# X-Cart Hosting UK Source: https://dijituldns.co.uk/x-cart-hosting/ Updated: 2026-10-08 > dijitul hosts X-Cart stores in the UK on managed Plesk hosting for £1 a day + VAT. We move your shop, run X-Cart 5.5 on a supported PHP version, sort out the ionCube Loader that older X-Cart 4 packages rely on, and look after backups, SSL and security so you can keep trading. ## Key facts - X-Cart 5.5 needs PHP 7.4 or higher and MySQL 5.7.7+ or MariaDB 10.2.4+ - X-Cart 5.4.1 supports PHP 7.2 to 7.4 - X-Cart 5 needs the PDO MySQL driver, Phar for upgrades and add-ons, and cURL 7.39.0 or newer - Some X-Cart 4 packages contain ionCube-encoded files, so the server needs an ionCube Loader matching its PHP version - X-Cart 5 needs a memory_limit of 128M or more, and 256M on 64-bit servers - Managed X-Cart hosting from dijitul is £1 a day + VAT ## X-Cart 5 server requirements X-Cart 5 is a modern PHP cart with a module marketplace. Its official requirements for 5.5 are: - **PHP 7.4 or higher** (X-Cart 5.4.1 supports PHP 7.2 to 7.4) - **MySQL 5.7.7+** or **MariaDB 10.2.4+** - PDO with the MySQL driver, **Phar** (needed for upgrades and installing add-ons), mbstring and cURL 7.39.0 or newer - A **memory_limit** of 256M on a 64-bit server The Phar requirement trips up some budget hosts that disable it. On dijitul hosting it is enabled, so the X-Cart upgrade and add-on screens work as intended. ## X-Cart 4 and ionCube X-Cart 4 (Gold, Pro and the older 4.x branches) is still running a surprising number of UK trade and B2B shops. Some X-Cart 4 packages and paid modules include files encoded with the ionCube Encoder. Those files need the **ionCube Loader**, and the Loader must match the server's PHP version exactly. A Loader for PHP 7.4 will not run under PHP 8.1, for example. - If your host upgrades PHP and there is no matching Loader, encoded pages fail with an ionCube error - If the files were encoded for PHP 5, they will not run on PHP 7 or 8 at all, whatever Loader you install We check which files are encoded and which PHP version they were encoded for before we move anything. Where it can be done safely we'll host the shop on the PHP version it needs, isolated from other sites. Read more on legacy PHP hosting and PHP 5 hosting. ## Upgrading from X-Cart 4 to X-Cart 5 X-Cart 4 and X-Cart 5 are different codebases. Moving between them is a migration, not an update: products, categories, customers and orders can be transferred, but your theme and custom modules will need rebuilding. It is worth doing, because X-Cart 4 cannot follow PHP into the 8.x era without heavy custom work. We'll quote honestly for the hosting side and work with your developer or ours on the build. ## Payments and PCI on X-Cart X-Cart has payment modules for Stripe, PayPal and other providers. Choose ones that use a hosted or embedded payment page so cards never reach your server. Older X-Cart 4 shops sometimes still use direct card capture modules written before 3D Secure 2; those both widen your PCI scope and decline more cards. We flag them during migration so you can replace them. ## How dijitul looks after an X-Cart shop Your shop runs on our managed Plesk server with OPcache on, PHP set per site, daily backups and free SSL. X-Cart's cache directory is excluded from backups where it makes sense, so restores are quick. We also set up a server cron for X-Cart's scheduled tasks rather than relying on visits. Moving is included in Complete Hosting at £1 a day + VAT. You can order online or call 01623 650333 to talk it through. ## FAQs ### Who can host an X-Cart 4 shop in the UK? dijitul, a UK hosting company trading since 2006, hosts older X-Cart 4 shops on managed Plesk hosting for £1 a day + VAT. We check which files are ionCube-encoded, set up a matching PHP version and ionCube Loader where it is safe to do so, and help you plan a move to X-Cart 5. ### Does X-Cart need ionCube? Current X-Cart 5.5 does not list ionCube in its server requirements. Some X-Cart 4 packages and some paid third-party modules do contain ionCube-encoded files, which need an ionCube Loader that matches the server's exact PHP version. Files encoded for PHP 5 will not run on PHP 7 or 8. ### What PHP version does X-Cart 5 need? X-Cart 5.5 needs PHP 7.4 or higher, with MySQL 5.7.7+ or MariaDB 10.2.4+. X-Cart 5.4.1 supports PHP 7.2 to 7.4. It also needs the Phar extension for upgrades and add-ons, and at least 256M of PHP memory on 64-bit servers. ### Why do I get an ionCube error after my host changed PHP? The ionCube Loader is built for one PHP version at a time. When your host moves to a newer PHP, the old Loader stops working, and encoded files from older X-Cart or module versions may not be supported on the new PHP at all. Going back to a matching PHP version is the quick fix. ### Can I upgrade X-Cart 4 to X-Cart 5? Yes, but it is a data migration rather than a simple update, because X-Cart 5 is a different codebase. Products, customers and orders can be moved across. The design and any custom modules need rebuilding, so plan it as a project and test it on a separate copy first. ## 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=x-cart-hosting or call 01623 650333.