Server and hosting requirements

Supported server-side configuration

We recommend that you install the following components on the computer where you want to run Kentico. If you do not install these components on your computer before installing Kentico, the Installer is capable of downloading and installing them or their suitable alternatives (except for the operating system and the built-in Visual Studio server) on its own. In such cases, your computer must be connected to the Internet.

• Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (both 32bit and 64bit) or Windows 8 (both 32bit and 64bit), or their corresponding server versions – Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1, 2012, 2012 R2.
• Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 or newer.
• Microsoft Internet Information Services (see the table below) or Visual Studio/Visual Web Developer 2012/2013 built-in web server. Depends on which server you choose to install your web project into.
• Microsoft SQL Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, 2014 (including free SQL Server Express Edition 2008/2012/2014).

Internet Information Services overview

The following table lists instructions on how to install different versions of IIS on different operating systems.

For the Kentico Installer to work correctly with your IIS, check that the following features are installed on your computer:

• On Windows 7:ASP.NET 4.0 or 4.5, .NET Extensibility, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters and Static Content
• On Windows 8: ASP.NET 4.5,.NET Extensibility 4.5, ISAPI Extensions, ISAPI Filters and Static Content

See Configuring IIS for the installation of Kentico for instructions.

Hosting requirements

Your hosting provider must meet the following requirements:

• All server-side requirements
• Full trust permissions for the ASP.NET application
• A hosting plan with 500 MB or more of memory and a 100+ MB database is recommended

Cloud hosting

Kentico fully supports the Microsoft Azure platform, including Azure SQL, Azure Storage and other services. Microsoft Azure SDK 2.3 is required. See Requirements and limitations for running Kentico on Microsoft Azure for details.

Development tools

If you want to create custom web parts or integrate custom code, you need:

• Visual Studio 2012/2013 or free Visual Studio Express 2012 for Web / Visual Studio Express 2013 for Web.

Supported client browsers for the Kentico administration interface

• Chrome 12+
• Internet Explorer 9+
• Firefox 4.0+
• Safari 4.0+ on Mac OS

We strongly recommend using the latest versions of the browsers. Older browsers remain fully functional, but may display simplified renderings of certain components.

Supported client browsers for site visitors

• Chrome 12+
• Internet Explorer 7+
• Firefox 1.0.5+
• Opera 7.52+
• Mozilla 1.7.1+
• Safari on Mac OS
• Mobile browsers are supported, but some features may be limited by browser capabilities

Older browsers may need slight adjustments to the site’s stylesheet to ensure that all functionality is displayed correctly.