Joomla 6 Technical Requirements (2026)
Updated 2 March 2026 with new information including corrected MariaDB minimum version and latest PHP details.
Joomla 6.0.0 was released on 14th October 2025, and it introduced a new strict joomla technical requirements minimum of MySQL 8.0.13, MariaDB 10.4.0 and PHP 8.3.0
The mySites.guru tool for Joomla 6 Technical Requirements - Hosting Check is a feature of the subscription at mySites.guru
What does the Joomla project say?
Not much other than this page (which ironically still states this is for an unreleased upcoming version when infact Joomla 6 has now been released)
This page is also confusing as it has a “Required” version of MariaDB and PostgreSQL that is less than the “Minimum”… strange.
[edit:] Note that even the Joomla Project don’t seem to understand or believe these versions are correct, but hey ho, https://github.com/joomla/Manual/pull/540
[edit:] It seems the “Minimum Versions” are guaranteed to work and are required for upgrades and the “Required Versions” “May work for new new installs”
[edit:] After release, the Joomla project lowered the minimum MariaDB version from 10.6 to 10.4 in the official documentation.
[edit:] Clear as mud. However we will keep this page, and the tools in mySites.guru, up to date with the published, documented, versions from the official Joomla project which can be found here: https://manual.joomla.org/docs/next/get-started/technical-requirements/ (Which also currently states Joomla 6.0 is the upcoming version and not yet released - go figure…)
Joomla 6 Technical Requirements - Hosting Check
The mySites.guru tool for Joomla 6 Technical Requirements - Hosting Check is a feature of the subscription at mySites.guru - no additional charge was made and this new feature added for free into all account.
Here’s what the dashboard looks like:
Where to find the Joomla 6 Technical Requirements tool in mySites.guru?
You can get to the tool quickest by invoking the command palette with cmd k (or ctrl k on windows/linux) and typing “Joomla 6” or “compat” to filter the commands and then enter. This will take you direct to the Joomla 6 Technical Requirements tool
*The mySites.guru command palette - filtered *
An even quicker way is to just press c 6 on the keyboard (that is lowercase c and then the number 6) - that is the keyboard shortcut to the page in mySites.guru!!
The direct url is: https://manage.mysites.guru/en/tools/joomla6/compatibility (Obviously you need to be logged in for that to work)
As you can see the tool clearly lists all your Joomla 4, Joomla 5 and Joomla 6 sites, along with the currently installed Joomla version, the web server hostname, the update channel enabled, and the server hosting PHP version and Database type (MySQL or MariaDB) and version number.
If your PHP or Database Server meets the MINIMUM this will be highlighted with Yellow The MINIMUM Joomla 6 Technical Requirements are: PHP 8.3.0, MySQL 8.0.13 or MariaDB 10.4.0.
If your PHP or Database Server meets the RECOMMENDED this will be highlighted with Green The RECOMMENDED Joomla 6 Technical Requirements are: PHP 8.4+, MySQL 8.4+ or MariaDB 12.0+
If your PHP or Database Server doesn’t meet the MINIMUM technical requirements this will be highlighted with Red
What is the update channel?
Joomla has 3 main update channels - the Default, **Joomla Next **and Testing. It is highly recommended that you leave your production websites on the default setting - this will prevent you accidentally applying major updates to Joomla core. Separately, Joomla 5.4+ and 6.0+ also introduced automated core updates that can apply patches without admin intervention - if you manage client sites, you should disable that too.
Joomla “Next” channel allows to switch between major releases. From 4 to 5 to 6 for example.
Testing is as its name suggests. For use in testing releases prior to release by experienced developers.
Joomla 6 Minimum Technical Requirements
The absolute minimum versions that can be installed on a server to run Joomla 6 are:
PHP 8.3.0 (also standard modules like json, simplexml, dom, gd, mysqlnd needed)
MySQL 8.0.13 or MariaDB 10.4.0
This article (and most of the Joomla Community!) ignore the Postgres compatibility as not many people use that database server - but the minimum for PostgreSQL is 12.0
Joomla 6 Recommended Technical Requirements.
The RECOMMENDED versions to be installed to run Joomla 6 are “the latest PHP version and the latest MySQL/MariaDB” version - haha - but no seriously, there is no reason to be not running the latest versions of PHP in 2026!
The “official” recommended is PHP 8.4 and MySQL 8.4/MariaDB 12 - but of course over time these will probably increase - for example at the time of writing PHP 8.5 is the latest stable PHP version available, https://www.php.net/supported-versions for full PHP details.
What if my web host doesn’t meet the minimum standards?
If your webhost doesn’t have the minimum standards for Joomla 6 hosting then you should really consider moving - the MySQL 8 and PHP 8.4 requirements are standard at this point.
MySQL 8.0.13 was released in October 2018 - so that’s over 7 years ago - if your web host has not upgraded their MySQL server in the last 5 years then maybe they are not the most secure and reliable partner for your web site… #justsaying
What is the supported version of MySQL by Oracle?
mysql 5.6 extended support ended in 2021 and mysql 5.7 extended support ended… 31st October 2023.
Only MySQL 8.4 (LTS) and 9.4.* series are actually supported by Oracle now.
What if my site is stuck on Joomla 3 - how do I secure Joomla 3?
You can look at the new tool which Fixes all Joomla 3 security issues with a single click, in the mySites.guru snapshot.
Joomla 5 vs Joomla 6 Requirements Comparison
Upgrading from Joomla 5? Here’s a side-by-side comparison of what changed:
| Requirement | Joomla 5 Minimum | Joomla 6 Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| PHP | 8.1.0 | 8.3.0 |
| MySQL | 8.0.13 | 8.0.13 |
| MariaDB | 10.4.0 | 10.4.0 |
| PostgreSQL | 12.0 | 12.0 |
The database requirements stayed the same between Joomla 5 and 6. The main change is PHP: Joomla 6 requires PHP 8.3 or higher, up from PHP 8.1 in Joomla 5. If your server already runs PHP 8.3+, you’re ready to upgrade.
The recommended versions for Joomla 6 are PHP 8.4, MySQL 8.4, and MariaDB 12 - all higher than Joomla 5’s recommendations of PHP 8.2, MySQL 8.1, and MariaDB 11.1.
Use the mySites.guru compatibility checker to scan all your sites at once and see exactly which ones are ready for the upgrade.
Questions?
Happy to answer questions if you have any, use the contact form.
Or you can ask the Joomla project direct.
