Requirements

🖥 Server Requirements

Before installing XSender, make sure your server meets the following requirements.

The installer will automatically check most of these during setup.

🐘 PHP Version

Minimum Version

• PHP 8.2 or higher

If your PHP version is lower than 8.2, installation will fail.

🔌 Required PHP Extensions

The following extensions must be enabled:

• bcmath

• openssl

• pdo_mysql

• mbstring

• tokenizer

• json

• curl

• gd

• zip

Most hosting providers enable these by default.

How to Check

The installer will automatically verify all extensions.

If any extension is missing, it will show which one needs to be enabled.

📸 Screenshot: Installer requirements verification page

🗄 Database Requirements

You must have one of the following:

• MySQL 5.7 or higher

• MariaDB 10.3 or higher

Before starting installation:

• Create an empty database

• Create a database user

• Assign full privileges to the user

The installer will automatically create all tables.

🌐 Web Server Requirements

XSender supports:

• Apache (recommended)

• Nginx

Important

URL rewriting must be enabled.

For Apache:

• mod_rewrite must be enabled

For Nginx:

• Proper rewrite rules must be configured

XSender uses clean URLs, so rewrite support is required.

🟢 Node.js (WhatsApp QR Service Only)

Only required if you want to use the WhatsApp QR Scan feature.

If you only use:

• WhatsApp Cloud API

• SMS

• Email

Then Node.js is NOT required.

Required Versions

• Node.js 18.x to 21.x

• NPM 9.0 or higher

• PM2 (installed globally)

Without Node.js, WhatsApp QR self-hosted feature will not work.

🔐 File Permissions

The following files and folders must be writable:

• .env → Permission 644 or 666

• storage/ → Permission 775

• bootstrap/cache/ → Permission 775

On cPanel, these are usually set automatically.

If needed, you can change permissions via:

• cPanel File Manager

• SSH command line

🏢 Server Recommendations

For VPS or Dedicated Server (Recommended)

• Ubuntu 20.04+ or any Linux with PHP 8.2

• Apache or Nginx

• MySQL or MariaDB

• PM2 for queue workers

• SSL certificate (required for WhatsApp webhook)

• At least 1 GB RAM

For high-volume sending:

• 2 GB RAM or higher recommended

For Shared Hosting (cPanel / Plesk)

• PHP 8.2 selected

• MySQL database created

• Cron job access (1-minute interval recommended)

• Minimum 256 MB PHP memory limit

• File upload limit at least 50 MB (for updates)

📸 Screenshot: cPanel PHP version selector

Shared hosting works, but performance will be slower than VPS.

🌍 Browser Support

XSender works on all modern browsers:

• Google Chrome (Recommended)

• Mozilla Firefox

• Microsoft Edge

• Safari

For best experience, use the latest version of Chrome.

If you want, I can now:

• Merge Requirements + Installation into a clean structured GitBook flow

• Create a short Pre-Installation Checklist page

• Or make a visual system architecture section 🚀

⚙️Choosing the Right Server

XSender is not a simple CMS or static website.

It is a real-time messaging system that continuously:

• Sends WhatsApp messages

• Processes email queues

• Runs SMS campaigns

• Executes automation workflows

• Handles scheduled tasks

Your hosting environment is extremely important.

🚀 VPS or Dedicated Server (Highly Recommended)

We strongly recommend using a VPS or dedicated server.

Why VPS is Best

🔁 Background Workers

XSender runs multiple queue workers simultaneously for:

• SMS

• Email

• WhatsApp

• Campaigns

• Automations

On a VPS, these workers run 24/7 using PM2, ensuring instant processing.

💬 WhatsApp Node.js Service

The WhatsApp QR scan feature requires:

• Node.js running continuously

• Terminal access

• Long-lived background processes

This is fully supported only on VPS or dedicated servers.

⏱ Reliable Scheduling

On VPS:

• Scheduler runs continuously

• Campaigns execute exactly on time

• No cron delays

🔀 Multiple Queue Channels

Each channel has its own dedicated worker:

• SMS queue

• Email queue

• WhatsApp queue

• Automation queue

No slow channel blocks another.

⚡ Better Performance

VPS allows:

• Custom PHP memory limits

• Higher process counts

• Full system optimization

For high-volume sending (thousands per day), VPS is essential.

Recommended VPS Providers

• DigitalOcean

• Vultr

• Hetzner

• Linode

• AWS Lightsail

Minimum Server Specs

• 1 CPU

• 1 GB RAM

• 25 GB Storage

• Ubuntu 20.04+

• Root access

Recommended for High Volume

• 2 CPU

• 2 GB RAM or higher

🌐 Shared Hosting (cPanel / aaPanel)

XSender works on shared hosting with limitations.

Required Features

✅ SSH / Terminal Access (Required)

Without SSH access:

• WhatsApp QR feature will not work

• Cannot run artisan commands

• Cannot manage Node.js

✅ Node.js Support (Required for WhatsApp)

Many shared hosting providers block:

• Node.js

• Long-running processes

Confirm with your hosting provider before purchasing.

✅ 1-Minute Cron Support (Required)

Your hosting must allow cron jobs every 1 minute.

If your host only allows:

• Every 5 minutes

• Every 15 minutes

It is NOT suitable.

Shared Hosting Limitations

• Queue processing runs once per minute

• Up to 60-second delay per message

• Scheduled campaigns may start 1 minute late

• WhatsApp feels slower

For best performance → Use VPS.

Quick Checklist

Before you start the installation, make sure you have:

- PHP 8.2 or higher with required extensions.

- An empty MySQL or MariaDB database.

- Database username and password with full privileges.

- Apache mod_rewrite enabled (or Nginx rewrite rules).

- File permissions set for .env, storage, and bootstrap/cache.

- Your Envato purchase code ready (from CodeCanyon).

- Your Envato username.