Joomla Hosting UK

Joomla hosting that copes with every version

Joomla has had several big jumps over the years, and each one left sites behind. Version 1.5 to 2.5 needed a migration. Version 3 to 4 changed the template and extension system. Many businesses are still on one of those older versions because the upgrade looked too risky. We host all of them:

• Joomla 5: current PHP 8.x, OPcache and the PHP extensions Joomla checks for, such as json, simplexml, mbstring, zip and gd.
• Joomla 4: PHP 8.x, with a planned move to Joomla 5.
• Joomla 3: usually happy on PHP 7.4 or early PHP 8, depending on its extensions.
• Joomla 1.5 and 2.5: run on older PHP in isolation, behind Cloudflare. See old website hosting.

Moving a Joomla site

Joomla sites often arrive as an Akeeba Backup archive, and we're happy to restore those. Otherwise we copy files and the database directly. After the move we check:

• configuration.php for the right database details, paths for logs and tmp, and the live site URL
• that htaccess.txt has been renamed to .htaccess if search-friendly URLs are switched on
• mail settings, so contact forms still send
• any extension licences tied to the old domain or server

Everything is tested on a temporary address before DNS changes. See website migration.

Keeping Joomla secure

Joomla core is well maintained, but sites are often attacked through out-of-date extensions. On our servers each site runs under its own user, ModSecurity filters common attacks and Cloudflare sits in front. We'd also suggest a few habits: remove extensions you no longer use, protect the /administrator area with a second password or IP restriction, and keep Joomla updated through its own update screen. Daily backups mean any update can be rolled back.

Upgrading old Joomla versions

Joomla 3 to 5 is the most common upgrade we're asked about. The core update is straightforward; the work is in templates and extensions that were never updated for Joomla 4. The usual approach is to check every extension for a Joomla 5 version, replace the ones that don't have one, then upgrade on a staging copy. Joomla 1.5 and 2.5 sites need a bigger migration. Upgrade work is quoted before we start, and the site keeps running in the meantime.

Scheduled tasks and email

Joomla 4.1 added a Task Scheduler, which by default runs when people visit. On quieter sites we set a server cron job to run it from the command line instead, so newsletters, backups and clean-up jobs happen on time. If you need mailboxes on your domain too, 10 POP3/IMAP email accounts are included; see email hosting. Order dijitul Complete Hosting or call 01623 650333.

Joomla errors we fix after a move

If a Joomla site has been moved before by someone in a hurry, it often carries one of these faults. We check for each of them as standard:

• 'The folder is not writable' or failed extension installs: the log_path and tmp_path in configuration.php still point at the old server's folders.
• 'Error displaying the error page': usually a database or PHP version mismatch hidden behind Joomla's own error handler.
• Every page except the home page returns 404: search-friendly URLs are on but the .htaccess file is missing or still named htaccess.txt.
• Logins that won't stick: an old session path or a $live_site value pointing at the previous domain.
• Garbled characters: a database imported with the wrong character set. We import as utf8mb4 so pound signs and accents survive.

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