# Flarum Hosting UK Source: https://dijituldns.co.uk/flarum-hosting/ Updated: 2026-10-08 > dijitul hosts Flarum forums in the UK on managed Plesk hosting for £1 a day + VAT. We set up Flarum 1.8 or the 2.0 release candidate on the right PHP 8 version, handle Composer for installing extensions, run the scheduler from a server cron, and look after backups, SSL and updates for you. ## Key facts - Flarum 2.0 needs PHP 8.3 or newer, and was still at release candidate stage when this page was written - Flarum 2.0 supports MySQL 5.7+, MariaDB 10.3+, PostgreSQL 10+ and SQLite - Flarum needs the curl, dom, fileinfo, gd, json, mbstring, openssl, pdo_mysql, tokenizer and zip PHP extensions - Extensions are installed with Composer, which needs command-line access - Flarum's scheduler needs a cron running php flarum schedule:run every minute - Managed Flarum hosting from dijitul is £1 a day + VAT ## Flarum's server requirements Flarum is a modern, free forum built on PHP and the Laravel components, with a clean single-page interface. Flarum 2.0 needs: - **PHP 8.3 or newer**, with the curl, dom, fileinfo, gd, json, mbstring, openssl, pdo_mysql, tokenizer, zip and session extensions - **MySQL 5.7+ or 8.0.30+**, **MariaDB 10.3+**, PostgreSQL 10+ or SQLite - Apache with mod_rewrite, or nginx - **Command-line access** for Composer and maintenance commands Flarum 1.8, the stable 1.x line, runs on older PHP 8 versions too. We'll match the PHP version to the Flarum version you run. ## Flarum 1.8 or 2.0? At the time of writing, Flarum 2.0 is in its release candidate phase. Its API is stable and plenty of forums already run it, but it isn't the final release. Extensions also need 2.0 versions, and some popular ones are still catching up. - For a new forum with few extensions, 2.0 is a reasonable start, with good backups - For an established 1.8 forum that relies on many extensions, wait until they all support 2.0, then test the upgrade on a copy Either way, we take a full backup before any upgrade and can roll back if something misbehaves. ## Composer, extensions and the scheduler Unlike older forums, you don't upload Flarum extensions by FTP. They're installed with **Composer**, for example composer require followed by the extension name, then php flarum migrate and php flarum cache:clear. Many budget hosts don't give you the command line to do this. On dijitul hosting, Composer is available on the server, and if you'd rather not touch a command line, ask and we'll install extensions for you. Flarum also has a scheduler for things like digests and sitemaps. It needs a cron running **php flarum schedule:run** every minute, which we set up. ## Email, spam and speed Flarum sends confirmation and notification emails, so set the mail driver to SMTP with your own domain and get SPF and DKIM in place. For spam, use an anti-spam extension that checks registrations, and require email confirmation. For speed, run the newest PHP your Flarum version supports with OPcache, and consider a Redis-backed queue on busy boards so notification emails don't slow posting. ## Moving your Flarum forum to dijitul We copy the files, including vendor and public/assets, and the database, update config.php with the new URL and database details, run Composer to make sure dependencies match the server's PHP, clear the cache and test before switching DNS. It's included in Complete Hosting at £1 a day + VAT. If you're coming from another platform, Flarum has community migration tools for phpBB and others; see website migration. ## FAQs ### Can Flarum run on shared hosting? It can, if the host gives you PHP 8, Composer and command-line access, because Flarum extensions and updates are managed with Composer. Many cheap hosts don't. dijitul runs Flarum on managed Plesk hosting for £1 a day + VAT, with Composer available and the scheduler cron set up. ### What PHP version does Flarum 2.0 need? Flarum 2.0 needs PHP 8.3 or newer, with extensions including curl, dom, fileinfo, gd, mbstring, openssl, pdo_mysql, tokenizer and zip. It supports MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite. The stable Flarum 1.8 line runs on older PHP 8 versions. ### Is Flarum 2.0 stable? At the time of writing, Flarum 2.0 is a release candidate. Its API is stable and many forums already run it in production, but it is not the final stable release. Back up before upgrading and check your extensions have 2.0 versions first. ### How do I install Flarum extensions? Flarum extensions are installed from the command line with Composer, using composer require and the extension's package name, then running php flarum migrate and php flarum cache:clear. Some hosts provide an extension manager instead. dijitul can install extensions for you if you prefer. ### Who can host a Flarum forum in the UK? dijitul, a UK hosting company trading since 2006, hosts Flarum forums on managed hosting for £1 a day + VAT. We set the right PHP version, provide Composer, run the scheduler cron, migrate your forum and look after daily backups, SSL and server updates. ## Pricing and ordering dijitul Complete Hosting is £1 a day + VAT (£365 a year + VAT). Order at https://clients.dijitul.uk/order?product=complete-hosting&ref=dijituldns&src=flarum-hosting or call 01623 650333.