Joomla system requirements (and how to skip them)

The Joomla system requirements for version 6 are PHP 8.3.0 or newer, one database from MySQL 8.0.13, MariaDB 10.6, or PostgreSQL 14.0, and a recommended PHP memory limit of 256 MB. That is the short answer, and in 2026 the first line of it is what stops most people, because the PHP that ships with a default XAMPP is older than the minimum Joomla 6 accepts. This guide lists every requirement with its source, explains which ones actually block an install, and shows how to skip the whole checklist when you only want to look at Joomla rather than host it. If you are in the second camp, you can open a free Joomla test site right now, on a stack that already meets all of it, and read the rest afterwards.

What are the Joomla 6 system requirements?

Joomla 6 system requirements: PHP 8.3.0 or newer, one database from MySQL 8.0.13, MariaDB 10.6, or PostgreSQL 14.0, a web server running Apache 2.4, nginx 1.26, or IIS 10, and a recommended PHP memory limit of 256 MB.

Joomla 6 requires PHP 8.3.0 minimum with PHP 8.4 recommended, and one of MySQL 8.0.13, MariaDB 10.6, or PostgreSQL 14.0. On the web server side it supports Apache 2.4, nginx 1.26, or Microsoft IIS 10. Those figures come from the Joomla project’s own documentation, the Joomla Manual page “Technical Requirements”, which is the canonical list as of 2026 and the one the installer enforces.

The full table, minimums and recommendations side by side, looks like this. Only one database row applies to you, whichever engine your host runs.

Two of these rows are softer than they look. The memory limit is a recommendation rather than a hard gate, and the web server row only matters if you administer the server yourself. The PHP and database rows are the ones the pre-installation check refuses to negotiate on.

Which PHP extensions does Joomla 6 need?

Joomla 6 requires five PHP modules, json, simplexml, dom, zlib, and gd, plus exactly one database driver from mysqlnd, pdo_mysql, or pdo_pgsql. The 2026 Joomla Manual technical requirements page also recommends mbstring, and mod_rewrite on Apache if you want search-engine friendly URLs.

In practice this list is the least interesting part of the requirements. Every mainstream managed host enables all six by default, and so does a stock XAMPP or MAMP. When an install fails, the cause is almost always a PHP version below 8.3 or a database below the minimum, not a missing extension. The exception is gd, which some minimal Docker PHP images leave out, and which Joomla needs for image handling in the media manager.

Joomla 6 raised the bar from Joomla 5

The requirements ratcheted up. Joomla 5 runs on PHP 8.1.0 and MariaDB 10.4, while Joomla 6 demands PHP 8.3.0 and MariaDB 10.6, per the Joomla project’s documentation in 2026 (Joomla Documentation, “Portal: Joomla 5”). PostgreSQL moved from 12.0 to 14.0 in the same step. Nothing else in the stack changed materially, which means the upgrade question is really a PHP question.

That matters because of a deadline. In 2026 the Joomla Project Roadmap puts the end of regular bugfix support for Joomla 5 at 13 October 2026, with security-only patches continuing to 12 October 2027. Joomla 6.1.0 shipped on 14 April 2026 and is the current release. So sites on Joomla 5 have a fixed window to get their PHP to 8.3 before the supported path runs out. If you are weighing which version to target, our comparison of Joomla 5 vs Joomla 6 walks through the trade-off in more detail.

Is your PHP version still supported?

Probably not, if you have not looked recently. PHP 8.1 reached its end of life on 31 December 2025, and PHP 8.2 leaves security support on 31 December 2026, according to the PHP project’s “Supported Versions” page as it stands in 2026, and corroborated by the 2026 endoflife.date PHP release and support timeline. PHP 8.3 itself is already in security-only maintenance until 31 December 2027. Joomla’s 8.3 minimum is therefore not aggressive; it is the oldest PHP that still receives any patches at all.

The wider web is well behind that line. A July 2026 survey by W3Techs, “Usage statistics and market share of PHP for websites”, found 61.6% of PHP sites on some PHP 8.x release and 30.2% still on PHP 7.x, with a further 8.2% on PHP 5.x. Roughly four sites in ten are running a PHP branch that stopped receiving security fixes years ago. Joomla itself runs about 1.2% of all websites, per the same publisher’s July 2026 Joomla usage statistics, which also put 54.3% of Joomla installs on Joomla 3. That branch is long past its security support window, as the 2026 endoflife.date Joomla release and support timeline records.

XAMPP ships a PHP too old for Joomla 6

Because the PHP inside it is too old. As of July 2026 the Apache Friends XAMPP download page offers PHP 8.2.12 on the Windows and Linux installers and PHP 8.2.4 on macOS. Joomla 6 needs 8.3.0. The installer reads the version, sees 8.2, and stops at the pre-installation check before it writes a single table.

There are ways around it. You can swap the PHP binary inside XAMPP by hand, run a different local stack such as DDEV or Laragon that lets you pick the PHP version, or use Docker with a PHP 8.3 image. Each of these works, and each costs you an evening the first time. It is worth it if you are setting up a development environment you will use for months. It is a poor trade if you wanted to spend ten minutes looking at whether Joomla 6 suits you, which is why we wrote a separate guide on how to try Joomla without XAMPP.

How do I check whether my server meets the requirements?

Joomla does the checking for you, in two places. Before an install, the web installer runs a pre-installation check that compares your PHP and database versions against the minimums published in the 2026 Joomla Manual technical requirements, and refuses to continue if either falls short. After an install, the Administrator reports the same information on one screen. Here is the fastest route to an answer in each case:

1. On an existing Joomla site, log into the Administrator and open System, then System Information. The PHP version, the database engine and version, and every loaded PHP extension are listed there.
2. On a host with no Joomla yet,look for the PHP version selector in cPanel, Plesk, or your host’s dashboard. Most managed hosts let you switch PHP branches from a dropdown, which is the whole fix if you are sitting on 8.2.
3. On your own machine, run php -v in a terminal for the PHP version and mysql --version for the database. Note that the PHP your terminal reports is not always the PHP your web server uses.
4. If anything falls short, upgrade PHP first. It is the single requirement that blocks Joomla 6, and on most hosts it is a dropdown rather than a migration.

One caveat on step three. A machine can easily have three PHP versions installed at once, one on the command line, one in Apache, one in a container. The pre-installation check reads the one the web server is running, so trust that screen over your terminal.

How do you skip the requirements check altogether?

By running Joomla somewhere the requirements are already satisfied. A disposable test site hands you a server that meets every line of the table, so your own PHP version, database, and memory limit stop being your problem. Nothing installs on your machine and there is nothing to uninstall afterwards.

JInstant works that way. You pick Joomla 6.1 on PHP 8.3 or 8.4, or Joomla 5.4 on PHP 8.1, 8.2, or 8.3, and a clean isolated install spins up in about 30 seconds. A private link logs you in as a Super User on a real Joomla Administrator, so you can install extensions, change settings, and break things on purpose. It needs an email and nothing else, and the site deletes itself after four hours with no backup and nothing to clean up. Our walkthrough on trying Joomla 6 online covers the flow step by step.

This is not a replacement for a properly provisioned server. If you are launching a real site, you still need a host with PHP 8.3, a supported database, and a memory limit that will not fall over during an extension install. What a disposable site replaces is the hour you would otherwise spend meeting those requirements just to answer the question “does this extension work on Joomla 6?” For the wider set of options, our guide to spinning up a free Joomla test site compares four ways side by side, local stacks included.

Conclusion

The Joomla 6 requirements are short and only one of them bites. PHP 8.3.0, one database from MySQL 8.0.13, MariaDB 10.6, or PostgreSQL 14.0, six PHP modules that your host almost certainly already enables, and 256 MB of memory if you want the update process to behave. The PHP line is where a default XAMPP fails, and it is where a Joomla 5 site will fail too unless its host moves off 8.2 before regular support ends on 13 October 2026. When the point is to try Joomla rather than to host it, the fastest way through the checklist is to not run it at all: open a free Joomla test site on a stack that already passes, and let it delete itself when you are done.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Joomla Manual, “Technical Requirements” (retrieved July 10, 2026).
• Joomla Documentation, “Portal: Joomla 5” (retrieved July 10, 2026).
• Joomla Project, “Roadmap” (retrieved July 10, 2026).
• endoflife.date, “Joomla release and support timeline” (retrieved July 10, 2026).
• The PHP Group, “Supported Versions” (retrieved July 10, 2026).
• endoflife.date, “PHP release and support timeline” (retrieved July 10, 2026).
• Apache Friends, “Download XAMPP” (retrieved July 10, 2026).
• W3Techs, “Usage statistics and market share of PHP for websites” (survey of July 9, 2026).
• W3Techs, “Usage statistics and market share of Joomla” (survey of July 9, 2026).