PHP platforms

Twelve PHP platforms, one team that knows each of them.

We install them, make them fast, lock them down, keep them updated and backed up, and move them to our servers for you.

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The table of platforms we look after

Three groups: platforms that publish, platforms that sell, and platforms that run a part of your business. Choose one to see what it is for and what we do for it.

Group 1Publish

WordPress Sites and blogs
Drupal Structured sites
Joomla Portals and members
MediaWiki Wikis

Group 2Sell

WooCommerce Shops in WordPress
Magento Large catalogues
PrestaShop Online shops
OpenCart Small shops

Group 3Run

Moodle Learning
WHMCS Billing and clients
Nextcloud Files and office
phpBB Forums

Publish · Sites and blogs

WordPress

The publishing system behind a large share of the web: company sites, blogs, news and landing pages, edited by people who never touch code.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB

WordPress hosting

Install: A clean install on your domain with SSL, the right PHP version, and only the plugins you need.
Speed: Full-page caching, OPcache and an object cache in Redis, and images served at the size they are shown.
Hardening: File editing from the dashboard switched off, login attempts limited, XML-RPC closed if you do not use it, and permissions set so an uploaded file cannot run.
Updates: Core, theme and plugin updates tried on a copy first, and a plugin its author has abandoned flagged to you.
Backups: The database and the uploads folder every day, kept away from the server.
Migration: Moved from any host, with the addresses inside the database rewritten so links and images keep working.

Publish · Structured sites

Drupal

A content framework for large, structured sites: governments, universities and organisations with many editors, roles and languages.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB
PostgreSQL
Composer

Install: Built with Composer and Drush, with the configuration kept in files so every change can be tracked and repeated.
Speed: Drupal's own page and dynamic caches backed by Redis, with Varnish or a CDN in front for visitors who are not signed in.
Hardening: Advisories from the Drupal security team followed and applied, and trusted host patterns set.
Updates: Core and module updates through Composer, and database updates run with Drush, on a copy first.
Backups: The database and the files directory every day, with the configuration exported beside them.
Migration: Moves between hosts, and upgrades from older Drupal versions with the Migrate API.

Publish · Portals and members

Joomla

A content management system for company sites, portals and membership sites, with users, access levels and many languages built in.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB
PostgreSQL

Install: Installed on the right PHP version, with search-engine friendly addresses on and the site's languages added.
Speed: Joomla's own caching, compressed pages and OPcache, and the extensions that slow the site found and fixed.
Hardening: Two-factor sign-in for administrators, the configuration file locked, and extensions checked against the vulnerable extensions list.
Updates: Minor updates kept current, and moves between major versions planned around the extensions you rely on.
Backups: The database and the whole site folder every day, kept away from the server.
Migration: Moved between hosts, or carried from an old Joomla version to a current one.

Publish · Wikis

MediaWiki

The wiki software behind Wikipedia, used for internal knowledge bases, documentation and community wikis.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB
PostgreSQL
SQLite

Install: Installed with short addresses and file uploads, and with sign-up and editing rights set the way your wiki needs.
Speed: The parser cache and object cache kept in memory, and the job queue run by cron instead of on page views.
Hardening: Account creation and editing restricted as you choose, spam protection on edits, and uploads limited to safe file types.
Updates: Kept on a supported release, with the long-term support line preferred for a wiki that should stay still.
Backups: The database, the uploaded files and LocalSettings.php every day.
Migration: Moved between hosts with every page's full history, the users and the files intact.

Sell · Shops in WordPress

WooCommerce

The shop that runs inside WordPress: products, cart, checkout and orders, with payment gateways added as plugins.

Runs on

WordPress
PHP
MySQL / MariaDB

WordPress hosting

Install: Set up with your currency, taxes, shipping zones and a payment gateway that works in your country.
Speed: Cart, checkout and account pages kept out of the page cache so no customer sees another's basket, and everything else cached hard.
Hardening: Admin accounts reviewed, payment plugins kept current, and the checkout watched for card-testing attacks.
Updates: WooCommerce and its extensions updated together, and tested with a real order on a copy first.
Backups: Orders live in the database, so it is backed up more often than the files.
Migration: Products, customers and order history moved over, and the shop switched at a quiet hour.

Sell · Large catalogues

Magento Open Source

Heavy-duty commerce for large catalogues, several stores and languages from one admin, and complex pricing rules.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB
OpenSearch
Redis
Varnish

Install: Installed with Composer in production mode, with OpenSearch, Redis and the cron jobs Magento cannot run without.
Speed: Varnish for the full-page cache, Redis for sessions and cache, static content deployed ahead, and indexers kept on schedule.
Hardening: A custom admin address, two-factor sign-in for the admin, and security patches applied as they are released.
Updates: Version upgrades run on a copy with every extension checked, because a Magento upgrade is a project, not a click.
Backups: The database and the media folder, with the environment configuration kept safe beside them.
Migration: Moved between hosts, or brought over from Magento 1 with the data migration tool and a rebuilt theme.

Sell · Online shops

PrestaShop

An e-commerce platform born in France, with a large marketplace of modules and themes and many languages built in.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB

Install: Installed with the PHP extensions it needs, the install folder removed and the back office on its own renamed address.
Speed: The template cache and the combine, compress and cache settings switched on, with OPcache and a memory cache behind them.
Hardening: Modules from unknown sources avoided, known module vulnerabilities patched, and back-office access limited.
Updates: Core and module updates on a copy first, with the theme's overrides checked before anything goes live.
Backups: The database, the images and the modules folder every day, kept away from the server.
Migration: Products, customers and orders moved from another host or from another shop system.

Sell · Small shops

OpenCart

A light, straightforward shop for small and medium catalogues, quick to set up and easy to run.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB

Install: Installed with the storage folder moved outside the public web root, as OpenCart recommends, and the install folder removed.
Speed: OPcache, compressed output and image caching, with slow extensions found and replaced.
Hardening: The admin folder renamed, admin access limited, and extensions checked before they are installed.
Updates: Upgrades between major versions planned with care, because themes and extensions usually have to change with them.
Backups: The database and the image folder every day, kept away from the server.
Migration: Moved to our servers with its extensions and theme, and tested with a real order before the switch.

Run · Learning

Moodle

The open-source learning platform for courses, quizzes and grades in schools, universities, training centres and companies.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB
PostgreSQL

Moodle hosting

Install: Installed with its data folder outside the web root, cron every minute, and email that reaches the inbox.
Speed: Caches and sessions in Redis, and the server sized for the morning a whole year sits the same quiz.
Hardening: Moodle's own security checks worked through, and plugins only from the Moodle directory or sources you trust.
Updates: Upgrades tried on a copy first and applied at a time that does not clash with exams.
Backups: The database and the data folder every day, and a single course restored when you ask.
Migration: Courses, users, grades and files moved from another host, keeping the same address and logins.

Run · Billing and clients

WHMCS

Billing, a client area and support tickets for hosting companies and resellers, with accounts set up automatically when an order is paid.

Runs on

PHP
ionCube Loader
MySQL / MariaDB

Install: Installed with the ionCube Loader it needs, its cron set, and the attachments, downloads and template cache folders moved outside the web root.
Speed: The cron and the database kept lean, so the client area and invoices stay quick as the history grows.
Hardening: The admin folder renamed, admin access limited by address or two-factor sign-in, and the configuration file locked down.
Updates: Updated promptly when a security release comes out, with custom templates and modules checked first.
Backups: The database every day, and configuration.php kept safe, because it holds the key that encrypts stored data.
Migration: Moved to a new server with its licence reissued for the new address, then the cron and payment gateways tested.

Run · Files and office

Nextcloud

Your own file sync and share, calendars, contacts and online office, on a server you control instead of a public cloud.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB
PostgreSQL
Redis

Install: Installed with the data folder outside the web root, background jobs on cron, and your own domain with SSL.
Speed: APCu and Redis for caching and file locking, and PHP memory and upload limits set for large files.
Hardening: The security and setup warnings in the admin panel cleared, brute-force protection on, and server-side encryption where you need it.
Updates: Moved one major version at a time, as Nextcloud requires, with every app checked before each step.
Backups: The database, the data folder and config.php backed up together, so a restore is consistent.
Migration: Brought over from another server with every user's files, shares and calendars intact.

Run · Forums

phpBB

A long-running forum system for communities, clubs, support boards and fan sites.

Runs on

PHP
MySQL / MariaDB
PostgreSQL
SQLite

Install: Installed with the install folder removed, your style and language packs, and email for registrations working.
Speed: A memory cache for sessions and data, and search tuned so a large board stays quick.
Hardening: Anti-spam checks on registration, a second password prompt for the admin panel, and extensions only from the official database.
Updates: Updated to each phpBB release, with your style and extensions checked for compatibility.
Backups: The database and the files, images and attachments folders every day.
Migration: Moved between hosts, or converted from another forum system where a converter exists.

The care every one of them gets

Whichever platform you run, the routine around it is the same, and it is the routine that keeps a site alive for years.

Before any change
A backup, and a copy of the site to try the change on.
Every day
A backup of the database and the files, kept away from the server.
When a security release lands
It is checked on the copy and applied, not left waiting for the next visit.
When something breaks
You write to the people who installed it, and they can put back yesterday's copy if that is the quickest fix.

Not a platform, but your own code?

Custom PHP applications and framework projects get the same care, from the server up.

Tell us which platform you run

A new install, a slow site, an old version to bring up to date, or a move from another host. Every job is quoted after a short conversation.

Get a quote See hosting plans