If your host runs PHP 8.4 and cron, you will be ready.
This is the page that decides it for most people, so it is specific rather than vague. Below is exactly what Gyro Suite needs, exactly what is optional, the volumes at which shared hosting stops being enough, and how to check your own host today, before there is anything to install.
The whole list. There is nothing else.
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHP | 8.4 | 8.4 | One build per PHP version |
| ionCube Loader | matching your PHP | 13.x | The one people miss. Standard on most cPanel hosts |
| MySQL or MariaDB | MySQL 8.0 / MariaDB 10.6 | MySQL 8.0 | InnoDB, utf8mb4 |
| PHP extensions | pdo_mysql, mbstring, intl, gd, curl, openssl, zip, dom, xml, simplexml, fileinfo, bcmath, iconv | same | All standard on cPanel |
| memory_limit | 256M | 512M | 512M for manufacturing or payroll |
| max_execution_time | 30s | 120s | Long jobs are chunked to survive 30s |
| upload_max_filesize | 12M | 32M | For imports and attachments |
| max_input_vars | 5000 | 5000 | For large forms such as a payroll run |
| Cron | once per minute | once per minute | One line, pasted from the installer |
| Disk | 2 GB free | 5 GB and up | Grows with attachments |
| Outbound HTTPS | to gyrosuite.com | same | Or use offline activation |
| Web server | Apache, LiteSpeed or Nginx | LiteSpeed | mod_rewrite or equivalent |
No root access, no SSH, no Docker, no Composer, no Node, no Redis, no queue supervisor, no websocket port and no command line. If that list surprises you, it is because most software in this category assumes all of them.
Things that make it faster, and none of which it needs.
| Component | Required? | What it improves | Detected automatically? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redis | Optional | Cache, sessions and queue throughput | Yes |
| Queue worker or Supervisor | Optional | Background jobs run instantly instead of within a minute | Yes |
| Websockets | Optional | Live chat and notifications become instant instead of a few seconds | Yes |
| Meilisearch | Optional | Search across very large datasets | Yes |
| Gotenberg or headless Chrome | Optional | Pixel-perfect PDF for complex templates | Yes |
| S3-compatible storage | Optional | Off-site attachments and backups | No |
The software detects what is present at install and re-checks on a schedule. If you later add Redis, it starts using it without you configuring anything. The Module Manager shows the current capability tier and what each upgrade would change.
Where shared hosting stops being enough.
| Measure | Shared cPanel | VPS with Redis | What happens past the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concurrent users | ~10 | ~50 | Pages get slower, nothing breaks |
| Invoices | 50,000 | 250,000 | List views stay fast, exports move to background |
| Journal lines | 500,000 | 5,000,000 | Period balances are materialised, so reports stay fast |
| Stock ledger rows | 250,000 | 2,500,000 | Balance rebuilds take longer, run out of hours |
| Employees on payroll | ~150 | ~1,000 | A run splits into chunks across cron ticks |
| Published store items | ~3,000 | ~25,000 | Category pages need caching |
| Attachments | 5 GB | 50 GB | Move to S3-compatible storage |
These are engineering targets, not guarantees, and they have not all been proven at volume yet: soak tests on shared hosting are part of the work before launch. Your host's disk speed matters more than any other single factor. The Health page warns you as you approach them rather than letting you discover it during month end.
Three ways to know for certain, in order of speed.
Look in cPanel, about 30 seconds
Open Select PHP Version in cPanel. The version dropdown tells you the PHP version, and the extensions list has a checkbox named ioncube_loader. If it says 8.4 or higher and the ionCube box is ticked, you are most of the way there.
Run the installer's own check, at launch
The first screen of the installer prints a pass or fail against every requirement on this page before it writes anything, and names the cPanel screen that fixes each failure. A standalone checker you can run before you buy is planned.
Ask us
Send us your host's name and plan through the contact form and we will check its published specification against this page for you.
Where it is tested today
Gyro Suite is developed and tested on one real shared cPanel account, running LiteSpeed, PHP 8.4 and MariaDB 11.4. That is deliberate: if it works there, it works on the floor we promise. Before launch we plan to test it on Hostinger, Namecheap, SiteGround, A2 Hosting, InMotion, GreenGeeks, ChemiCloud, Krystal, Hetzner, Contabo and IONOS, and to publish the results here, including any where it does not work.
It will not work on: hosts that cap PHP below 8.4, hosts that refuse to enable ionCube, free hosting tiers with no cron, and platforms that only run their own stack such as WordPress-only managed hosting. If you are on one of those, the fix is a different host rather than different software.
About hosting and requirements.
Why does it need ionCube at all?
Because the application is encoded to protect it from being copied and resold, which is what keeps a price of $49 a year viable in a market where the same thing has happened to almost every PHP business application ever sold. ionCube is the most widely deployed PHP encoder and is a standard cPanel extension, which is why we chose it over alternatives that fewer hosts support.
Can I run it on a subdomain or in a subfolder?
Both. A subdomain such as books.yourcompany.com is the cleanest and is what we recommend. A subfolder works too. The installer detects which layout you are using, including the more secure arrangement where the application sits above public_html and only its public folder is exposed.
Does it work with LiteSpeed and LSCache?
Yes, and LiteSpeed is what we recommend. The shipped .htaccess sets cache headers that LSCache respects: long-lived immutable caching for versioned assets and no-cache for application responses. Nothing needs configuring beyond uploading the file.
Which PHP versions will be supported?
PHP 8.4 at launch, with a separate build for each newer PHP version as its ionCube Loader becomes available. The loader always lags a new PHP release by a few weeks, so the limiting factor is usually your host rather than us.
Do I need a dedicated IP or an SSL certificate?
No dedicated IP. SSL yes, and every host worth using now issues a free Let's Encrypt certificate from cPanel with two clicks. The installer refuses to complete over plain HTTP for anything other than a local test, because sending payroll data over an unencrypted connection is not a choice we are willing to let you make by accident.
Requirements met? You are ready for launch day.
The installation guide walks every step, and a paid install service is planned if you would rather we did it.