# Requirements and hosting

Server software, PHP extensions and hosting platforms that Open Core HR needs.

## Application requirements

| Component | Requirement |
| --- | --- |
| PHP | 8.5.12 or later within PHP 8.x; use the same version for web and CLI |
| Composer | 2.11.1 or later within Composer 2.x; verify with `composer check-platform-reqs --no-dev` |
| PHP extensions | All extensions required by `composer.lock`; includes intl, curl, PDO/MySQL, zip, mbstring, XML/DOM, fileinfo and OpenSSL |
| Database | MySQL 8.4 LTS; validate migrations on the exact server version |
| Web server | Nginx or Apache with its document root set to `backend/public` |
| Build and PDF runtime | Node.js 26.13.0 LTS and npm 12.2.1, or later releases within those major versions |
| PDF rendering | Chromium installed through Playwright or a configured system binary; fonts covering enabled languages; PHP must be able to launch the Node process |
| Background services | A scheduler every minute and a persistent worker for asynchronous jobs |
| HTTPS | Required for a customer-facing deployment |
| Real-time features | Persistent Reverb process and WebSocket proxy when enabled |

Install dependencies from the supplied lockfiles. Runtime version files in `backend/` and its Docker image specify the development baseline; validate the target hosting platform before use.

## Choose your hosting

| Platform | Confirm with the provider |
| --- | --- |
| Linux VPS | Compatible PHP/CLI, database, SSH, cron, web server and process manager |
| cPanel / Plesk | Compatible web and CLI PHP, Composer/SSH, configurable document root, cron and persistent workers |
| Shared hosting | All requirements above; many plans cannot run workers or WebSockets |
| Windows / IIS | PHP/MySQL compatibility, URL rewriting, scheduling and service management; separate acceptance required |

Prefer a VPS for live chat, calls and other real-time features. Cloudflare DNS/proxy does not provide a PHP runtime or MySQL database.

## Verification status

Fresh-installation acceptance on cPanel, Linux VPS, Plesk/Apache and Windows remains pending. Local regression tests do not certify these hosting environments.