System requirements

NivoSync runs on most modern WordPress hosting environments. Before installing, make sure your server meets the minimums on this page. If anything is below the threshold, the plugin will refuse to activate and explain which requirement failed.

Minimum versions#

Required PHP extensions#

These extensions ship with virtually every modern PHP install. If any is missing, your hosting provider can enable it on request.

• openssl — used for AES-256-GCM credential encryption at rest
• mbstring — multi-byte string handling for international diamond data
• json — request and response payloads
• curl — outbound HTTPS to the Nivoda and licence APIs

How to verify each requirement#

From the WordPress admin#

WordPress 6.0+ ships with a Site Health tool that reports almost everything you need:

1. Go to Tools → Site Health in your WP admin.
2. Click the Info tab.
3. Expand Server — you will see PHP version, max execution time, and memory limit.
4. Expand Database — you will see MySQL or MariaDB version.
5. Expand WordPress constants — confirm WP_DEBUG, DB_CHARSET and friends look reasonable.

From WP-CLI#

If you have shell access:

# PHP version + key extensions
wp --info
 
# Detailed PHP info from inside WordPress context
wp eval 'echo PHP_VERSION . PHP_EOL;'
wp eval 'var_dump(extension_loaded("openssl"));'
 
# WooCommerce version
wp plugin get woocommerce --field=version
 
# Database version
wp db query "SELECT VERSION()"

From a phpinfo() page (last resort)#

Some hosts hide Site Health for non-admin users. To see the raw PHP config:

1. Create a temporary file phpinfo.php in your WordPress root with:

   <?php phpinfo();

2. Visit https://yoursite.com/phpinfo.php in a browser.
3. Delete the file immediately afterwards — leaving it exposes server internals to the public internet.

Hosting tier recommendations by catalogue size#

The first sync is the most resource-intensive thing NivoSync does. Tier your hosting based on the diamond inventory you expect to handle.

What happens if my server is below spec#

The plugin runs a self-check during activation. Common failure modes you might see:

• PHP too old — activation aborts with a notice naming the required version. Upgrade PHP from your host's control panel; this almost never breaks WordPress sites built in the last 3 years.
• Memory limit too low — activation succeeds, but the first sync fails halfway. Add define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M'); to wp-config.php and retry.
• openssl extension missing — activation aborts with a security error. Contact your host; this is universally available on modern stacks.
• MySQL too old — the plugin's table schema requires JSON columns, available from MySQL 5.7 onwards. If you are stuck on MySQL 5.6 or older, upgrade — beyond NivoSync, you are exposed to security CVEs in the database itself.

If you are unsure whether your environment is compatible, email support with the output of wp --info and we will tell you on the same business day.

Up next#

With requirements verified, you are ready to install the plugin. Continue to Installation for step-by-step guidance on the three install methods.