Thinking of launching or upgrading your store to Magento 2? Before you dive in, it’s crucial to make sure your setup ticks all the right boxes. From the operating system to the cache system, this guide walks you through the full Magento 2 requirements checklist to help you avoid frustrating errors and performance bottlenecks.
Quick Magento 2.4.7 Requirements Checklist
Component | Minimum Requirement | Recommended |
OS | Linux (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian) | Ubuntu 22.04 LTS |
Web Server | Apache 2.4 / NGINX 1.18+ | NGINX 1.22+ |
PHP | PHP 8.2 / 8.3 | PHP 8.3 |
RAM | 2GB (min), 4GB (recommended) | 8GB+ for production |
Database | MySQL 8.0 / MariaDB 10.4+ | MySQL 8.0 |
Search Engine | Elasticsearch 7.9+ | OpenSearch 2.5+ |
SSL | Valid certificate, TLS 1.2+ | Let’s Encrypt, Cloudflare |
Composer | 2.2 or later | 2.5 |
Download the full Magento 2 Server Readiness Checklist (PDF)
1. Operating System: Go Linux or Go Home
Magento officially supports Linux x86-64. This includes:
- Ubuntu (22.04 or later)
- CentOS / RHEL
- Debian
❌ Magento doesn’t support Windows for production environments. ✔️ macOS is fine for local development only.
2. Web Servers: Apache or NGINX
Magento 2 supports both Apache and NGINX:
- Apache: 2.4+
- NGINX: 1.18+
Make sure required Apache modules like mod_rewrite, mod_ssl, and mod_version are enabled.
3. PHP Requirements
Magento 2.4.7 supports:
- PHP 8.2 (minimum)
- PHP 8.3 (recommended)
Important PHP Settings:
- memory_limit: 2G
- max_execution_time: 1800
- upload_max_filesize: 128M
Required PHP Extensions
bcmath, ctype, curl, dom, gd, intl, mbstring, openssl,
pdo_mysql, simplexml, soap, xsl, zip, sockets, iconv, json
Avoid PHP 7.0.5 due to known compiler issues.
4. Database Requirements
Magento supports:
- MySQL 8.0 (preferred)
- MariaDB 10.4 or higher
Percona is also compatible but less commonly used.
5. Cache Systems (Required for Performance)
Magento relies on caching for speed and stability.
Required / Recommended:
- Redis (sessions + backend cache) – v5.0 or higher
- Varnish – v6.x+ for full-page cache
- PHP OPcache – enabled by default in most PHP builds
- Memcached – optional but useful for large catalog stores
6. Search Engine Requirements
Magento 2.4+ requires:
- Elasticsearch 7.9+
- Or OpenSearch 1.2+ / 2.5+ (Magento 2.4.6+)
Magento no longer supports MySQL for search indexing.
7. SSL Requirements
- Valid SSL certificate required
- Self-signed certificates are not supported
- TLS 1.2+ mandatory (especially for integrations like PayPal)
8. Mail Server Setup
You’ll need:
- An SMTP server or
- Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) like Postfix or Sendmail
Magento also works well with:
- SendGrid
- Mailgun
- Amazon SES
9. Additional Tools
- Composer 2.2+
- RabbitMQ 3.8+ (for asynchronous messaging)
- php_xdebug (for local dev only)
- PHPUnit 6.2+ (for testing)
10. Hardware Requirements
Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
CPU | 2 cores | 4+ cores |
RAM | 2 GB | 8+ GB |
Storage | 120 GB SSD | 240 GB+ SSD |
11. Supported Browsers
- Chrome, Firefox, Edge: Latest + previous major version
- Safari: Latest (macOS and iOS)
- Mobile Browsers: Chrome + Safari (iOS 12+ / Android 4+)
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Not installing Elasticsearch or using the wrong version
- Using shared hosting with memory limits <2GB
- Not setting correct file permissions
- Installing on unsupported PHP versions
- Skipping swap file setup on low-memory servers
Final Word: Why Meeting Magento 2 Requirements Matters
Meeting the exact Magento 2 system requirements ensures:
- Smooth installation (no composer or CLI errors)
- Faster load times with optimized cache + memory usage
- Stronger security with supported SSL and PHP versions
- Seamless future upgrades and extension compatibility
Still unsure? Get a Magento audit from our team and we’ll check if your setup is ready to scale.