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System Requirements

AI Section Builder is designed to work with a wide range of WordPress configurations while providing optimal performance and reliability. This guide outlines the minimum and recommended system requirements for the best experience.

WordPress Requirements​

WordPress Version​

Minimum Requirements:

  • WordPress 5.8 or higher
  • PHP 7.4 or higher
  • MySQL 5.6 or higher / MariaDB 10.1 or higher

Recommended:

  • WordPress 6.0+ for best compatibility and security
  • PHP 8.0+ for improved performance
  • MySQL 8.0+ / MariaDB 10.4+ for optimal database performance

WordPress Configuration​

Required WordPress features:

  • Custom fields (postmeta) - For storing section content
  • REST API - For editor functionality and AI features
  • Media uploads - For image and asset management
  • User roles and capabilities - For permission management
  • Cron jobs - For automated tasks and AI processing

WordPress settings compatibility:

  • Multisite - Fully supported for network installations
  • SSL/HTTPS - Required for AI features and security
  • Pretty permalinks - Any permalink structure supported
  • Custom post types - Compatible with all post type configurations

Server Requirements​

PHP Configuration​

Minimum PHP settings:

PHP Version: 7.4+
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 60
upload_max_filesize = 32M
post_max_size = 32M
max_file_uploads = 20

Recommended PHP settings:

PHP Version: 8.0+
memory_limit = 512M
max_execution_time = 120  
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_file_uploads = 50
max_input_vars = 3000

Required PHP extensions:

  • cURL - For API communications (OpenAI, external services)
  • JSON - For data processing and storage
  • mbstring - For proper text handling
  • OpenSSL - For secure communications
  • GD or ImageMagick - For image processing
  • Zip - For backup and export functionality

Database Requirements​

Minimum database specifications:

  • MySQL 5.6+ or MariaDB 10.1+
  • InnoDB storage engine (default in modern installations)
  • utf8mb4 character set for full Unicode support
  • 1GB free space minimum for content storage

Recommended database configuration:

  • MySQL 8.0+ or MariaDB 10.4+
  • Dedicated database server for high-traffic sites
  • Regular database optimization for performance
  • Automated backups with point-in-time recovery

Database performance settings:

-- Recommended MySQL settings for optimal performance
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 256M  -- Adjust based on available RAM
max_connections = 100
query_cache_size = 64M
tmp_table_size = 64M
max_heap_table_size = 64M

Web Server Requirements​

Apache requirements:

  • Apache 2.4+ recommended
  • mod_rewrite enabled for pretty permalinks
  • mod_ssl for HTTPS support
  • mod_deflate or mod_gzip for compression
  • .htaccess support for WordPress functionality

Nginx requirements:

  • Nginx 1.18+ recommended
  • PHP-FPM for PHP processing
  • SSL/TLS configuration for HTTPS
  • Gzip compression enabled
  • WordPress-friendly URL rewriting rules

Server resource recommendations:

  • CPU: 2+ cores for optimal performance
  • RAM: 2GB minimum, 4GB+ recommended
  • Storage: SSD for better database and file I/O performance
  • Bandwidth: Adequate for expected traffic and AI API calls

Hosting Environment​

Hosting Type Compatibility​

Shared Hosting:

  • ✅ Supported - Works with most quality shared hosting
  • ⚠️ Limitations - May have slower AI processing
  • ⚠️ Resource limits - PHP memory and execution time may be restricted
  • ✅ Cost-effective - Good for small to medium sites

VPS/Cloud Hosting:

  • ✅ Recommended - Excellent performance and reliability
  • ✅ Scalable - Can adjust resources as needed
  • ✅ Full control - Optimize server configuration
  • ✅ Better AI performance - Adequate resources for AI features

Managed WordPress Hosting:

  • ✅ Ideal - Optimized specifically for WordPress
  • ✅ Performance optimized - Built-in caching and optimization
  • ✅ Security enhanced - Advanced security measures
  • ✅ Expert support - WordPress-specific technical support

Dedicated Servers:

  • ✅ High performance - Maximum resources available
  • ✅ Enterprise grade - Suitable for large, high-traffic sites
  • ⚠️ Requires expertise - Need technical knowledge to manage
  • ✅ Full customization - Complete server control

WordPress-optimized hosts (in alphabetical order):

  • Kinsta - Premium managed WordPress hosting
  • SiteGround - WordPress-optimized shared and cloud hosting
  • WP Engine - Managed WordPress hosting platform
  • Cloudways - Managed cloud hosting
  • Liquid Web - High-performance WordPress hosting

Key hosting features to look for:

  • WordPress-optimized server configuration
  • Adequate PHP memory limits and execution time
  • SSD storage for better performance
  • Built-in caching and CDN options
  • Regular automated backups
  • SSL certificate included
  • 24/7 WordPress-experienced support

Browser Requirements​

Supported Browsers for Editing​

Fully supported browsers:

  • Google Chrome 90+ (Recommended)
  • Mozilla Firefox 88+
  • Safari 14+ (macOS)
  • Microsoft Edge 90+

Editor requirements:

  • JavaScript enabled - Essential for editor functionality
  • Cookies enabled - For session management
  • Local storage - For temporary data and preferences
  • Modern CSS support - CSS Grid, Flexbox, Custom Properties
  • ES6 JavaScript support - Modern JavaScript features

Frontend Browser Support​

Frontend display compatibility:

  • All modern browsers - Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
  • Internet Explorer 11 - Basic support (deprecated)
  • Mobile browsers - iOS Safari, Android Chrome
  • Progressive enhancement - Graceful degradation for older browsers

Frontend requirements:

  • HTML5 support - Semantic HTML elements
  • CSS3 support - Modern CSS features
  • Responsive design - Viewport meta tag support
  • JavaScript - Enhanced functionality (optional)

AI Features Requirements​

OpenAI API Requirements​

For AI content generation:

  • OpenAI API account with active billing
  • API key with appropriate permissions
  • Internet connectivity for API communications
  • HTTPS - Required for secure API communication

API usage considerations:

  • Usage limits - Based on your OpenAI plan
  • Rate limiting - Requests per minute restrictions
  • Data privacy - Consider data sharing policies
  • Cost management - Monitor API usage and costs

Network Requirements​

Internet connectivity needs:

  • Stable connection - For reliable API communication
  • HTTPS support - SSL/TLS encryption required
  • Firewall configuration - Allow outbound HTTPS connections
  • DNS resolution - Proper DNS configuration for API endpoints

Performance Optimization Requirements​

Caching Compatibility​

Supported caching solutions:

  • W3 Total Cache - Full compatibility
  • WP Rocket - Optimized integration
  • LiteSpeed Cache - Works seamlessly
  • WP Super Cache - Basic compatibility
  • Redis/Memcached - Advanced object caching support

CDN compatibility:

  • Cloudflare - Full support including image optimization
  • MaxCDN/StackPath - Asset delivery optimization
  • Amazon CloudFront - Enterprise CDN integration
  • KeyCDN - Performance optimization

Image Requirements​

Supported image formats:

  • JPEG/JPG - Photographs and complex images
  • PNG - Graphics with transparency
  • WebP - Modern format with excellent compression
  • GIF - Simple graphics and animations
  • SVG - Scalable vector graphics (limited support)

Image optimization requirements:

  • Maximum file size - 10MB per image (configurable)
  • Recommended dimensions - Up to 2000px width
  • Compression - Automatic optimization available
  • Alt text - Required for accessibility compliance

Security Requirements​

SSL/HTTPS​

Security requirements:

  • SSL certificate - Required for AI features
  • HTTPS enforcement - All communications encrypted
  • TLS 1.2+ - Modern encryption standards
  • Certificate validity - Properly configured SSL

File Permissions​

WordPress file permissions:

Directories: 755 (or 750)
Files: 644 (or 640)
wp-config.php: 600
.htaccess: 644

Upload directory permissions:

  • wp-content/uploads/ - Writable by web server
  • Backup directories - Secure but accessible
  • Temporary directories - Proper cleanup procedures

Integration Requirements​

Theme Compatibility​

Theme requirements:

  • WordPress standards compliance - Follows WordPress coding standards
  • Custom field support - Proper postmeta handling
  • jQuery support - For enhanced functionality
  • Responsive design - Mobile-first approach
  • Page template support - Full-width templates recommended

Tested themes:

  • Default WordPress themes (Twenty Twenty-Three, etc.)
  • Astra - Excellent compatibility
  • GeneratePress - Optimized performance
  • OceanWP - Full feature support
  • Hello Elementor - Minimal, compatible base

Plugin Compatibility​

Known compatible plugins:

  • Yoast SEO - SEO analysis includes section content
  • Rank Math - Full SEO integration
  • Contact Form 7 - Can embed forms in sections
  • WooCommerce - Works on product and shop pages
  • WPML - Multilingual support

Potential conflicts:

  • Other page builders - May conflict (Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder)
  • Aggressive caching - May interfere with editor
  • Security plugins - May block JavaScript functionality
  • Custom admin plugins - May interfere with editor interface

Development Environment​

Local Development​

Recommended local development tools:

  • Local by Flywheel - WordPress-specific development environment
  • XAMPP - Cross-platform development stack
  • Docker - Containerized development environment
  • WP-CLI - Command line WordPress management
  • Git - Version control for development

Testing Environment​

Staging site requirements:

  • Identical server configuration - Match production environment
  • Same WordPress version - Consistency for testing
  • Testing data - Representative content for testing
  • Backup procedures - Safe testing environment
  • Monitoring tools - Performance and error tracking

Troubleshooting System Issues​

Diagnostic Tools​

System status check:

  • WordPress Site Health - Built-in WordPress diagnostics
  • Plugin system status - AI Section Builder diagnostics
  • Server information - PHP info and configuration
  • Database status - Connection and performance checks

Common System Issues​

Insufficient resources:

  • Increase PHP memory limit - 256MB minimum
  • Extend execution time - 60 seconds recommended
  • Optimize database - Regular maintenance required
  • Upgrade hosting - Consider better hosting plan

Configuration problems:

  • Check PHP extensions - Ensure required extensions installed
  • Verify file permissions - Correct WordPress file permissions
  • Test API connectivity - Verify external API access
  • Review error logs - Identify specific configuration issues

Next Steps​

Now that you understand system requirements:

  1. Verify your current system meets all requirements
  2. Upgrade any components that don't meet specifications
  3. Review FAQ for common questions
  4. Test the plugin in a staging environment before production use

Need More Help?​

  • Contact your hosting provider for server configuration assistance
  • Review Installation & Setup for setup guidance
  • Check with theme developers for compatibility questions
  • Read Troubleshooting for specific issues

Remember: Meeting the recommended requirements ensures the best performance and user experience with AI Section Builder. When in doubt, choose higher specifications for better long-term performance!