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Server Requirements

Summary

What Dotkernel API v7 needs to run: a Linux host in production (Windows via WSL2 for development), Apache with mod_rewrite or an Nginx equivalent, PHP 8.2 or newer with mbstring and CLI SAPI, Composer 2.0 or newer, and MariaDB or PostgreSQL — MySQL is not supported because it lacks native UUID types. Recommended extensions and baseline server hardening are listed as well.

Details

For production environments, we highly recommend a Linux-based system. Windows is supported for development via WSL2.

Operating System

Production

  • Linux (AlmaLinux, Debian)

Development

We recommend a Linux-based environment for production because of its improved performance, stability, and security hardening options compared to Windows Server. It should also work on Microsoft's IIS server with minimal modifications, but we have not tested this setup in our projects.

Webserver

Apache >= 2.2

  • mod_rewrite
  • .htaccess support (AllowOverride All)

The repository includes a default .htaccess file in the public folder.

Nginx

You need to convert the provided Apache related .htaccess file into Nginx configuration instructions.

PHP >= 8.2

Dotkernel API v7 requires PHP 8.2 or higher. Earlier PHP versions are not supported.

Supported PHP Configurations

  • FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) - Recommended for production, better performance and security isolation
  • FastCGI - Obsolete but still in use by some hosting providers
  • CLI SAPI (Command Line Interface) - Required for Cron jobs, migrations, and fixtures

Why PHP 8.2+?

Dotkernel API leverages modern PHP features:

  • Named Arguments: Clearer function calls
  • Match Expressions: More readable than switch statements
  • Attributes: Metadata for dependency injection and OpenAPI documentation
  • Union Types: Better type safety
  • Nullsafe Operator: Safer null handling
  • Constructor Property Promotion: Cleaner code

Required Settings and Modules & Extensions

  • memory_limit >= 128M
  • upload_max_filesize and post_max_size >= 100 M (depending on your data)
  • mbstring
  • CLI SAPI (for Cron Jobs)
  • Composer (added to $PATH)

Relational Database Management System (RDBMS)

MySQL is NOT supported because it lacks native UUID support (required by Dotkernel API v7). MariaDB and PostgreSQL both have native UUID types and functions.

MariaDB

Tested with:

  • MariaDB 10.7
  • MariaDB 10.11 LTS (Long-Term Support)
  • MariaDB 11.4 LTS
  • MariaDB 11.8 LTS

It's recommended to use LTS versions for stability and security updates.

PostgreSQL

Tested with:

  • PostgreSQL 13 and above

Database Collation

When creating databases, use:

  • MariaDB: utf8mb4_general_ci or utf8mb4_unicode_ci
  • PostgreSQL: C.UTF-8 or en_US.UTF-8
  • opcache
  • pdo_mysql, pdo_pgsql or mysqli (if using MariaDB or PostgreSQL as RDBMS)
  • dom - if working with markup files structure (HTML, XML, etc.)
  • simplexml - working with XML files
  • gd, exif - if working with images
  • zlib, zip, bz2 - if compressing files
  • curl (required if APIs are used)
  • sqlite3 - for tests

Composer

Dotkernel API requires Composer >= 2.0 for managing PHP dependencies.

Security Considerations

  • Firewall: Only expose ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS)
  • PHP: Disable dangerous functions: exec, shell_exec, passthru, system
  • Database: Use strong passwords, restrict user permissions
  • Files: Set proper permissions (644 for files, 755 for directories)
  • Updates: Keep PHP, web server, and database updated with security patches

FAQ

Q: Why is MySQL not supported?

A: Dotkernel API v7 stores identifiers as native UUIDs, and MySQL has no native UUID type or functions. MariaDB and PostgreSQL both do.

Q: Which database versions are tested?

A: MariaDB 10.7, 10.11 LTS, 11.4 LTS and 11.8 LTS, and PostgreSQL 13 and above. LTS releases are recommended for stability and security updates.

Q: What collation should I create the database with?

A: utf8mb4_general_ci or utf8mb4_unicode_ci on MariaDB, and C.UTF-8 or en_US.UTF-8 on PostgreSQL.

Q: What is the minimum PHP version?

A: PHP 8.2. Earlier versions are not supported, because the project relies on named arguments, match expressions, attributes, union types, the nullsafe operator and constructor property promotion.

Q: Do I need the CLI SAPI as well as FPM?

A: Yes. FPM (or FastCGI) serves web requests, while the CLI SAPI is required for cron jobs, migrations and fixtures.

Q: Can I run this on Nginx?

A: Yes, but the shipped .htaccess in public is Apache-specific — you must translate its rewrite rules into Nginx configuration.

Q: Can I develop on Windows?

A: Yes, through WSL2. macOS and Linux are also supported for development; production should be Linux.

Q: Which PHP extensions are actually required?

A: mbstring plus the PDO driver for your database. The rest — opcache, gd, curl, zip, dom, simplexml, sqlite3 and others — depend on what your application does, with sqlite3 needed to run the tests.

Q: What are the baseline hardening steps?

A: Expose only ports 80 and 443, disable exec, shell_exec, passthru and system in PHP, use strong database passwords with restricted permissions, set 644 on files and 755 on directories, and keep the stack patched. See Basic security.