After you have built your Magento ecommerce store, it is time to find the best server to host it.
Ask yourself questions. Who are your target audience? What are your current users? What number of products will you sell? These are just a few examples. These factors play an important role in choosing a host. You should select an optimized server that can handle all the products you have in your store.
You will also have the option to select from shared, dedicated, and VPS hosting when you shop for Magento 2 hosting.
Cloud and managed hosting services are a better option for those who don’t want to learn about server-related technicalities. However, budget is an important consideration. I would recommend that you consider hosting a long-term investment.
Before deciding on a hosting plan, every merchant must understand the Magento architecture. There are four layers of architecture: the Presentation layer (Service layer), Domain layer (Domain layer) and the Persistence layer (Persistence layer). These layers make Magento more powerful and less dependent upon external APIs.
To maximize performance, you will need to find the best Magento Hosting provider that fulfills all the server requirements as recommended by Magento Officials.
This blog will explain the server resources Magento needs and how to get them. Give it a thorough read.
What are the Magento Server Requirements
Magento 2.3.4 has many functional improvements and fixes. Magento recommends that your installation be kept up-to-date in order to benefit from the most recent advancements.
To enjoy the best performance, secure connection with the Magento software repository and effective use of PayPal, you need to be familiar with the server requirements (the most recent versions of Apache and NGINX).
Let’s take a look at what Magento suggests you do before selecting a hosting provider.
Memory Requirement
The more RAM, the better. Magento recommends at least 2GB RAM.
Operating System
Linux x86 – 64 and distributions such as RedHat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Ubuntu and Debian all support Magento. Magento is not supported by Windows or macOS.
Web Servers
Magento needs two web servers: Apache 2.4, and NGINX 1.x.
Database
Magento requires MySQL version 8.2 and MariaDB 10.4 to be compatible with Magento CommerceCloud projects. Magento also supports MariaDB 10.2, Percona 5.7, and MySQL 5.7.9. However, this is not tested so we can’t recommend them.
PHP Versions and Required Extensions
Magento supports PHP 7.4.0 and recommends it to its users. These PHP extensions must be installed:
- Ext-bcmath
- ext-ctype
- ext-curl
- ext-dom
- ext-gd
- ext-hash
- ext-iconv
- ext-intl
- ext-mbstring
- ext-openssl
- ext-pdo_mysql
- ext-simplexml
- ext-soap
- ext-xsl
- ext-zip
PHP OPCache
Magento strongly suggests that you enable OPCache to achieve high performance.
Elasticsearch
Magento can be tested with Elasticsearch version 7.6.x. It does not support 2.x, 5.x and 6.x.
SSL Certificate
Magento stores require a valid, trusted SSL certificate.
System Dependencies Requirements
These system tools are required to simplify operations in Magento stores:
- bash
- gzip
- lsof
- mysql
- mysqldump
- It’s nice
- php
- Sed
- Tar
Cache Technologies
Magento recommends that developers use the following cache technologies with their respective versions.
This article will cover Magento server requirements and how they can be met, as I stated earlier. Let’s now move on to the second half.
Cloudways – Meet the Best Server Requirements
The Cloudways Platform was specifically designed for Magento stores. I found that it meets all the server requirements recommended by Official Magento. Let’s now look at these requirements and see if Cloudways meets all recommendations.
RAM Usage (Memory Required)
Cloudways offers hosting plans with minimum 2GB RAM for Magento 2 applications.
Web Servers and Operating System
Magento uses Apache and NGINX as web server technologies. Cloudways provides both.
Cloudways uses Debian Linux for OS.
Database
Cloudways provides MariaDB 10.1 as its default database. You can also upgrade MariaDB to 10.2 and 10.3 according to your store needs.
PHP Version and Required PHP Extensions
Cloudways will give you the default PHP version of 7.3. You can then easily upgrade to PHP 7.4. You will also need to install PHP extensions, which are compiled libraries that support specific functions in your PHP code.
Required System Dependencies For Magento Stores
Cloudways provides all the tools necessary to manage the Magento store without any ambiguity. Connect your SSH to your Magento application and type: ls/bin/
Cache & Other Technologies
Magento recommends that you use a few caches to speed up your site. You can configure Varnish, Redis, and PHP OPCache with your stores. These cache technologies are supported by Cloudways
You can find Varnish or Redis Cache under the Manage Services tab. You can also manage the minor operations like restart, stop, and purge. Elasticsearch version6.5 will be available.
You will also see the OPCACHE MEMORY under the Setting & Packages tab. This can be modified as needed.
1-click SSL Certificate Free of Charge
Cloudways allows you to install SSL certificates for Magento stores free of charge. To set up an SSL certificate, make sure you have signed up to the full Cloudways Platform Magento and point your domain at the target Magento application.
1-click SSL certificate for free
Last words
That’s it!
Magento’s strong architecture is able to handle complex ecommerce store operations. Many people choose Magento to build their online store. However, they often experience disappointment when their store performance is not managed properly. These performance issues are usually caused by server requirements not being met.
This blog lists the necessary server components required for the Magento platform. I hope that readers will leave this blog with a better understanding of server requirements and how to maintain better performance for customers as well as their audience.
