PHP Hosting: PHP 8.4, MariaDB and Git Deploy

VeloxaHost runs PHP sites two ways, and you pick when you create the site:

• PHP ("Lightweight, no database"): PHP-FPM behind the site's web server, serving /var/www/html. Nothing else.
• Classic hosting ("PHP + MySQL + control panel"): the same, plus a MariaDB server and a control panel with a file manager, databases, cron jobs, PHP settings, logs and one-click apps.

Either way the site is its own container, with PHP from packages.sury.org, a free Let's Encrypt certificate on your domain, and a browser console with root access. You can turn the control panel on later for a plain PHP site; it installs the database server and panel tools while the site keeps serving.

Deploy from Git

What a deploy does

A PHP site deploys the way most PHP was always deployed: files into the web root. The Deploy from Git card takes a public Repository URL (https), a Branch, an optional Subdirectory and an Auto-deploy schedule (Manual / webhook only, Every hour or Every day). A deploy makes a shallow clone of the branch, replaces everything in /var/www/html with the repository (or the subdirectory), and gives the files to the web server's user, www-data.

Requests for a path with no matching file go to index.php, so front-controller apps and clean URLs work without rewrite rules. The web server is not Apache, so .htaccess files are ignored.

A deploy does not run Composer. Either commit vendor/, or keep the app outside the web root and update it from the console, the way the Laravel hosting page describes. The second way is the right one for any app whose document root is a public/ folder with code beside it.

A worked deploy

1. In the console, open Websites and click Add Website.
2. Enter your domain. Under Hosting type, pick Classic hosting if the app needs a database, or PHP if it does not. Pick a PHP Version; new sites default to 8.3. Keep Start With on Blank Site and click Create Website.
3. Add the DNS records shown under DNS — point your domain here. HTTPS is issued once they resolve.
4. On Classic hosting, create a database and user in the Databases tab. The host is localhost.
5. Keep configuration with secrets out of the repository, since the deploy only clones public repositories. For example, read a config.php that sits one level above the web root, at /var/www/config.php, which you create once from the console or the file manager and deploys never touch.
6. Open Deploy from Git, click Deploy, enter the repository and branch, set Subdirectory if the web files live in a folder, and click Deploy Now. The result shows under Recent deploys.
7. For push-to-deploy, call the CI Webhook URL from your CI: curl -fsS -X POST "$VELOXAHOST_DEPLOY_HOOK". Keep the URL secret; it carries the site's token.

Files the app writes into the web root, such as uploads, are removed by the next deploy. Store them outside /var/www/html, or skip Git deploy for that site.

Supported versions

PHP	Status upstream (php.net)
8.4	Active support until 31 Dec 2026, security fixes until 31 Dec 2028
8.3	Security fixes only, until 31 Dec 2027
8.2	Security fixes only, until 31 Dec 2026
8.1	End of life since 31 Dec 2025

New sites default to PHP 8.3; for new work, pick 8.4. PHP 8.5 is not offered yet. On Classic hosting you can switch versions later in the control panel's PHP tab, and set the memory limit (256M to start), upload size (64M) and other settings there.

Each version is installed with these extensions: curl, gd, xml, mbstring, zip, intl, bcmath, soap, imagick, opcache and mysql.

Which plan fits

Most PHP sites are light. Launch ($6.99/month: 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 3 websites, 20 GB NVMe) runs a few small sites, with 5 GB of disk each. Grow ($12.99/month: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 10 websites) suits a busy shop or several client sites. Scale ($24.99/month) and Business ($49.99/month) host 25 and 100 websites for agencies, with 2 GB of disk per site. Yearly billing is ten times the monthly price. See pricing.

Limits and when to use a VPS

• No Composer in the deploy, and no build step.
• No long-running workers. Cron in the Cron jobs tab (Classic hosting) covers scheduled tasks; queue daemons need a VPS.
• No outgoing mail server. PHP's mail() does not deliver; use SMTP to your mail provider.
• No .htaccess. Rules written for Apache need to move into PHP.
• MariaDB only on Classic hosting. For PostgreSQL, run PostgreSQL on a VPS.

For WordPress there is a one-click install; see WordPress hosting. A full app server or a different web server is a job for a VPS, where you can run MySQL and anything else you need.

FAQ

Should I pick PHP or Classic hosting?

Classic hosting if you need a database, cron jobs, or the control panel's PHP settings. Plain PHP if the site needs none of them. You can turn the control panel on later.

Does the deploy run Composer?

No. Commit vendor/, or install Composer in the console and keep the app outside the web root, as on the Laravel page.

Can I use .htaccess rewrite rules?

No. The site's web server is not Apache. Paths without a file already go to index.php, which covers most rewrite rules apps ship with.

Which PHP version should I choose?

PHP 8.4 for new work. Use 8.3 or 8.2 only if your app does not support 8.4 yet, and avoid 8.1, which no longer gets security fixes.

Is there a database on a plain PHP site?

No. Pick Classic hosting, or turn the control panel on later, to get MariaDB.