# System Requirements OpenCart has certain technical requirements for the software to operate properly. The software must be uploaded to a web server, which will make the store publicly available on the web. If you do not already have a domain or web hosting account, those can easily be purchased for an affordable price at various places online. When selecting a hosting service, an Apache server is recommended. You will also need a database server that supports MySQLi, PDO, or PostgreSQL. (MySQLi is recommended if possible.) Finally, you will need to have the following PHP libraries installed in your PHP configuration: * PHP 8.0 or later * Curl * GD Library * Iconv * Mbstring * OpenSSL Encrypt * ZipArchive * Zlib Additionally, you will want to turn on the following PHP settings: * file\_uploads * magic\_quotes\_gpc * register\_globals * session\_auto\_start During the OpenCart installation process it will check to make sure you have those libraries and settings enabled. Typically they are already enabled by default with most hosting providers. However, if you receive an error warning during installation that one of them is not active, you should contact your hosting provider and ask them to add it to your PHP configuration. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.opencart.com/getting-started/system-requirements.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.