Compatibility of PHP and MySQL With Leading Web Hosting Companies
There are several well-known and extensively documented compatibility issues with PHP, MySQL, and Apache, especially noticeable when running on web hosting companies using the Windows-based IIS platform. Hardware is rarely a problem, as the code was developed over time to be platform-independent. PHP is free for use under license from PHP Group. This is not to be confused with a GNU license, as PHP does have some legal restrictions that make it incompatible with the terms of the GNU license.
The Legal Compatibility Issue
The PHP Group, the controlling authority of the language, has restricted the use of the PHP acronym when the acronym is used as part of the name of a user-developed software package. The use of PHP without a qualifying conjunction is expressly disallowed. In other words, “SuiteTartPHP” is unacceptable use, while “SuiteTart for PHP” is an allowed usage. This legal distinction prevents PHP from being totally GNU-compliant. This should not present any significant problems, other than product identification.
Windows Server (IIS and IIS2) 32- and 64-bit Incompatibility issues
PHP is available in 32- and 64-bit versions, however, in the case of a Windows-based server, only the 32-bit version is considered “official.” The recommendation is to run the 32-bit version in the compatibility mode when it is implemented on 64-bit Windows IIS servers. If the code and data is sandboxed on a local Windows server running 64-bit operating system (OS) version, contact the web hosting company to ensure they have the proper libraries to support the Windows 32-bit compatibility mode.
PHP Version Incompatibilities
This type of issue typically manifests when migrating from an older PHP hosting service running a PHP (pre-version 5) implementation. The most noticeable problem is a user authentication error message. This is due to security changes in the password hashing algorithm which does not allow for the PHP Version 4 and earlier 16-digit passwords. PHP V5 uses 41-digit passwords for user authentication. This can be problematic when attempting to restore older MySQL databases with pre-PHP V5 password structures. While an old password module is available, it is being deprecated.
AMP Package Incompatibilities
Unix is the most native mode for a number of Apache, MySQL and PHP (AMP) packages. Many variations on the theme exist for different hardware and operating systems (OS) software platforms, such as LAMP for Linux/Unix, WAMP for Windows-based OS , MAMP for Macintosh, SAMP for Sun/Oracle OS, etc. While the database contents can generally be ported from one to another, some hardwired or custom code may present compatibility problems. The method for resolving this issue is to sandbox the destination and then run tests on each application to ensure complete and predictable results between the old installation and the new one.
Deprecating Features and Security Incompatibility
This is an on-going situation and can be problematic. “Magic quotes” and “register global” and “safe mode” are all examples of code removed and disabled because of security complications. Features come and go with regularity. The best defense is to use only those features which must be used and documenting exceptions which mandate unusual or arcane code or database constructs.
Most quality web host services upgrade and patch their AMP packages routinely to ensure the best possible security and service for their clients. Some hosting companies use especially hardened code to prevent tainting or malicious coding from both internal and external sources. Due diligence is strongly advised whether considering a start-up web presence or migration from one system to another to ensure compatibility is not an issue.
Category: Webmaster
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Shiva Chettri is the editor and owner of Netchunks, a premier blog about Webmaster and Blogging Tips. He intends to make the web a friendlier place by sharing stuffs and articles which will help other webmasters and bloggers to becomes successful. His other interests includes Web Designing, Wordpress and Music of almost every genre. Send +Shiva an email at admin@netchunks.comSubscribe
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there is so much to learn about php and mysql, sometimes its overwhelming and makes me want to outsource any developments rather than fo it myself.
Rarely there is incompatibility as hosting companies never use the latest versions of PHP and Apache. The opposite also apply for for older releases of PHP and usually both PHP4 and PHP5 are presented.
Twitter: mani0993
says:
Almost all leading hosts use the latest versions of PHP & MySql. Though there are still some useless hosts which use PHP 4
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I have personally seen PHP version incompatibilities on different hosting servers recently when working for a client on WordPress.. it sometimes become really hard to solve out these problems..
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These days all the server providers who provide hosting have the compatibility of php mysql.. as these days people make their websites on php mysql platform only… PHP is a famous platform for web developers these days…
There are hundreds of thousands of web hosts out there, the vast majority of which meet the WordPress minimum requirements, and choosing one from the crowd can be a chore. Just like flowers need the right environment to grow, WordPress works best when it’s in a rich hosting environment.
Yes Wu…….. These days all hosting company provides compatibility to work on php and mysql… But yes one should see to it that is the package giving wordpress uploading option…..
These days wordpress is being used for most of the sites.. It is also very user friendly and such a super cool content management system…
The technologies PHP and MySQL supported by most web hosting providers, since they are compatible with virtually all operating systems, easy to install, configure, operate and possess greater functionality. Moreover, the PHP Hosting and MySQL Hosting on operating systems, UNIX / Linux is the cheapest web hosting. For comparison, hosting with support for ASP, SQL is running the Windows operating system is at 50-70 percent more expensive and has less reliability mainly due to greater instability of Windows.
These days all the server providers who provide hosting have the compatibility of php mysql.. as these days people make their websites on php mysql platform only… PHP is a famous platform for web developers these days…
MySQL is used with different software languages. Its usage is most notable with PHP. MySQL is a heavy duty database server and belongs to LAMP family which consists of Apache, MySQL, PHP and Linux.
I think the new versions of PHP and MY SQL are still a little incomplete because there are some incompatibility issues with it. I think it’s better to use the older versions in order to avoid inconvenience and further complications. I have worked on the older versions and I think it’s better to use the older ones till the time the new ones are modified and altered correctly.
WordPress meets my expectation..i definitely recommend it.
Yes, I agree these are just in compatible versions and so nobody would recommend these versions to others. I think the updated and the latest modified versions will be available in the market soon. I have even heard of some security problems with these new versions and so to be on a safer side I would suggest everyone to use the older available versions which are in use.
Yes it is true that the new versions have some compatibility issues with them. There are some others like PHP Magic and PHP Report generator software’s that I use for web development and for generating reports. These software’s are of great help to me. Data export to PDF, XML, CVS, Excel and Word is now very easy with the use of these software’s.
Hi.All this sounds quite new and interesting to me. I did not understand everything because I am a newbie, but did realize that I should read more about the same and improve my work efficiency.Thanks.
If there is an issue with the compatibility in the latest versions of PHP and MY SQL then it’s better to use the previous ones which work at their best. Applications like Joomla, Word press, mybb, phpbb, Drupal and other software are built on the LAMP software stack. So it’s better to use these most compatible ones instead of opting for the latest ones.
Domenic, you are right my friend. Word Press and Joomla are the ones which I am using currently and frankly speaking I have not faced any issue yet. Recently I have heard the new versions getting updated again but now I don’t have the heart to buy them again.
We offer free PHP MySQL hosting with the option to switch to an unlimited plan for less than $2/month at any time. So our clients can check out if their scripts run on our systems before they purchase. Of course, there are some specific features which are only available in the paid plans, but using the free plan gives our clients a good overall impression about the server settings.
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Adam, if you guys can offer us good and compatible versions then nothing like it. I would like to check your systems free versions for the server settings and then I think I would be able to define the plan I would require from you. Hope you could help me to get one from the free versions. Also i would like to know about the specific features that you offer in the paid plans.