Must have
Hard prerequisites
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabled
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000
Application hosting
Hosting Moodle
Moodle is a learning management system with release-specific PHP and database prerequisites. Course files, active users, scheduled jobs, and assessment traffic determine capacity beyond those software requirements.
- Min vCPU
- Depends on workload
- Min memory
- Depends on workload
- Min storage
- Depends on workload
Recommended
Documented guidance
No further general recommendations are published for this version.
Capacity depends on your workload
Moodle publishes runtime and database requirements, but not one server size for all sites. Capacity changes with concurrent use, course content, uploaded files, plugins, database load, and scheduled tasks.
We only compare what providers publish. A RAM figure alone can't confirm compatibility or production capacity.
Deploy with
Supported paths
The host must provide
Runtime
- PHP
- 8.3 minimum for Moodle 5.2; 8.4 is also supported
- PHP architecture
- 64-bit PHP only
- PHP extension
- Sodium is required; max_input_vars must be 5000 or higher
- Database
- PostgreSQL 16+, MySQL 8.4+, MariaDB 10.11+, Aurora MySQL 8.0+, or SQL Server 2019+
- Web server
- Apache or Nginx; configure the Moodle 5.2 public directory as the web root
Storage
Persistent data
Moodle stores course uploads and other files in its moodledata directory. Keep this directory outside the public web root, use persistent storage, and size it for uploaded content, temporary files, backups, and retention; there is no universal storage total.
Step by step
Moodle 5.2 deployment outline
-
Select the release and supported stack
Check the Moodle 5.2 release page, install 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4 with Sodium, and select one of the documented database versions.
Official instructions -
Set the public document root and private data path
For Moodle 5.1 and later, configure the web server to serve the public directory. Store moodledata outside the public web root and make it writable only by the application service.
Official instructions -
Schedule Moodle cron
Configure the command-line cron script to run regularly; Moodle recommends every minute and warns that scheduled tasks are required for normal operation.
Official instructions -
Check the environment and recovery path
Run Moodle’s environment checks for the selected release, configure HTTPS, and test restoring the database and moodledata together before real courses depend on the site.
Official instructions
Security
Before you go public
- Keep moodledata outside the public document root.
- Use a dedicated database account and restrict database permissions to the Moodle database.
- Patch the operating system, PHP, database, Moodle core, and plugins; use HTTPS and test backups.
Cost
Beyond the server price
- Budget for compute, database storage, course files, backups, email delivery, and any separate managed support.
- Capacity and cost depend on concurrent learners, course activities, file retention, and reporting jobs; no fixed server size is implied.
Matching plans
Plans with published evidence
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- 64-bit PHP 8.3 or 8.4, with Sodium enabledThe plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
- A database supported by Moodle 5.2The plan does not publish enough database or runtime details to confirm a supported option.
- PHP max_input_vars set to at least 5000The plan does not publish this runtime or configuration detail.
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