# XenForo Hosting UK Source: https://dijituldns.co.uk/xenforo-hosting/ Updated: 2026-10-08 > dijitul hosts self-hosted XenForo forums in the UK on managed Plesk hosting for £1 a day + VAT. We move your board, run XenForo 2.3 on PHP 8.3, set the job queue to run from a server cron, and help vBulletin and older XenForo 1.x boards make the move. Very large boards needing Elasticsearch get a quoted VPS. ## Key facts - XenForo 2.3 needs PHP 7.2 or newer and MySQL 5.7 or newer; PHP 8.3 and MySQL 8.0 are recommended - XenForo also works with MariaDB and Percona in place of MySQL - XenForo Enhanced Search needs Elasticsearch 7.2 or newer, which usually means a VPS - XenForo includes importers for vBulletin, phpBB, SMF, MyBB and Invision boards - XenForo 1.x is end of life and needs PHP 5 or early PHP 7 - A XenForo licence is bought from XenForo; dijitul provides the hosting at £1 a day + VAT ## XenForo 2.3 server requirements XenForo is a paid, self-hosted forum platform known for being fast and well supported. XenForo 2.3 needs: - **PHP 7.2 or newer**, with **PHP 8.3** recommended - **MySQL 5.7 or newer**, with MySQL 8.0 recommended. MariaDB and Percona also work. - The PHP extensions mysqli, gd or imagick, curl, json, ctype and zlib - Writable data and internal_data folders XenForo 2.3 added WebP image support, so make sure GD or Imagick on the server is built with WebP. Ours is. ## Make the job queue run from the server By default, XenForo runs background jobs (emails, alerts, rebuilds, cache clearing) when visitors load pages. On quiet boards, jobs wait; on busy ones, visitors pay the cost. XenForo can instead run its job queue from a server cron using its command-line job runner. We set this up as part of hosting your board, so alert emails and daily stats go out on time without slowing anyone's page view. ## Moving to XenForo from vBulletin and others XenForo's import framework handles vBulletin 3, 4 and 5, phpBB, SMF, MyBB, Invision and older XenForo versions. Many UK communities move from vBulletin to XenForo because the old board can't run on modern PHP. - Run the import on a copy, never the live database - Keep old thread URLs working with XenForo's redirect add-on so Google rankings and bookmarks survive - Expect to rebuild styles; templates don't convert between platforms We host the old board and the new XenForo side by side during the move, which makes testing straightforward. ## Add-ons, styles and upgrades Most XenForo upgrade problems come from add-ons. Before a major upgrade, check each add-on supports the new version, disable those that don't, and run the upgrade on a staging copy. XenForo 1.x boards are end of life and need PHP 5 or early PHP 7; upgrading to 2.x is a one-way step that replaces all 1.x add-ons and styles. We can keep a 1.x board running on an older PHP version where it is safe, while you rebuild. ## Large boards and Elasticsearch Small and medium XenForo boards run well on Complete Hosting at £1 a day + VAT, using XenForo's built-in MySQL search. Very large boards with millions of posts often want **XenForo Enhanced Search**, which needs Elasticsearch 7.2 or newer and its own memory. That is better on a managed VPS, which we quote. ## FAQs ### Who can host a XenForo forum in the UK? dijitul, a UK hosting company trading since 2006, hosts self-hosted XenForo forums on managed Plesk hosting for £1 a day + VAT. That includes migration, PHP 8.3, a server-run job queue, daily backups, free SSL and UK support. Very large boards that need Elasticsearch are quoted on a VPS. ### What are the requirements for XenForo 2.3? XenForo 2.3 needs PHP 7.2 or newer and MySQL 5.7 or newer, with PHP 8.3 and MySQL 8.0 recommended. MariaDB and Percona also work. XenForo Enhanced Search, an optional add-on, needs Elasticsearch 7.2 or newer. ### Can I convert vBulletin to XenForo? Yes. XenForo includes importers for vBulletin 3, 4 and 5, which bring across members, threads, posts, private messages and attachments. Styles and add-ons don't convert. Run the import on a copy first and use XenForo's redirect add-on to keep old vBulletin URLs working. ### Does XenForo need Elasticsearch? No. XenForo works with its built-in MySQL search, which is fine for most boards. Elasticsearch is only needed for the optional Enhanced Search add-on, which gives better results on very large forums. It needs its own memory, so it usually runs on a VPS. ### Is XenForo 1 still supported? No. XenForo 1.x is end of life and doesn't receive updates. It was built for PHP 5 and early PHP 7. Upgrading to XenForo 2 keeps your content but replaces all add-ons and styles. dijitul can host a 1.x board on older PHP where it is safe while you upgrade. ## 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=xenforo-hosting or call 01623 650333.