How to Check Whether Your Server Meets Joomla Requirements

A hosting plan can advertise a modern PHP or database version and still run your Joomla site on something different. The reliable approach is to check the environment actually serving the site, identify the Joomla version you intend to run, and compare each requirement before installing or upgrading.

1. Identify the Joomla version you are checking for

Start with the target Joomla major/minor release. Joomla 6 and Joomla 5 have different minimums, so a server that is valid for Joomla 5 is not automatically valid for Joomla 6.

Use the current Joomla technical requirements for that release rather than an old hosting article or a cached checklist.

2. Check the PHP version used by the website

If you have shell access, run:

php -v

This checks command-line PHP only. On many servers, the website runs through PHP-FPM or a hosting control panel and can use a different version. Check the domain's assigned PHP version in the hosting panel as well.

If this is an existing Joomla site, Joomla's System Information screen can help confirm the web runtime Joomla is actually using.

3. Check the required PHP modules

From a shell, list the CLI modules with:

php -m

For current Joomla 5/6 installations, check for the required XML/DOM, JSON, compression, image, and database-driver functionality documented by Joomla. Joomla 6 additionally recommends mbstring.

Do not rely only on CLI output if the web server uses a separate PHP configuration. A module can be enabled for CLI PHP but disabled for the site's PHP-FPM pool.

4. Check the PHP memory limit

For CLI PHP:

php -r 'echo ini_get("memory_limit"), PHP_EOL;'

The Joomla Project recommends at least 256 MB for current Joomla 5 and Joomla 6 releases. Confirm the web PHP memory limit too, because per-site hosting settings can override the global value.

5. Check the database engine and version

For MySQL or MariaDB, run this read-only query from phpMyAdmin or another legitimate database client:

SELECT VERSION();

For PostgreSQL:

SHOW server_version;

Record both the database family and version. A version number by itself can be misleading if you do not know whether the server is MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL.

6. Check the web server

If you administer the server directly, common version commands are:

apachectl -v
nginx -v

On managed hosting, ask the provider or check the control panel instead. Public HTTP headers are not a reliable inventory method because secure servers often hide or shorten version information.

7. Check URL-rewriting capability if you need rewritten SEF URLs

Joomla can run without Apache mod_rewrite, but that module is commonly needed when Apache is configured to remove index.php from Joomla's SEF URLs. IIS uses its URL Rewrite Module for comparable rewriting. Nginx uses server configuration rules rather than Apache's .htaccess.

8. Check filesystem access and free space

Version numbers are not the only installation requirements. Confirm that the web-server/PHP user can read Joomla's files and can write to the locations Joomla needs for configuration, cache, logs, temporary files, media, extension installation, and updates. Also make sure there is enough free disk space to unpack updates and extensions.

A server can pass PHP/database version checks and still fail installation because of ownership, permissions, read-only storage, or a full filesystem.

9. Let the Joomla installer perform its own checks

For a new installation, Joomla's installer validates important system requirements before it writes the site. Treat an installer requirement failure as a signal to correct the server—not as something to bypass by editing Joomla's checks.

10. Check extension and template requirements

Joomla core compatibility is only the baseline. A third-party extension may require a newer PHP version, a particular PHP module, or a database feature. Before an upgrade or migration, check every business-critical extension and template against the target environment.

Quick verification checklist

  • Target Joomla version identified.
  • Website PHP version meets that Joomla version's requirement.
  • Required PHP modules are enabled for the web runtime.
  • Effective PHP memory limit is sufficient.
  • Database engine and version are supported.
  • Web server version is supported.
  • Required URL-rewrite capability is available if you plan to use it.
  • Joomla directories can be read/written appropriately.
  • Sufficient disk space is available.
  • Critical extensions/templates support the same environment.

If all of those checks pass, start the installer or test the upgrade on a staging copy. If one fails, correct that specific requirement first instead of proceeding and troubleshooting a predictable failure later.

Need More Help with Joomla?

Still having trouble? Open a support ticket with QuantaCade Support and we'll be happy to help where we can.

Support priority is given to QuantaCade products, services, and customers. However, we're also happy to assist fellow Joomla users with general Joomla questions and troubleshooting when possible.

QuantaCade is an independent Joomla extension developer and is not official Joomla support. Some issues involving third-party extensions, hosting environments, server configurations, or other systems outside our development control may be beyond what we're able to resolve.

Open a Support Ticket