificates
  • Server management included
  • No setup fees
  • Cancel anytime
Backup & Snapshot Details:
  • Automated Backups: Daily server-level backups allow you to quickly restore all your data if needed
  • Snapshot: Capture the exact state of your server just before an update or critical change for instant rollback capability
Pricing Note: All hosted edition prices are in EUR (€) and exclude VAT. VM tier costs are in addition to the base plan cost. View full pricing →

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Software Requirements

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Self-Hosted Edition

Linux DistributionAreaWP requires a Linux-based operating system. Supported distributions:Recommended:
  • CentOS 7.x / 8.x
  • AlmaLinux 8.x / 9.x
  • Rocky Linux 8.x / 9.x
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7.x / 8.x
Also Compatible:
  • CloudLinux 7.x / 8.x
  • Ubuntu 20.04 LTS / 22.04 LTS (with DirectAdmin)
Not Supported: Windows Server, FreeBSD, or other non-Linux operating systems.
Required Control PanelDirectAdmin is mandatory for AreaWP operation. It handles server management, user accounts, and domain configuration.Version Requirements:
  • DirectAdmin 1.60.0 or higher
  • Valid DirectAdmin license
  • Full root access
  • Reseller account capability
DirectAdmin Configuration:
  • Reseller account created (3-character username)
  • User package created (3-character name)
  • Login Keys enabled
  • SSH access configured
  • Sudo permissions granted
Purchase DirectAdmin: If you don’t have DirectAdmin, you can purchase a license from:
  • DirectAdmin Official
  • Starting at $5/month (Personal License)
  • $15/month (Lite License - Recommended)
  • $29/month (Standard License)
Why DirectAdmin? AreaWP leverages DirectAdmin’s robust API for automated user management, domain setup, database creation, and file system operations.
PHP Version 8.3AreaWP requires PHP 8.3 or higher for optimal performance and security.Required PHP Extensions:
  • ionCube Loader (mandatory for license encryption)
  • exec (for system commands)
  • shell_exec (for server operations)
  • curl (for API requests)
  • mbstring (for multi-byte string handling)
  • xml (for XML processing)
  • zip (for archive handling)
  • gd or imagick (for image processing)
  • mysqli (for database connectivity)
  • pdo_mysql (for database operations)
  • json (for JSON handling)
  • openssl (for encryption)
PHP Configuration:
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 300
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_input_vars = 5000
Enabling exec and shell_exec:These functions are often disabled by default for security. You can enable them through AreaWP:
  1. Navigate to: https://yourdomain.com/admin/GeneralOption
  2. Find “PHP Shell Functions” section
  3. Click “Enable Shell Functions”
  4. System will automatically update php.ini
Security Note: Only enable exec and shell_exec on servers dedicated to AreaWP. These functions are required for WordPress management operations.
MySQL or MariaDBAreaWP requires a MySQL-compatible database server.Supported Versions:
  • MySQL 5.6.0 or higher
  • MySQL 8.0.x (recommended)
  • MariaDB 10.0.5 or higher
  • MariaDB 10.5+ (recommended)
Database Configuration:
  • InnoDB storage engine (default)
  • UTF8MB4 character set support
  • Sufficient max_connections (200+)
  • Query cache enabled (optional)
Required Privileges:
  • CREATE DATABASE
  • CREATE USER
  • GRANT OPTION
  • SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE
  • CREATE, ALTER, DROP
  • INDEX, REFERENCES
Performance Tuning:
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 2G
max_connections = 500
query_cache_size = 64M
tmp_table_size = 64M
max_heap_table_size = 64M
Required License ProtectionionCube Loader is mandatory for running AreaWP as it protects the source code.Installation:Most DirectAdmin servers include ionCube by default. To verify:
php -v
You should see ionCube Loader in the output.Manual Installation:If not installed, you can install via DirectAdmin:
  1. Log in to DirectAdmin as admin
  2. Go to Extra Features
  3. Find ionCube Loader
  4. Click Install
Or via command line:
cd /usr/local/directadmin/custombuild
./build update
./build ioncube
Verify Installation:Create a PHP file with:
<?php phpinfo(); ?>
Look for “ionCube Loader” in the output.
Download ionCube: If manual installation is needed, download from ionCube Official Site
Nginx (Recommended) or ApacheAreaWP works best with Nginx but also supports Apache.Nginx (Recommended):
  • Version 1.18 or higher
  • FastCGI support
  • SSL/TLS support
  • Gzip compression
  • HTTP/2 enabled
Apache (Alternative):
  • Version 2.4 or higher
  • mod_rewrite enabled
  • mod_ssl enabled
  • .htaccess support
DirectAdmin Default: DirectAdmin typically uses Apache with Nginx as a reverse proxy, which provides excellent performance.
Optional but RecommendedRedis:
  • For object caching
  • Significantly improves performance
  • Reduces database load
Git:
  • For version control
  • Theme/plugin management
  • Deployment automation
WP-CLI:
  • WordPress command-line interface
  • Automated WordPress operations
  • Bulk management tasks
Composer:
  • PHP dependency management
  • Required for some plugins
Node.js & NPM:
  • For theme development
  • Asset compilation
  • Modern build tools

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Network Requirements

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Connectivity & Ports

Required Open Ports:
PortProtocolPurpose
80HTTPWeb traffic
443HTTPSSecure web traffic
22SSHServer administration
2222DirectAdminControl panel access
3306MySQLDatabase connections (localhost only)
6379RedisCache server (localhost only)
Firewall Configuration:
  • Allow incoming on ports 80, 443, 22, 2222
  • Block direct access to MySQL (3306) from external IPs
  • Block direct access to Redis (6379) from external IPs
  • Configure CSF/iptables for security
Domain Requirements:
  • Valid domain name pointing to server IP
  • DNS management access
  • Ability to create A records and CNAME records
  • Wildcard DNS support (recommended)

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Security Requirements

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Essential Security Measures

HTTPS Required
  • Valid SSL certificate for main domain
  • Wildcard certificate recommended
  • Let’s Encrypt integration available
  • Auto-renewal configured
Certificate Types:
  • Let’s Encrypt (Free, auto-renewing)
  • Commercial SSL (Paid, extended validation)
  • Wildcard SSL (Covers all subdomains)
CSF (ConfigServer Security & Firewall)
  • Recommended for security
  • Port management
  • IP whitelisting/blacklisting
  • Login failure detection
  • DDoS mitigation
Secure Shell Requirements
  • SSH key authentication (recommended)
  • Disable password authentication
  • Non-standard SSH port (optional)
  • Fail2ban enabled
  • Root login restricted

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Compatibility Check

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Pre-Installation Verification

Before installing AreaWP, verify your server meets all requirements: Quick Checklist:
  • Linux OS (CentOS/AlmaLinux/Rocky Linux)
  • DirectAdmin installed and licensed
  • PHP 8.3 installed
  • ionCube Loader enabled
  • MySQL 5.6+ or MariaDB 10.0.5+
  • exec and shell_exec functions available
  • Minimum 8 GB RAM
  • Minimum 100 GB SSD storage
  • Valid domain name
  • SSL certificate (or Let’s Encrypt access)
  • Root/sudo access
  • Reseller account created (3 chars)
  • User package created (3 chars)

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Troubleshooting Requirements

Issue: ionCube Loader not detectedSolutions:
  1. Install via DirectAdmin custombuild
  2. Verify PHP version compatibility
  3. Check php.ini for ionCube extension
  4. Restart PHP-FPM service
  5. Clear OPcache
  6. Contact hosting provider
Issue: Required PHP functions disabledSolutions:
  1. Navigate to /admin/GeneralOption
  2. Enable shell functions via interface
  3. Or manually edit php.ini
  4. Remove from disable_functions
  5. Restart PHP-FPM
  6. Verify with phpinfo()
Issue: Server doesn’t meet minimum specsSolutions:
  1. Upgrade server plan
  2. Add more RAM
  3. Increase storage
  4. Optimize existing resources
  5. Consider Hosted Edition
  6. Use dedicated server
Issue: DirectAdmin not properly configuredSolutions:
  1. Verify DirectAdmin license is active
  2. Check reseller account exists
  3. Ensure username is 3 characters
  4. Verify package name is 3 characters
  5. Enable Login Keys
  6. Grant sudo permissions
  7. Test API connectivity

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Need More Information?

Installation Guide

Step-by-step installation instructions

Technical Details

Complete technology stack overview

Support Portal

Get help from our support team

Documentation

Browse all documentation
Ready to Install? If your server meets all requirements, proceed to the Installation Guide for step-by-step instructions.
Need Help? If you’re unsure about any requirements or need assistance with server setup, contact our support team or consider the Hosted Edition where we handle all infrastructure requirements.