Server Requirements
Hosting Recommendations
Amazon Web Services
When it comes to cloud hosting, the first provider that comes to most people’s minds is AWS. It is true that AWS is the most customizable, and can be the most affordable at scale, if configured correctly. Our own demos are hosted on AWS. However it is also extremely complicated to configure and maintain, and they provide minimal support. You are basically just leasing hardware from them and you are expected to know how to configure everything yourself. We only recommend AWS if you already know how to use it, or if you have someone on your team who is experienced with configuring AWS applications
Managed Hosts
If you want a more out of the box solution, we recommend going with a managed cloud option that provides customer support to handle all of the technical configurations for you. There are many options for cloud hosting. Some recommended ones include
Cloudways
Cloudways is a great managed cloud hosting solution. They provide a friendly user dashboard and have 24/7 customer support. You can use Cloudways and have them host your actual website on Digital Ocean or AWS hardware in the background, however you will have less access to the server than those services, as most configurations are handled by Cloudways support. For someone who wants to focus on their business and not worry about hosting, Cloudways is an ideal provider.
DigitalOcean
Digital Ocean is a great, cost effective cloud hosting solution. They provide a lot of hardware for the cost, and are developer friendly. Their service is built for developers and customers who want to be hands on. If you want a scalable solution that you can configure yourself, with less complexity than AWS, then DigitalOcean is a fantastic option.
Other Options
The above recommendations are based on our own experience and testing. There are many other cloud hosting providers who can provide good resources and support. If you are already hosting your BuddyBoss Platform or LearnDash website on another cloud host and everything is running smoothly, you likely will not need to switch hosting providers.
Hardware Requirements
The usage of CPU, RAM, and storage space can vary significantly depending on many factors. These hardware recommendations are based on our own tested deployments, testing an app powered by the BuddyBoss Platform and LearnDash plugins, with 100% of the user traffic in the app, and with API caching enabled.
If you are using additional plugins, or if a significant portion of your users access your community from the web, you may need additional hardware. Additionally, your resource requirements may grow or shrink depending on how active your users are, and how many photos, documents, and other media they upload. With cloud hosting you can increase your hardware at any time without migrating your website.
| | 500 Concurrent User or Less | 5,000 Concurrent User or Less | 10,000 Concurrent User or Less |
| Memory/RAM | 8 GB+ | 16 GB+ | 32 GB+ |
| CPU | 4+ Cores | 8+ Cores | 16+ Cores |
| Storage | 30 GB+ (depends on the amount of media uploaded by users) | 60 GB+ (depends on the amount of media uploaded by users) | 80 GB+ (depends on the amount of media uploaded by users) |
| Network Bandwidth | 500 Mbps+ | 1 Gbps+ | 1 Gbps+ |
Server Software Requirements
Ask your web host to configure your server with the following:
- Linux operating system
- NGINX or Apache
- PHP version 7.3+
- MariaDB version 10.1+ (or MySQL version 5.6+)
- SSL (HTTPS support)
MariaDB is an open source alternative to MySQL and is recommended over MySQL for performance benefits. Just ask your web host to use MariaDB if available.
NGINX is noticeably faster than Apache, as it can support more http requests at the same time. Just ask your web host to use NGINX if available.