Overview Not all CMS platforms are created equal—and neither are their hosting requirements. This lesson compares the infrastructure demands of WordPress, Magento (Adobe Commerce), and Joomla, helping learners choose hosting that supports performance, stability, and security for each platform.
WordPress Hosting Requirements
Performance
- Lightweight core, but plugins and media can strain resources
- Benefits from SSD/NVMe storage, object caching (e.g., Redis), and CDN integration
- PHP 8.2+ and HTTP/2 support recommended for optimal speed
Security
- Frequent target for brute force and injection attacks
- Requires SSL, daily backups, and a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
- Sucuri integration recommended for malware scanning and hardening
Scalability
- Easily scales from shared to enterprise cloud environments
- Managed WordPress hosting (e.g., Pagely, Kinsta) offers auto-scaling and staging environments
Magento Hosting Requirements
Performance
- Resource-intensive: demands high CPU, RAM, and fast I/O
- Requires optimized database servers and persistent caching layers (e.g., Varnish, Redis)
- PHP 8.1+ and MySQL tuning critical for checkout and catalog performance
Security
- PCI compliance is mandatory for eCommerce
- Needs strict access controls, regular patching, and secure deployment pipelines
- WAF protection for payment flows and admin panels is essential
Scalability
- Built for growth: supports multi-store setups, global traffic, and large catalogs
- Best hosted on VPS, dedicated, or cloud platforms with horizontal scaling capabilities
Joomla Hosting Requirements
Performance
- Moderate resource usage; runs well on shared or VPS hosting
- SSD/NVMe storage, caching plugins, and CDN integration improve speed
- PHP 8.1+ and MySQL 8+ recommended
Security
- Needs SSL, backups, and firewall protection
- Extension management and permission hardening are key
- Regular updates and monitoring reduce risk from third-party components
Scalability
- Ideal for multilingual and structured content sites
- Scales effectively on cloud or VPS hosting with flexible resource allocation
Visual Summary
|
CMS |
Performance Needs |
Security Focus |
Scalability Path |
|
WordPress |
SSD/NVMe, caching, CDN |
WAF, backups, plugin hygiene |
Shared → Managed → Cloud |
|
Magento |
High CPU/RAM, DB tuning |
PCI, WAF, secure deployments |
VPS/Dedicated → Cloud |
|
Joomla |
SSD, caching, CDN |
SSL, extension control |
Shared/VPS → Cloud |
Key Takeaways
- WordPress is flexible but benefits from managed environments and caching
- Magento demands high-performance hosting with strict security and compliance
- Joomla sits in the middle—scalable and secure with moderate resource needs
- Matching hosting to CMS ensures better performance, fewer issues, and stronger security
Exercise Files
